November’s general election matchups are taking shape as voters in California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota and New Mexico took to the polls in primary elections on Tuesday to select their party’s candidates.
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The highest profile race of the day, the California election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, was still too close to call Wednesday afternoon, but Republican Steve Hilton was leading the crowded field.
One theme of the primary season across the country thus far has been the string of victories for Republican contenders backed by President Donald Trump. But Tuesday’s contests saw a high-profile defeat for a Trump-endorsed candidate. Despite an endorsement from the president, Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra was rejected by voters in his bid for the GOP nomination for governor.
Here are some key election results from each state.
California: Governor, Mayor
The California gubernatorial election was still too close to call. Approximately 57.7% of the votes were in, with an estimated 3,687,000 ballots remaining to be counted. Known for a slow vote-tallying process, statewide results may take some time to file in.
Republican Steve Hilton as of Wednesday morning held 27.8% of the vote. The Trump-endorsed former Fox News political commentator had pledged to turn the historically blue state toward the GOP this midterm election and reverse a two-decade losing streak for Republicans seeking statewide office.
Democrat Xavier Becerra sat slightly behind Hilton, with 25.4% of the vote. A former U.S. secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden and the state’s former attorney general, Becerra surged late in the race after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell stepped down amid sexual assault allegations.
Democratic billionaire activist Tom Steyer sat in third, earning 19.6% of the vote. With over 2 million votes scattered between the two Democratic candidates, the progressive bloc in California’s jungle primary – which sees the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation – was heavily fragmented.
The Los Angeles mayoral election was another race to watch. Incumbent Democrat Karen Bass advanced to the general election with 34.8% of the vote. Republican Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, had a comfortable hold on second place with 30.4% support.
New Jersey: Senate, House
Incumbent Sen. Cory Booker was the projected winner of New Jersey’s Democratic primary. Booker, who has held the Senate seat since 2013, ran unopposed.
A potential 2028 presidential contender, Booker will face Justin Murphy, the projected winner of a crowded Republican primary. Murphy, a Navy veteran and former Senate candidate, secured 33.3% of the ballots cast. Murphy won with little to no money in his campaign account – which was in debt $24, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Democrats in New Jersey’s 7th District voted for former healthcare executive Rebecca Bennett, who was victorious with 45.5% of the vote in the primary. Bennett handily defeated three competitors, garnering nearly half the vote. Bennett in November will take on Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas Kean Jr, who has drawn headlines after months out of the public eye and scores of missed votes in the House.
New Mexico: Governor, Senate
Rep. Deb Haaland pulled out a decisive win in the Democratic primary for New Mexico’s open gubernatorial seat. As of Wednesday, she secured 72.3% of the vote over prosecutor Sam Bregman. Haaland will face off against former Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who won 47% of the vote in a race against small business owner Doug Turner. If elected, Haaland would become the first Native American woman governor in the U.S.
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Incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan fought off democratic socialist Matt Dodson to claim 84.2% of the vote. Although no Republican candidate officially ran in the primaries, businessman Larry Marker mounted a successful campaign to appear on the ticket in the general election. Marker took over 4,000 write-in votes Wednesday morning, well ahead of the state threshold of 2,531 to qualify for the ballot.
Iowa: Senate, House, Governor
Rob Sand, the Democratic state auditor, went unopposed in the gubernatorial primary, while Republican businessman Zach Lahn narrowly edged out Rep. Randy Feenstra, 38% to 37.2%. Although Feenstra secured a late endorsement by Trump, it was not enough to carry him through.
Meanwhile, Ashley Hinson comfortably won the Republican Senate primary with 74.2% support.
Josh Turek, looking to flip the GOP-held seat, secured 62.7% of the vote to win the Democratic Senate primary. Turek, a Paralympian, is backed by Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer.
Montana: Senate, House
Montana’s Senate seat, left vacant by retiring Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines, will see a matchup between former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead. Independent candidate and former University of Montana President Seth Bodnar, who has outraised every one of his opponents, will also run in the general election.
Alme secured a decisive win in the Republican primary over opponents Lee Calhoun and Charles Walking Child. Endorsements from Daines and Trump, as well as other top state Republicans, helped him to 76.2% of the vote.
Bankhead’s nomination was an unexpected one. Largely unknown before announcing her candidacy earlier this year, she held 43.8% of the vote – ahead of former Rep. Reilly Neill’s 33%. Neill was the front-runner, with five times more campaign cash than her four opponents combined, according to The Associated Press.
In Montana’s 1st District, Trump-backed Army veteran and talk show host Aaron Flint clinched the Republican nomination. The Democratic race had yet to be called, but union leader Sam Forstag held 37.3% of the vote. Former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse trailed with 33.1%.
Democrats face challenges, with Montana’s recent red voting history, but they could be looking to take advantage of the state’s more independent leanings. The state’s most recent Democratic senator, Jon Tester, held the seat for 18 years until losing reelection in 2024.
South Dakota: Senate, House, Governor
A heated Republican primary contest for incumbent Gov. Larry Rhoden’s position will advance to a runoff election between Rhoden and businessman Toby Doeden, who led with 30.6% of the vote. The eventual winner will face former state Sen. Dan Ahlers, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Finishing third among Republicans and narrowly missing the runoff was Rep. Dusty Johnson, who gave up his House seat in South Dakota’s 1st District to seek the governor’s mansion. In the running for his congressional seat are Republican state Attorney General Marty Jackley and Democratic business owner Nikki Gronli.
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