Groundbreaking victories for Democratic candidates
HARTLAND, Wis. — Democrats delivered groundbreaking victories in Tuesday’s primaries for a transgender female candidate in Vermont, a Muslim woman in Minnesota and an African American woman in Connecticut, while party members in Wisconsin nominated a top state education official to challenge Gov. Scott Walker, one of the most vulnerable high-profile Republicans of the midterm cycle.
Tony Evers, the Wisconsin schools superintendent who was the best known and bestfunded candidate, prevailed in a crowded field of seven other entrants, according to the Associated Press. But the November election is likely to be a referendum on the polarizing Republican incumbent, who is seeking a third term.
In a Senate primary, Wisconsin Republicans turned to Leah Vukmir, a longtime Milwaukee-area politician with the backing of establishment figures in the party, over Kevin Nicholson, a 40-year-old former Marine. Vukmir will take on Sen. Tammy Baldwin this fall.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Vermont Democrats also nominated Christine Hallquist, a longtime energy executive who could become the nation’s first transgender governor. She will face the Republican incumbent, Gov. Phil Scott. Hallquist, the chief executive of the Vermont Electric Cooperative for 12 years, ran on a progressive message that included a higher minimum wage and “Medicare for all.” Her transition from male to female took place in 2015.
Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota state lawmaker, was poised to be one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, winning the Democratic nomination in a left-leaning district. And Jahana Hayes, a former national teacher of the year who would be Connecticut’s first black woman in Congress, easily defeated Mary Glassman in a House Democratic primary for an open seat.