Ohio primary goes Trump’s way; incumbents win in Ill.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Things went former President Donald Trump’s way on Tuesday in a pair of high-profile elections in Ohio that could determine Republicans' chances of picking up critical seats this fall and expanding their power in Washington.

In the bruising and expensive primary to face Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown this fall, voters chose Trump-backed Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno over state Senator Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. In northwest Ohio, state Representative Derek Merrin prevailed over former state Representative Craig Riedel a day after Trump endorsed him. Merrin will face longtime US Representative Marcy Kaptur in November’s general election.

Both Brown and Kaptur are considered among the year’s most vulnerable Democrats, amid Ohio’s tack to the political right in recent years. With Democrats holding a narrow voting majority in the Senate and Republicans maintaining a thin margin in the US House, both races have already drawn outsize attention from national party leaders.

In Illinois, meanwhile, two Chicago incumbent US House Democrats in competitive races won easy victories in Tuesday’s Illinois primary, while a downstate GOP US House incumbent who received former president Donald Trump’s endorsement took an early lead over his opponent.

In the state’s 7 th District, longtime Representative Danny Davis won the Democratic primary after a competitive fiveway contest. Davis, who first took office in 1997, had faced questions about his fitness for office at age 82. He said those questions are fair, but his experience is valuable, particularly for leadership on key committees. He’s a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

In the 4th District, threeterm Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia won the Democratic primary against Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez. The congressman, who dominated in funding and endorsements, was facing his first primary challenger since 2018, when he won congressional office. Garcia delivered a wide-ranging speech to supporters gathered Tuesday at his election night party, touching on reproductive rights, the economy and immigration reform.

Downstate, in the 12 District, Republican Representative Mike Bost faces only his second intraparty challenge in seeking his sixth term in Congress. Former state Senator Darren Bailey, the unsuccessful 2022 GOP nominee for governor, is hoping to unseat the 63year-old incumbent.

Bailey, 57, has maintained that Bost is not conservative enough. But his hopes to win the endorsement in this race from the former president were dashed when Trump gave his backing to Bost.