Election Primary Results: August 14, 2018
Wisconsin Democrats are hoping the fourth time is a charm. On Tuesday
they will nominate a candidate to deny Gov. Scott Walker a third term.
In addition to his first two races, they also lost a recall election
to Walker. State education official Tony Evers, state Sen. Kathleen
Vinehout and activist Mike McCabe are the leading Democrats, though
five others are on the ballot.
Republicans are going to nominate a challenger for Sen. Tammy Baldwin,
one of ten Democratic incumbents running for reelection this year in a
state President Trump won. Sen. Leah Vukmir and veteran Kevin
Nicholson are facing off the GOP nod. Meanwhile, the Democrats are
hoping for a blue wave that will put them in reach of grabbing at
least three Wisconsin House seats, including the one being vacated by
retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Minnesota will elect a new governor. The Democrats are choosing
between Congressman Tim Walz, state Rep. Erin Murphy, and state
Attorney General Lori Swanson. The Republican frontrunner is former
Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who needs to get past former state Rep. Jeff
Johnson first.
Sen. Tina Smith, the Democrat who was appointed to fill Al Franken’s
seat, now faces an election. Former Bush administration official and
frequent Trump critic Richard Painter is challenging her in the
Democratic primary. State Sen. Karin Housley is running against
political neophyte Bob Anderson on the Republican side. There will
also be primary elections for attorney general, where the outcome to
watch for is whether controversial Rep. Keith Ellison, a leading
progressive, can win the Democratic nomination.
Republicans have a rare pickup opportunity in Minnesota’s First
District, left open by Walz. The GOP is also trying to unseat centrist
Rep. Colin Petersen in the Seventh District. Democrats are trying to
flip Second and Third Districts. The former is represented by
Congressman Jason Lewis, whose past as a radio host has created
controversy this year. Millionaire Democrat Dean Phillips is trying to
unseat Rep. Erik Paulsen in the Third.
Vermont Democrats will nominate their challenger to Republican Gov.
Phil Scott. One candidate is transgender, another is only 14 as the
state has no age requirement.
In Connecticut, there is a competitive Republican primary to replace
unpopular Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy. The field includes Danbury Mayor
Mark Boughton, conservative Tim Herbst and businessmen Bob Stefanowski
and David Stemerman. The Democrats will choose between businessman Ned
Lamont, who beat Sen. Joe Lieberman in a 2006 primary but lost the
general election to him, and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.
