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June 2 primary battlegrounds
Voters across California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota headed to the polls on Tuesday, June 2, to determine candidates for November’s midterm elections.
“In the United States, voters in six states are participating in primary elections that will set up the final races in November’s critical midterm elections”
In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited, and the race to succeed him is described as the biggest contest of the night.
In Iowa, Democrats chose a candidate in a key Senate race after Sen. Joni Ernst decided not to seek reelection, while Republicans looked to hold open seats.
In Montana, primaries were held to replace Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Representative Ryan Zinke, with the Senate race drawing attention after Daines withdrew his reelection bid minutes before the state’s filing deadline.
In New Jersey, polling was underway for U.S. House and Senate primaries, with attention on the 7th congressional district where Tom Kean Jr. was running unopposed in the Republican primary.
Candidates, endorsements, and rules
The California gubernatorial primary was framed as a top-two system where voters send the top two vote-getters to November’s general election regardless of party, and the contest was described as narrowing to Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton.
NBC News reported that Hilton earned the support of President Donald Trump, and it also noted that Newsom stayed neutral in the race.
In Iowa, UPI reported that two Iowa Republicans were running to represent the party in the gubernatorial election against Democrat and State Auditor Rob Sand, while NPR described the Democratic Senate primary as a road map to control of Congress.
In Montana, The Washington Post said Sen. Steve Daines (R) abruptly withdrew his reelection bid minutes before the state’s filing deadline, and it added that President Donald Trump endorsed Kurt Alme soon afterward.
In New Jersey, Al Jazeera said incumbent Congress member Tom Kean Jr. was running unopposed in the Republican primary for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, while also noting Kean had missed more than 100 House votes.
What’s at stake in November
Multiple outlets tied Tuesday’s primaries to control of Congress in November, with Al Jazeera saying Democrats were hoping to win majorities in both chambers and wrest control back from Republicans.
“Tuesday, June 2, will be another key day on the U”
NPR similarly described the Democratic road map to control of Congress in the fall, noting that in Iowa Democrats needed to pick up four seats to win a majority in the Senate.
In California, the Washington Post said the general election winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries would also face University of Montana President Seth Bodnar, who was running as an independent.
In Iowa, UPI reported that Ashley Hinson was vying for the Senate seat soon to be left vacant by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and it said Hinson had been endorsed by Trump.
In New Jersey, Al Jazeera said Tuesday’s outcomes could shape the political landscape for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term, with Democrats aiming to gain control of the House where they currently held a minority of 212 seats out of a total of 435.
