For a state that’s home to Hollywood, there isn’t much star power in California’s gubernatorial race. It’s a somewhat different story in Los Angeles, where a reality television personality is running for mayor as the city prepares to host the Olympics.
More primaries are being held on Tuesday as well. Democrats are banking on a rare chance to regain ground in Iowa, a rural state that has repeatedly eluded them in recent years. Republicans, meanwhile, are grappling with a New Jersey congressman whose unexplained absence could put their already slim majority at risk.
— California: Voters weighed in on who should lead the nation’s most populous state, where there is no clear leader among candidates vying to advance in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. Plus, U.S. House races are on the ballot, along with the Los Angeles mayor’s race.
— New Mexico: Contests in the state include primaries for congressional seats, a U.S. Senate seat and a long list of statewide offices, but the governor’s race is the main attraction. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination Tuesday night, putting her on a historic path for Native American leaders.
— New Jersey: One of this year’s most closely watched House midterms will take place in the battleground district represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who has drawn public scrutiny and concern after missing more than 100 House votes due to an undisclosed medical issue. Democratic voters selected Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, to take him on this fall.
— Read more about races in Iowa, Montana and South Dakota.
Democrat Xavier Becerra says he overcame underdog status in race for California governor
Speaking to supporters Tuesday, Becerra noted he was once counted out. Now he’s among three contenders leading in early returns for two spots in the November general election.
Becerra, a former state attorney general and federal health secretary, shared his personal story as the son of two immigrants. He’d be the state’s first Latino governor since the late 1800s
He said he wants to lead a state that “regularly makes the improbable seem inevitable.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass advances to a runoff in her bid for reelection
After a shaky first term marked by the most destructive wildfire in city history, the Democrat qualified for the November runoff.
Bass has acknowledged that her time in office has been bumpy but pointed to reductions in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate in the nation’s second-most populous city.
She is a former member of Congress and the first Black woman to serve as mayor.
Nithya Raman says her vision for LA ‘threatens some very powerful forces’
Addressing supporters, Raman thanked backers for sustaining her positive outlook on how the city should be run. She decried “the City Hall insiders, the corporations who have spent years making sure City Hall worked for them and not for the people.”
A former ally of Mayor Karen Bass, the progressive Raman was elected to City Council with support from the Democratic Socialists of America. A Democrat, she’s campaigned on promises to reduce inequality, revive the slumping entertainment industry and build more housing.
Bass spoke with supporters earlier in the evening. Spencer Pratt has yet to make any comments.
Rep. Randy Feenstra’s defeat is a rare loss by a Trump-backed candidate this primary season
Feenstra lost the Republican nomination for Iowa governor to Zach Lahn. Lahn previously worked for conservative political organization Americans for Prosperity.
Lahn said Tuesday he’s not a politician and that as his own biggest donor “I have not been bought and I will not be bought.”
“Tonight is just the beginning,” he said. “The fight starts now.”
Lahn championed policies that appealed to Iowa’s conservative grassroots supporters, including a total ban on abortion and keeping liberal ideology out of public school classrooms.
He also embraced the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
LA mayoral candidate Nithya Raman says she trusts the voters
Raman is a member of the City Council and is running to the left of incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Raman spoke to reporters as she entered an election night gathering as polls were closing.
She said she loves Los Angeles because it has given so much to her family.
“What I want to do is to preserve this as a city that continues to allow immigrants to come here, to dream big here, to feel safe here,” she said. Here’s the latest:
Zach Lahn wins
Republican nomination for Iowa governor
Lahn defeated four Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who was endorsed by Trump.
Lahn owns an investment company and lives on a farm in eastern Iowa that has been in his family for a century. He previously worked for conservative political organization Americans for Prosperity.
Lahn will face State Auditor Rob Sand, the lone Democrat currently holding statewide office, in November. They are running to replace outgoing GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Unopposed in his primary and absent a clear Republican opponent, Sand has had a long runway to hone his moderate message and amass an $18 million campaign chest.
Tom Steyer says he’ll ‘wait ’til every ballot is counted’ in California governor’s race
The billionaire climate activist told supporters he and his backers “know we finished really strong.”
Steyer pledged to advance progressive policies like universal healthcare and aggressive climate policy, ideas he reiterated as votes were still being tallied.
“We should have a system based on fairness, not on asking for fairness,” he said.
Steyer’s campaign spent or booked more than $203 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio, yielding accusations from some that he had tried to buy the election.
But Steyer noted that major corporate interests, including a major California utility, dumped money into defeating him because he’s the candidate willing to take them on.
“I welcome their hatred,” Steyer said.
LA Mayor Karen Bass thanks supporters, predicts winning a second term
Bass thanked supporters for having faith in her after a tough first term and predicted she will win in November.
Early returns in the race are coming in.
Bass told supporters she appreciated the support when others doubted her.
“I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate you for believing in me,” she said.
Bass, a Democrat, is facing challengers from both ends of the political spectrum.
Bass told supporters she’d devoted her life to serving the city and “I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November.”
California Rep. Brad Sherman survives challenge from younger Democrat for House seat
The 15-term congressman has advanced to the November general election after defeating a challenger seeking generational change.
Sherman, 71, was being pushed by Jake Levine, a 42-year-old lawyer who argued that it was time to move on from the veteran lawmaker.
The 32nd District stretches from the San Fernando Valley to Malibu and is considered a safe seat for Democrats.
GOP nominee Gregg Hull says he’ll have momentum in New Mexico governor’s race
“This fall, we will face Deb Haaland in the general election and we’re going to win,” Hull said. “And I respect that she has served in various positions over her career, but New Mexico families are hurting, and the policies of the last eight years under one-party control of this state have failed.”
A grandfather, Hull said he wants to bring high-paying jobs to the state so young people won’t have to leave.
The U.S. Senate general election fundraising battle has already begun in Montana
The winners of tonight’s U.S. Senate primaries in Montana face an uphill fundraising battle to catch up with independent candidate Seth Bodnar. Bodnar, who advances directly to the November general election, has raised more money than all Democratic candidates on tonight’s ballot combined.
Bodnar has also outraised Kurt Alme, who won the Republican nomination tonight. Alme, who is backed by Trump, will test whether the weight of Trump’s endorsement can overcome a substantial fundraising disadvantage.
Rep. Randy Feenstra concedes in Iowa GOP governor primary to Zach Lahn
Feenstra, who was endorsed by Trump, said late Tuesday that he called Lahn to concede. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the race.
Feenstra told supporters in Hull that the outcome “wasn’t what we probably wanted” but that it would start a new chapter. He said he called Lahn to tell him to “carry the torch” and offered a prayer as he continues the campaign.
“I am all in to help him out,” Feenstra said. “Let us never hang our heads.”
Democratic lawmaker Scott Wiener advances in bid to replace Nancy Pelosi
The California state senator joined the scramble among Democrats to replace the retiring former House speaker.
Pelosi is a San Francisco political institution. The competition has been fierce among Democrats to replace her in the safely Democratic 11th District seat.
Republican Jim Desmond advances in redrawn Southern California House district
The San Diego County supervisor advances to the November ballot in a San Diego-area congressional seat that Democrats redrew to give their party a shot at a pickup.
Desmond was endorsed by Trump and Rep. Darrell Issa, a conservative who retired rather than run in the new 48th District.
San Jose mayor says his campaign for California governor is ending
Democrat Matt Mahan acknowledged to supports shortly after polls closed that he wouldn’t be moving on to the November general election.
Mahan entered the race in January to major fanfare from tech and business leaders who poured millions into his campaign. But he struggled to translate that into broader name recognition and support.
Mahan said his work on homelessness and housing helped improve the campaign and that he would continue to make his voice heard for the well-being of Californians.
“Our mission has only just begun,” he told supporters.
Gregg Hull is Republican nominee for New Mexico governor
Hull has pointed to his time as mayor of fast-growing Rio Rancho as a blueprint for how he would govern, promising to attract large employers to a state where poverty rates are among the highest in the nation and wages among the lowest.
He beat out small business owners Duke Rodriguez and Doug Turner for the GOP nomination and will face an uphill battle in the general election. Republicans have not won a statewide office in New Mexico in 10 years.
Spending in California’s governor race shatters records
This year is already shaping up to be costly for elections across the country, with candidates in Texas, Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia setting spending records within their state or office. But nothing comes close to the amount spent by billionaire and California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer. He has spent over $200 million of his own money to fund his campaign, setting the record for both the costliest campaign this year and in California gubernatorial history.
California’s voters: by the numbers
California stands as the most populous state in the country with a citizen voting-age population of 26.1 million in 2024. Its electorate is also one of the most diverse. Nearly one-third of California voters identify as Hispanic or Latino, which is the second-highest share among all U.S. states. Asians make up 15% of the state’s voters.
The state stands out economically as well with a median household income of $102,870, over $20k more than the U.S. median. Despite its reputation as a Democratic stronghold, California’s political landscape is far from monolithic. Rising housing costs, immense income inequality and regional identities contribute to complex cross-sections of political identities that complicate sweeping state narratives.
Mid-decade redistricting in California
California’s primaries are taking place in newly drawn congressional districts approved by voters last November. The map, pushed forward by Gov. Newsom, was designed to create more favorable conditions for Democrats. It came in response to Trump’s call for redistricting that would bolster Republicans’ position in midterms this fall.
Crowd roars as Haaland takes stage as Democratic nominee for New Mexico governor
A mariachi band played and supporters chanted “Deb! Deb! Deb!” as Haaland arrived on stage to address the crowd.
She outlined her own time as a single mother in saying she’s experienced struggles that are familiar to many New Mexicans. But, she said, a better New Mexico is possible with grit, creativity and persistence.
She said she’d work to lower costs, make healthcare more accessible, improve education and make communities safer.
Iowa’s Democratic US Senate candidate Josh Turek says he feels hope
Turek said he wants to help families like his own be able to achieve the American Dream once again and be “a voice for the voiceless.”
“I am feeling hope here in Iowa for the first time in a very long time,” Turek said to big cheers.
Turek thanked his Democratic primary opponent, Zach Wahls, for making him a stronger candidate. He soon pivoted to Ashley Hinson, the Republican he will face in the general election, arguing the congresswoman doesn’t serve everyday Iowans.
“I will fight for you — all of you — no matter what,” he said.
Iowa Democrat Josh Turek celebrates nomination for Senate
Turek smiled and popped a wheelie on his chair as he approached the stage to celebrate his primary win. Democrats in Des Moines roared with excitement.
“Iowa sure does love an underdog, and we have done it tonight,” he said. “I am honored to be your nominee.”
A sea of campaign signs were lifted in the air.
Joe Mitchell is GOP nominee for Ashley Hinson’s Iowa US House district
Mitchell was endorsed by Trump.
He defeated state Sen. Charlie McClintock in the Republican-leaning 2nd District.
The seat is open because Hinson is running for U.S. Senate.
Emergency at bank leads California Democrat to cancel election night party
State Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, who is competing for a chance to face vulnerable Republican U.S. Rep. David Valadao in November, announced she was canceling the party because of the incident.
Police remained encircled around a bank Tuesday evening in downtown Bakersfield, where a man was holding several people inside.
In her statement, Bains said she was canceling the event “to avoid creating a large gathering of people in close proximity to this incident.”
Steve Hilton wants to break Democrats’ winning streak in California
“We cannot let this chance for change slip away,” said Hilton, a former Fox News host who has Trump’s endorsement in the California governor’s race.
California hasn’t had a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.
Hilton said he can win if he and one of his Democratic rivals advance to the general election in November. He’s pledging to cut regulations and reduce costs in the state.
“This state needs change, and it can’t be provided by a Democrat,” he told reporters in Southern California about an hour before polls were set to close.
Haaland greeted by supporters, including from her own community of Laguna Pueblo
Singers from Laguna Pueblo, where Haaland is an enrolled citizen, congratulated her on winning the Democratic primary for New Mexico governor. Then, they performed traditional songs to honor her.
Haaland thanked New Mexicans earlier on social media for “believing in what we can build together.”
Supporters were gathered in the Old Town neighborhood of Albuquerque for the event that included a prayer in Tiwa, one of many Native languages spoken among tribes in the state, and traditional hoop dancing.
Democratic Governors Association head says Haaland’s life story ‘one of resilience’
Chair Andy Beshear said Haaland, a former tribal administrator who helped oversee education and childcare programs, will be a champion for New Mexico’s residents.
“She knows the pain New Mexicans are feeling right now, which is why she will never stop fighting to bring down costs and create jobs, strengthen schools, expand affordable health care, and create safer communities,” he said.
Zach Wahls vows support for winning Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek
“The work that we began together one year ago this month does not end tonight. It is going to end in November when Rep. Josh Turek defeats Ashley Hinson in November,” Wahls, a state senator from Iowa City, told supporters in an upstairs bar near the University of Iowa.
Wahls praised his competitor, despite disagreements over policy the future of the party.
“Josh and I competed hard against each other,” he said. “Josh is a good man. He will be an infinitely better United States senator than Ashley Hinson.”
The room burst into applause.
Hinson, Iowa’s 2nd District representative, easily won the Republican primary Tuesday for the seat being vacated by two-term GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not seeking a third term.
Iowa’s vote history keeps the Senate seat in play for Democrats
Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek won tonight’s U.S. Senate primaries in Iowa, setting the stage for a competitive race in the fall.
Democrats are eyeing the open seat vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. Before Ernst’s election in 2014, Iowa was represented by Democrat Tom Harkin for three decades, marking a period where Democrats were still competitive statewide.
Iowa also backed former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, indicating how a strong Democratic candidate can resonate with Iowa voters despite the state’s recent Republican lean.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks wins GOP nomination in Iowa’s 1st District
Miller-Meeks defeated David Pautch, who also ran against her in 2024.
Miller-Meeks went on to eke out a win in the general election that year, earning a third term after a recount confirmed her roughly 800-vote lead over Democrat Christina Bohannan.
Ashley Hinson speaks of bipartisanship after winning Iowa’s Republican US Senate primary
Hinson dubbed it “a resounding victory” in a statement, before listing what she wanted to continue doing in Congress: make life more affordable, take on “Big Pharma and Big Health Insurance” and “root out corruption in Washington.”
“My record is one of delivering bipartisan results for Iowans, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the United States Senate. I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to get things done for Iowa,” she said.
Iowa Democrats cheer and wave Josh Turek signs in Des Moines
The supporters started waving the campaign signs featuring Turek’s signature Paralympic gold medal after The Associated Press called the race in his favor.
Turek defeated Zach Wahls for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Cheers erupted after CNN announced the race call live on air.
Turek, a relative newcomer to elected office, won his state House seat in 2022. He played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe, and he competed for the U.S. in four Paralympics, including as recently as 2021.
Christina Bohannan came close to winning Iowa’s 1st District in 2024
The winner of the Democratic primary for the district in southeast Iowa is seeking the seat for the third time.
In 2024, she came within about 800 votes of unseating Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
She defeated first-time candidate Travis Terrell in the Democratic primary.
Josh Turek wins Iowa Democratic US Senate primary
Turek is a former Paralympian and relative newcomer to public office, winning his state House seat in 2022.
His primary race against Zach Wahls was upended by a flood of outside support that boosted him in the final stretch. Democratic political operation VoteVets spent millions of dollars to blanket the airwaves, social media and mailboxes.
He will next try to flip the seat currently held by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, who is retiring.
Deb Haaland wins Democratic nomination for New Mexico governor
One of the first Native American women elected to Congress and the nation’s first Native American Cabinet secretary could break another political barrier. As the Democratic nominee for governor, she is on her way to become the first Native American to hold that position in any U.S. state.
Haaland’s primary win makes her the frontrunner in November. Democrats have consolidated control over every statewide elected office in New Mexico over the past decade.
As interior secretary under President Joe Biden, Haaland championed public lands conservation and oversaw a first-of-its-kind federal investigation into the abuse of Native American children at government-run boarding schools. On the campaign trail in New Mexico, Haaland focused on reducing costs for families while emphasizing her ancestral roots in the state and experience in the nation’s capital. She’s a member of Laguna Pueblo.
US Supreme
Court allows Alabama to use congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.
The justices granted the state’s emergency appeal to use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority-Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.
The high-court order is the latest development in a redistricting frenzy that is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections. It comes a day before an important deadline that Republican Gov. Kay Ivey had already extended in the state’s desire to use the map in special primary elections in August.
Rebecca Bennett tells Rep. Tom Kean Jr., ‘We are coming for you’
Addressing supporters at an Election Night party after winning the Democratic nomination in New Jersey’s battleground 7th District, Bennett called the Republican incumbent a “coward.”
“You are failing us, and you do not deserve to represent us in Washington,” the former Navy helicopter pilot said to Kean, who has been away from Congress with an unspecified illness for months.
Bennett’s victory over three other Democrats in the closely-watched district sets up the state’s premier contest in November. The district has flipped in the last two midterm elections.
Introducing his wife, Bennett’s husband told the crowd that Tuesday marks their 14th wedding anniversary.
Ashley Hinson wins GOP nomination to replace Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst
Hinson, who is endorsed by Trump and Ernst, defeated former state Sen. Jim Carlin.
The former TV anchor is in her third term representing Iowa’s 2nd District, in the northeastern part of the state.
She got into the race for Senate almost immediately after Ernst said she was retiring. Hinson won her most recent election with the support of 57% of voters.
A closer look at New Mexico’s voting population
New Mexico has the highest share of Hispanic or Latino voters among U.S. states and the second-highest share of American Indian or Alaska Native voters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Despite Indigenous people accounting for nearly a tenth of New Mexico’s voting-eligible population, New Mexico did not elect its first Native American member of Congress until Deb Haaland’s historic victory in 2018.
After serving as U.S. secretary of the interior under former President Joe Biden, Haaland is running in tonight’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Rebecca Bennett wins Democratic primary in New Jersey’s 7th District
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, will take on Rep. Tom Kean Jr. this fall. Her win over three other Democrats in the closely-watched district sets up the state’s premier contest for November, when the party hopes they can flip the seat.
Winning in districts like the 7th, which includes bedroom communities and farm towns as well as Trump’s Bedminster golf club, will be key to Democratic hopes of gaining control of the narrowly divided House.
The win comes as Kean has missed more than 100 votes in the House because of a medical issue that his office has declined to specify.
New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District: By the numbers
New Jersey’s 7th District remains one of the most competitive U.S. House districts in the country. In 2018, former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski unseated longtime Republican incumbent Leonard Lance, flipping the seat after decades of GOP control.
Malinowski managed to hold off now-Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in 2020, but following redistricting, the district seesawed back to Republicans in 2022 when Kean won by 2.8 points.
In 2024, Kean expanded his margin to 5.4 points, but Trump won the district by only 1.1 points that same year, making the race for this seat anyone’s game.
Democrats look to Iowa to rebuild in the heartland
Iowa wasn’t always a Republican stronghold.
Before Trump reshaped American politics, this was the state the lifted the political career of Barack Obama and sent Tom Harkin to the Senate for five terms.
The party is particularly excited about Rob Sand, who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for governor. A native of Decorah, Iowa, he has the rural roots that have become rare among Democrats. Perhaps most importantly, he’s a proven winner in a Republican-leaning state, having been elected twice as auditor.
Republicans head into the primary with five candidates. Trump jumped in last week to endorse Rep. Randy Feenstra.
This is the first open contest for the governor’s seat since 2006. Democrats are hoping that a combination of the economic fallout from Trump’s tariff policies, rising gas prices stemming from the Iran war and the lack of a Republican incumbent could give them their best opportunity in years. Sand also has a fundraising advantage over the Republicans, including Feenstra.
Iowa has some of this year’s most competitive House races
2. In northeastern Iowa’s 2nd District, former state Rep. Joe Mitchell, endorsed by Trump, and state Sen. Charlie McClintock are Republicans seeking U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s open seat. Three Democrats want the nomination: state Rep. Lindsay James, former nonprofit leader Clint Twedt-Ball and Kathy Dolter, a former dean of nursing at an Iowa community college.
3. In southcentral Iowa’s competitive 3rd District, Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott are both unopposed on the primary ballot.
