Key takeaways from Tuesday's primaries USA TODAY

WASHINGTON–Once again, coronavirus proved that elections during a pandemic are not business as usual.

Over the past several months, voters have f aced long lines and fewer in-person polling locations due to safety protocols related to the coronavirus pandemic and a related decrease in the number of people willing to work the polls. Even in Kentucky, where bipartisan changes were made in an attempt to expand access to the polls, there were still issues.

In Louisville, Kentucky, some voters were stuck waiting to park their cars outside the Kentucky Ex position Center, causing them to miss the deadline to get in line when polls closed at 6 p.m. The center was the only site open in Louisville and Jefferson County due to changes made because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Videos showed voters locked outside the center, some running to the doors or pounding on the glass windows in hopes of being let in. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker secured a court order that opened the doors and extended the poll hours to 6:30 p.m. And waits of over an hour had been reported earlier in the day in Lexington.

Kentucky is one of several states that have expanded access to absentee voting, and officials expected a record turnout of over 1 million people voting in the primary. Full results will likely not be released until June 30, Secretary of State Michael Adams said, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.

That meant the winner in a key race, the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, was not expected Tuesday night. Amy McGrath, who has the backing of Democratic Party establishment, and Booker, who recently gained national attention for protesting after the death of Breonna Taylor and has been endorsed by key progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, are in a tight race to be the candidate who will go on to face Sen. Mitch McConnell in November.

Here are other key takeaways from Tuesday's primary:

Ocasio-Cortez holds her seat against primary challengers

Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez had a blowout win in her district's Democratic primary.

Ocasio-Cortez warded off t hree Democratic pri mary challengers in New York's 14th Congressional District. The freshman lawmaker noted on social media Tuesday evening that her surprise upset in 2018 was not a “fluke.”

Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic socialist, shocked political pundits after defeating 10-term incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley during the 2018 midterms.

“Our win was treated as an aberration, or (because) my opponent `didn't try,'” OcasioCortez wrote in a tweet. “So from the start, tonight's race was important to me. Tonight we are proving that the people's movement in NY isn't an accident. It`s a mandate.”

New York incumbents try to hold on to seats against progressive challengers

Progressive Democrat Jamaal Bowman continues to hold a large lead over incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel in the New York's 16th Congressional District primary race, with some pundits calling the race for Bowman.

With 92% of precincts reporting Wednesday, Bowman is up 25 percentage points over Engel. An official winner has yet to be declared and full results likely won't be announced until next week. The final results are delayed due to thousands of mail ballots that won't be opened until June 30.

Over the past several weeks, Bowman has gained national attention and has been backed by progressives like OcasioCortez and Sanders. Engel, a 16-term incumbent, received support from establishment Democrats and got a high profile endorsement from Hillary Clinton.

If Engel loses the race, by seniority, Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, would be next in line to chair the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. But other lawmakers could make a play for the gavel as well.

As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Engel was at the forefront of the House impeachment probe, which centered on allegations that Trump pressured Ukrainian officials to open an investigation into Joe Biden.

More recently, he has led an investigation into Trump's controversial decision to fire the State Department's long-time independent watchdog, who was probing allegations that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked a staffer to run personal errands for himself and his wife.

But Engel is more in line with the Trump administration on high-profile foreign policy issues – including his staunch support for Israel – than some of his liberal colleagues.