Key Republican and Democrat nomination contests will set the table for this autumn’s battle for the House and Senate majorities as Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Washington state hold primary elections on Tuesday.
Among the contests taking top billing is the Michigan race to succeed retiring longtime Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The seat is one of a handful in key battleground states that the GOP is aiming to flip as it works to win back control of the Senate it lost in the 2020 elections.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a one-time FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, enjoys the backing of former President Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, as well as support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the Senate GOP’s campaign arm.
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Former Rep. Mike Rogers speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
Rogers is considered the clear front-runner in a field that also includes former Rep. Justin Amash, and physician Sherry O’Donnell.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the clear front-runner for the Democratic Party’s Senate nomination in a race that also includes actor and Detroit small business owner Hill Harper.
In the race to succeed Slotkin in the Lansing-area swing seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District are Democrat Curtis Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett, two former state senators who are uncontested as they seek their party’s nominations.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Other Michigan congressional seats that could decide control of the U.S. House – where Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority – are in the 3rd, 8th and 10th districts, all of which have contested primaries on Tuesday.
In Missouri, conservative Sen. Josh Hawley is unopposed in the GOP primary as he runs for re-election. The winner of the Democratic primary, which includes 2022 nominee Lucas Kunce, will face a steep uphill climb against Hawley in November.
Sen. Josh Hawley (Screenshot)
But the primary in Missouri that’s grabbing plenty of national attention is the Democrati nomination battle in the St. Louis-area 1st Congressional District. That’s where Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the so-called “Squad” of diverse progressives, is facing a challenge from St. Louis county prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell in a primary that’s seen more than $15 million in outside spending.
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A key issue in the race is Bush’s criticism of how Israel is handling its war against Hamas in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Rep. Cori Bush (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Communications Workers of America)
Meanwhile, in the GOP nomination race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Parson, Trump has endorsed three of the nine candidates in the primary field: Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe and Air Force veteran and state Sen. Bill Eigel.
In Kansas, Democrats and Republicans are holding primaries in the race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Jake LaTurner in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of the eastern part of the state, including parts of metropolitan Kansas City.
In the overwhelmingly urban 3rd Congressional District, two Republicans are vying to challenge three-term Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation.
In Washington state, Democrat Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is running for re-election to a second term in a seat she flipped blue two years ago. She goes before voters in an all-party primary that also includes Republican Joe Kent, the Trump supporter she defeated in 2022. In Washington, the top two vote getters in the primary face off in November.
There are also primaries in the races to succeed retiring Democrat Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
In the race for governor, nearly 30 candidates are vying to succeed retiring three-term Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee.