Former President Donald Trump won convincingly just about everywhere on Tuesday. He’s going to be the GOP presidential nominee this fall, marking the third straight cycle that he’s at the top of the Republican ticket. So let’s dive into the far more interesting world of congressional primaries!
Schiff and Garvey advance to Senate general election: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) advanced to the general election in California’s Senate race, capping off a dominant primary campaign win over his fellow Democrats. Schiff is a massive favorite against Republican Steve Garvey in November. The primary losses for Reps. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) are setbacks for the progressive pair.
Schiff boosted Garvey in the primary, hoping to run against a Republican in deep blue California instead of a Democrat. And it worked.
Moore beats Carl in member-on-member race: Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) narrowly beat fellow Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.) in a redistricting-forced primary. Moore, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, emerged victorious in a bitter campaign dominated by immigration-themed attacks. Carl, a more mainstream GOP appropriator, tried to blast Moore’s vote against a 2023 continuing resolution deal paired with the conservative H.R. 2 border bill.
Valadao set for rematch against Salas: Despite California’s 22nd District threatening some drama, national Democrats and Republicans saw their preferred candidate advance to the general election. Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), one of the most endangered House Republicans, will again face Democrat Rudy Salas on Election Day. Valadao won last cycle, but will certainly be heavily targeted by Democrats in a seat that voted for President Joe Biden by 13 points in 2020.
Gonzales heading to May runoff: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) fell just short of the threshold to advance to the general election and will face right-wing challenger Brandon Herrera in a May runoff. Herrera has worked with Freedom Caucus members to unseat Gonzales and accused the incumbent of failing to live up to conservative campaign promises. Gonzales notably supported the bipartisan gun safety bill following the horrific Uvalde school massacre in his district.
CLF gets its candidate in NC-1: Republican Laurie Buckhout, who the GOP leadership-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund supported, beat failed 2022 candidate Sandy Smith in a key primary. Buckhout will face vulnerable Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) in the Tarheel State’s only competitive seat. This is a big win for Republicans who were wary that Smith’s scandal-ridden record would again harm the party in November.
In other North Carolina primaries, Trump-endorsed Addison McDowell is heading to a runoff with former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) in the 6th District. And retiring Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) won the Democratic primary in the attorney general race. He’ll face retiring Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) in November.
Figures heads to runoff with Daniels in Alabama Democratic primary: Shomari Figures, a former DOJ and White House aide, advanced to a runoff with Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels in the newly drawn majority-minority district in Alabama. Figures finished first in the crowded primary but fell around seven points short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Whoever emerges from the primary is heavily favored to win in the blue-leaning seat.
— Max Cohen
