Stakes high for U.S. House as 8 states go to polls
LOS ANGELES — Holding hopes of a “blue wave” in November, Democrats fought to shape the political battlefield in primaries across eight states Tuesday, including California and New Jersey, key states in deciding control of Congress this fall.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., took an early lead in his primary contest, while Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who faced federal bribery charges last year, was leading in a primary contest against publisher Lisa McCormick. Polls were also closed in Alabama, where Republican Gov. Kay Ivey faced three GOP challengers.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., opened a wide lead for renomination, holding 42.8 percent of the vote with 11 percent of precincts reporting. It was unclear whether she would face a Republican or a Democrat in November, with Republican James Bradley winning 10.1 percent and Democrat Kevin De Leon holding 9.7 percent, according to The New York Times.
In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy pilot and now the Democratic establishment favorite, bested a field of party rivals in the race to replace retiring Republican Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen. Her likely opponent was GOP Assemblyman Jay Webber, in one of several races Democrats view as prime opportunities in their effort to retake the House.
Democrats need to pick up 23 seats to seize control of the House in November.
Part of their path is likely to run through southern California, where the winners and losers in several of the most competitive races may take days to sort out given the state’s unusual election laws.
California’s results may not be finalized for days in some cases because the state will count any mail ballots postmarked by Tuesday.
Recognizing the high stakes, Trump sought to energize his supporters in a series of tweets praising his preferred California Republican candidates.
“In High Tax, High Crime California, be sure to get out and vote for Republican John Cox for Governor. He will make a BIG difference!” Trump tweeted.
California topped a list of eight states with primary contests Tuesday from Montana to Mississippi and New Mexico to New Jersey.
With the possibility of a Democratic wave on the horizon, the elections were seen as a test of voter enthusiasm, candidate quality and Trump’s influence as each party picks its nominees to face off in November.
Francine Karuntzos, a 57-year-old retiree from Huntington Beach, Calif., said she has deep concerns about the Republican president — particularly his recent declaration that he could pardon himself. She said she isn’t a member of a political party, but she voted Democratic on Tuesday.
“I’m really, really worried about our Constitution being ruined by this presidency,” Karuntzos said after casting her ballot at a local community center.
It was a different story in Mississippi, where 66-yearold Gladys Cruz wasn’t sure which Republican she would support in the state’s Senate primary, but she wants whoever wins to firmly support Trump.
The president “touches my heart,” she said.
Much of the day’s drama focused on women, who fought to make history in some cases and to avoid disaster in others.
In Alabama, four-term Republican Rep. Martha Roby was forced into a runoff election next month after failing to win 50 percent of her party’s vote. She will face former Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright, who switched parties before running against Roby, in Alabama’s conservative 2nd District — where Trump loyalty has been a central issue.
Roby was the first member of Congress to withdraw her endorsement of the Republican president in 2016 after he was caught on video bragging about grabbing women’s genitals.
In New Mexico, Democratic Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham won her party’s nomination in the race to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, the state’s first female governor, fended off three GOP challengers, while South Dakota Rep. Kristi Noem became the first female nominee for governor in her state.
In Iowa, 28-year-old Democratic state Rep. Abby Finkenauer got a step closer to becoming the youngest woman to serve in Congress. And in New Mexico, former state Democratic Party Chairman Debra Haaland, a tribal member of Laguna Pueblo, was making a bid to become the first American Indian woman in Congress.
California featured seven Republican seats in districts won by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. No other state features more than three.
Yet the state’s unusual election laws complicate things for both sides.
Under California’s system, all candidates appear on a single primary ballot, with the top two vote-getters regardless of party advancing to the November election. That allows the possibility of two candidates from the same party qualifying.
That’s exactly what could happen in California’s marquee races for Senate and governor, where Republicans face the prospect of being left off the general election ballot altogether.
In the race to succeed term-limited Democrat Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom led with 34 percent of the 1.8 million votes counted, with Republican businessman John Cox in second with 27 percent and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in third with 11 percent.
On the other hand, Democrats could be shut out in a handful of House races, which would be a blow to the party’s fight to claim the House majority this fall.
National Democrats have spent more than $7 million trying to curb and repair the damage inflicted by Democrats attacking one another in districts opened by retiring Republican Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa, and the district where Republican Dana Rohrabacher is facing challenges from the left and the right.
Trump also urged Republicans to support the party’s congressional candidates, in light of Democrats’ increased chances of taking the House, where GOP retirements have made such a changeover more likely in the past year.
There are other kinds of drama playing out in other parts of the country.
In Los Angeles County, officials said the names of more than 118,000 voters were omitted from voter lists because of a printing error. They said poll workers were instructed to offer provisional ballots to every voter whose name didn’t appear on the poll site’s roster, and that provisional votes would be counted after the voter’s registration is confirmed.
In Montana, Republicans were picking a candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who is among the most vulnerable Democratic senators in the nation.
Information for this article was contributed by Amy Taxin, Sophia Bollag, David Porter, Mike Catalini, Jonathan J. Cooper and Kevin McGill of The Associated Press.
Much of the day’s drama focused on women, who fought to make history in some cases and to avoid disaster in others.