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Five-state primary day
Voters in Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington headed to the polls for primaries that could shape the fight for control of the U.S. Congress, with Democrats needing to flip four Senate seats and three House of Representatives seats to regain the majority.
“Voters in five US states – Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Michigan, and Washington – are headed to the polls”
In Michigan, the Democratic Senate primary to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters pitted Rep. Haley Stevens against former Wayne County health official Abdul El-Sayed, with Stevens backed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and El-Sayed backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
In Missouri’s heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District, the Democratic primary rematch set Rep. Wesley Bell against former Rep. Cori Bush, with the contest described as a proxy battle over Gaza and the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
In Kansas, the Republican primary for governor to replace term-limited Democrat Laura Kelly drew national attention, with Al Jazeera noting Trump had endorsed Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and listing other Republican contenders including Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.
Al Jazeera framed the overall stakes as both a test of President Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party and a measure of divisions within the Democratic Party over issues including Israel’s “genocidal war on Gaza” and a progressive flank gaining ground.
Stevens vs El-Sayed
The Michigan Senate primary became a focal point for intraparty conflict, with NPR describing it as a contest where voters would decide “between two millennial Democrats” vying to run against the likely Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers.
NPR said the race turned tense as Democrats argued over whether to back “tested centrist candidates with cross-aisle appeal” or “insurgent campaigns” that could tap anger motivating voters.
Spectrum News said the contest would gauge the strength of progressives against the party establishment in a key battleground state, and it tied the stakes to the winner facing former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Spectrum News also reported that Stevens had endorsements from much of the state’s Democratic establishment, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and state Attorney General Dana Nessel, while El-Sayed had endorsements from progressive leaders including U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
In the same Michigan race, NPR reported that Stevens had outspent El-Sayed on the airwaves by at least eight times, “according to AdImpact,” including groups aligned with AIPAC, while El-Sayed was leading the polls for the primary contest.
AIPAC, Gaza, and Congress
Across the primaries, AIPAC and Israel-Gaza policy were repeatedly described as central drivers of the campaigns, with Spectrum News saying Missouri’s rematch between Wesley Bell and Cori Bush included military aid to Israel as a major point of contention.
“military aid to Israel has also been a big point of contention”
Spectrum News reported that Bell had voted against moves to cut off military aid for Israel while Bush had said she would vote to cut off military aid for Israel, and it said Bush was supported by the Democratic Socialists of America.
USA Today described the broader August 4 primaries as a test of “Trump’s sway and Democrats’ direction,” and it said the Michigan Senate primary was taking place as progressives threatened to overtake moderate leadership picks.
CBS News added that the Virginia Supreme Court struck down Democrats’ voter-approved plan to redraw congressional districts to net up to four more districts, leaving Virginians using maps drafted by a nonpartisan commission in 2021.
Al Jazeera concluded that the Tuesday contests would help shape the battle for control of the U.S. Congress, while also highlighting divisions within the Democratic Party over issues including Israel’s “genocidal war on Gaza” and a progressive flank gaining ground.
