Female pilot pulls upset in Kentucky
ATLANTA >> A retired female fighter pilot upset an established Democratic politician Tuesday in a key congressional primary in Kentucky as four states cast primary and midterm ballots ahead of the November midterms. Votes also were being tallied in Arkansas, Georgia and Texas. A look at key story lines:
Georgia governor’s race
Democrats will tap either Stacey Abrams or Stacey Evans as the state’s first female nominee for governor from either major party. If Abrams ultimately were to prevail in November, she’d become the first black female governor in any state capital.
Both are Atlanta-area attorneys and former state lawmakers. They’re mostly aligned on policy but have shredded each other’s legislative and legal careers. More interesting, perhaps, are their competing strategies. Abrams, 44, says Democrats can flip the GOP-run state only by expanding the electorate and attracting younger and nonwhite voters to the Democratic column. Evans, 40, says liberal policies can be pitched to all voters, even including white Georgians who have abandoned Democrats in recent decades.
Georgia Republicans, meanwhile, likely will have a runoff after a bitter primary that has been a run to the right on everything from immigration to support for President Donald Trump.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is expected to lead Tuesday’s voting, but it’s the men chasing him who’ve stolen headlines. One of Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s closing ads depicted him with a shotgun sitting next to a teenage boy supposedly wanting to date the candidate’s daughter.
Texas runoffs
Texas has three House runoffs that will be key to whether Democrats can flip the minimum 24 GOP-held seats they’ll need for a majority when a new Congress convenes next year. The Texas districts are among 25 nationally where Trump ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats could end up nominating women in all three districts, adding another wrinkle to a midterm election year that has seen record numbers of women running for office.
Democrats battle in Kentucky
Voters in a central Kentucky congressional district opted for retired Marine officer and fighter pilot Amy McGrath over Lexington Mayor Jim Gray to advance to a fall campaign against Republican Rep. Andy Barr.
National Democrats once touted Gray as one of their best recruits in their efforts for a House majority.
Health care preview
While Washington fixates on the daily developments in the Russia election meddling investigation, Democratic congressional candidates insist they’ll win in November arguing about bread-and-butter issues like health care. Arkansas state Rep. Clarke Tucker is running for Congress in a Little Rock-based district by telling his story as a cancer survivor. His first target is a crowded Democratic primary field, and Democrats may be looking at a runoff.
Still, Tucker’s real target is Republican Rep. French Hill, who voted many times to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act.