Former President Donald Trump’s winning streak in the U.S. Senate primary is on the line Tuesday as voters in five states cast their ballots ahead of midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 8.
Trump made bold endorsements by supporting celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and US Representative Ted Budd in North Carolina. The once little-known Budd is now in a strong position to win the Republican nomination, but Oz is locked in a close primary against a former hedge fund CEO and community activist. The primaries follow a resounding victory in the May 3 race in Ohio by Trump’s Senate candidate, JD Vance.
On the Democratic side, Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman revealed on Sunday that he had suffered a stroke but was on track for a “full recovery.”
Pennsylvania, Oregon and Idaho will hold gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday. In Idaho, Republican Brad Little is fighting back against a challenge from his lieutenant governor, a Trump-backed conservative who issued executive orders banning mandatory mask wearing during the height of the pandemic when Little was out of state on business.
In Congress, US Representative Madison Cawthorn is trying to survive a Republican primary in North Carolina after a turbulent first term.
What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon:
Pennsylvania
The race to unseat Republican US Senator Pat Toomey has been dominated by a huge primary field that has been particularly hotly contested on the Republican side.
But on Sunday, attention turned to Democrats when Fetterman announced that he was recovering from a stroke. The 52-year-old said he went to the hospital on Friday after not feeling well and that he would be kept under observation for a while. He vowed to press on despite the health setback, saying, “Our campaign isn’t slowing down one bit, and we’re still on track to win this primary on Tuesday.”
Fetterman has led the polls and fundraising in a four-person field that includes US Rep. Conor Lamb and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.
To Republicans, for much of the campaign, the race looked like a two-man contest between the Trump-backed Oz, best known as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and the former chief executive of cover David McCormick.
In the governor’s race, some Republicans are wringing their hands over the possibility that a far-right candidate, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, could emerge as the winner in the crowded field. They fear that Mastriano, who has promoted Trump’s lies about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, will be ineligible in November and likely squander the opportunity to replace Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is prevented by term limit laws from running. show up again.
On the Democratic side, the state’s two-term attorney general, Josh Shapiro, has gone unchallenged in his bid for governor.
North Carolina
Trump is trying to influence the US Senate and House of Representatives races in a state he won twice, but narrowly.
Trump endorsed Budd for the Senate seat vacated by retired Republican Richard Burr, surprising many at last year’s Republican state convention. Budd’s main competitors in the 11-candidate primary are former US Representative Mark Walker, who had actively sought Trump’s support, and former Governor Pat McCrory, considered a moderate in the race but known nationally for signing a bathroom law. ” targeting transgender people in 2016 that cost the state billions.
On the Democratic side, Cheri Beasley, a former chief justice of North Carolina, appears to have cleared her 11-person field of major rivals. She would be the first black US senator from North Carolina if she wins in November.
Kentucky
US Rep. John Yarmuth, chairman of the House Budget Committee and the only Democrat in Kentucky’s congressional delegation, is retiring, leaving his seat vacant for the first time in 16 years.
On the Democratic side, State Sen. Morgan McGarvey and State Rep. Attica Scott are playing up their progressive credentials in the Louisville-area 3rd District. Despite his underdog status, several Republicans are also running for the seat, which Yarmuth won in 2006 by ousting a veteran Republican congresswoman.
Oregon
In liberal Oregon, the gubernatorial primary is shaping up to be a test between the moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party at a time of widespread frustration in the state over the COVID-19 pandemic, homeless crisis, lack of affordable housing and rising gun violence.
The two leading Democratic candidates are Tina Kotek, a staunch liberal and former state House speaker, versus Tobias Read, the state treasurer who has positioned himself as a moderate.
Idaho
Brad Little, the Republican governor, is trying to survive a primary challenge from his lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin, a far-right conservative who has been endorsed by Trump.
The relationship between Little and McGeachin has been strained. Twice when Little left the state last year, McGeachin claimed to be in charge and issued executive orders to block COVID-19 mandates. Little, who had never tried to implement any mandate related to the pandemic, rescinded both orders when he returned.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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