The latest round of primary elections took place Tuesday in four states: Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah.
The midterm elections in November will determine control of both chambers of Congress and will also see the election of dozens of governors and other state and local offices. Before then, voters must choose nominees for each of these offices, making their picks in primary elections throughout the spring and summer in all 50 states.
Maryland: All eight of the state's congressional districts will hold contested primaries. In a state that typically leans left (only one district is led by a Republican), the primaries often determine the general election winners. Gov. Wes Moore secured the Democratic nomination for a second term.
New York: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is looking to shape the city's congressional delegation through a series of endorsements, including in districts 10, 13 and 7. Meanwhile, several Democrats are seeking the party nomination in District 12, including Trump critic George Conway and Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg.
South Carolina: State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the Republican nomination for governor after President Donald Trump, who initially endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the job, said on Friday that either contender would be a good pick.
Utah: Voters will nominate congressional candidates using a new map that created a Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City.
Here's the latest:
New York candidate stumps for votes as clock runs out
Around an hour before polls closed in New York’s Democratic congressional primary, candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier stood on a Harlem street corner with streamer Hasan Piker, slipping her campaign flyers into the hands of passersby.
“I think folks are really tired of politics that seems more beholden to donors,” she told The Associated Press.
On the next corner, a truck covered with screens displayed a political ad attacking Avila Chevalier over a remark she made on social media disparaging former Vice President Kamala Harris. Avila Chevalier has previously apologized for the post.
“I think most folks just want to hear about the issues that impact them,” she said when asked about the truck.
She is running against U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a fellow Democrat.
Evette says she will stay in public life and support Republicans after South Carolina runoff loss
Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette was surrounded by her family — but not Republican Gov. Henry McMaster — as she took the stage for four minutes with the sun setting behind a sweeping ocean vista at her election party.
In a horse voice that cracked a little as she thanked her children and husband for their support, Evette said she needed to read this speech because she didn’t want to forget to say something.
“It’s OK to be disappointed. Lord knows that I am, but in just a few months, there’s going to be a general election, and the choice in that general election is going to be between conservative principles and a Democratic Party that wants the exact opposite for South Carolina,” Evette said, throwing her support behind the Republican nominee, state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Evette said she is grateful for the honor of serving as lieutenant governor for eight years and her political career likely isn’t over.
“This isn’t the end of anything for me,” Evette said. “It is just the beginning of a different chapter.”
Wilson had strong early leads across the state
In South Carolina, Wilson had double-digit leads in 21 of the 23 counties that had released vote results from across the state by the time AP called the GOP runoff for governor.
He significantly expanded the leads he had in the primary in the heavily populated Charleston and Columbia areas and also led in counties that went for Evette and Ralph Norman on June 9. Evette was ahead in only two counties.
Voter worries progressives will split vote in Utah House race
Emily Cort describes herself as a progressive who backs Democrat Nate Blouin, a firebrand in the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Cort said Blouin’s beliefs align closely with hers, including opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza and concern for environmental issues.
But she worries that Blouin could end up splitting the vote with other progressive-leaning candidates in the race, to the advantage of Democrat Ben McAdams, who is considered more moderate and who Cort doesn’t like.
“Not only do we have to be voting for people that we believe in, but it’s politics and we have to be voting for people that we think will make it the furthest,” she said.
“I’m a little nervous that there is a split at the moment,” she added.
Wilson celebrates winning South Carolina GOP runoff
A video played of Wilson supporters, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as the gubernatorial candidate greeted family and backers on stage with the strains of Van Halen as accompaniment.
“I will never lie to you and I will always make fighting for your family my No. 1 consideration,” Wilson’s voice said in the video background.
After Wilson walked on stage, he shouted to the crowd, “Are we having fun tonight?”
Until last week, Trump had endorsed only Wilson’s opponent Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. He added Wilson to his endorsements the Friday before the runoff.
Evette had finished narrowly ahead of Wilson in the June primary.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wins Democratic primary as he seeks 2nd term
Moore, 47, promoted a record of job growth and declining violent crime in the deep-blue state, and he campaigned on standing up for Maryland’s middle class while criticizing Trump for healthcare cuts and price hikes.
An author and former Army officer, Moore’s first foray into politics was getting elected as Maryland’s first Black governor four years ago. He is often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate, even as he has repeatedly said he will not run in 2028.
Moore easily beat physician Eric Felber, his sole Democratic challenger in the primary.
‘Conservative Democrat’ says he backs McAdams in Utah House race
Joaquin Ezra, 20, says he used to be pro-choice but now considers himself “in the middle” on abortion. He cited that as one of the reasons he voted for former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, who is considered more moderate than his Democratic primary opponents in Utah’s 1st Congressional District.
McAdams previously described himself as anti-abortion and pitched himself as a moderate during his 2018 campaign. This year, running in a more solidly Democratic district, he’s pledged his support for abortion rights.
Ezra said the district is not as progressive as some Democratic Party activists have claimed and includes lots of people who voted for Trump. He suggested that would make McAdams a better fit.
“Out of the three frontrunners, definitely yes,” Ezra said. “There are probably maybe some better candidates that could have ran, but he’s not the worst. I think he’s actually pretty decent.”
Polls have closed in Maryland
In-person election day voting concluded in Maryland at 8 p.m. EDT. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In the 2022 primary, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:42 p.m. EDT, or 42 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 4:15 a.m. EDT with about 56% of total votes counted.
Celebration ensues at Wilson election night party
As news spread of Wilson’s win, scattered whoops went up around the downtown Columbia ballroom, where supporters had only begun to fill in for his election night party.
Most people were still in a reception area outside the room, ordering drinks from a bar setup and sampling food along a buffet line.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson wins GOP governor’s runoff
Wilson on Tuesday defeated the Republican whom the president had initially picked in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary.
Most Republicans in the race had vied for backing from Trump, who endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the closing days of the primary race two weeks ago. But days before the runoff, Trump said he was endorsing both Republicans, throwing a curveball into the race for any voter looking to the president for guidance.
Evette also had support from outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster, alongside whom she’s served for eight years. She and Wilson had advanced over other GOP candidates including U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman — both of whom endorsed Wilson.
Wilson has served as the state’s top prosecutor since 2011 and is the son of longtime U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson. His victory sets up a November general contest with state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, who won Democrats’ nomination outright two weeks ago.
Ocean view, but no signs of Trump endorsement at Evette’s South Carolina party
Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette chose a room with a sweeping vista of the ocean at Myrtle Beach for her election night party.
There were plenty of campaign signs available, but none of them had the “endorsed by Donald Trump” in the corner that showed up late in the primary where she finished a close first two weeks ago.
What was one of Evette’s biggest selling points evaporated Friday when the president decided to also endorse her runoff opponent, state Attorney General Alan Wilson.
A few dozen people munched on hors d’oeuvres and enjoyed the open bar as polls closed at 7 p.m.
Polls have closed in South Carolina
In-person election day voting concluded in South Carolina at 7 p.m. EDT. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In the June 9 primary, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:20 p.m. EDT, or 20 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. EDT with about 99.9% of total votes counted.
Voter says military experience helped tip the scales for Wilson in South Carolina governor’s race
Alan Wilson has served in the South Carolina Army National Guard for 30 years, including a deployment to Iraq. That service, coupled with his 15 years as attorney general, made him John Potter’s pick in the GOP runoff.
“It seems like he’s been doing a good job, as far as I know,” Potter said Tuesday after casting his ballot in Elgin.
As for his other possible choice, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Potter said she had campaigned as wanting to be a change agent, despite having served in the state’s No. 2 job for nearly eight years.
“They could have made some changes — fixed the roads, lowered taxes — and why haven’t they done it previously?” he asked about Evette.
Mamdani’s endorsement looms large in New York’s 7th District
Jenna Staub, a 31-year-old Brooklyn resident, only learned that Claire Valdez was running for Congress after bumping into the state assemblymember on the campaign trail with Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week.
“I was a little bit celebrity star-struck,” Staub said of Mamdani. “But I didn’t want to make an impulsive decision.”
After researching the other candidates, Staub said Valdez’s anti-corporate views aligned closest with her own, earning her vote on Tuesday.
Anton Ljunggren, 46, was similarly swayed by Valdez’s endorsement from Mamdani, along with her support from Sen. Bernie Sanders. “I know I should do the research, but I trust them,” said Ljunggren, who works in sustainability. “What do I know that they don’t?”
Meanwhile, Brian Cleary, a self-described liberal Democrat, said Mamdani’s backing of Valdez was a “big push” behind his decision to vote for her opponent, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
“I’m not just going to follow the current winds,” said Cleary, 56. “I feel like I’m still adjusting to all of these progressive policies.”
This Republican supports Cox for Maryland governor
Jason Mangen, a lifelong Republican, said he was supporting Dan Cox in what would be a rematch against incumbent Gov. Wes Moore.
“Maryland’s got a big budget problem,” he said. “You look at the economy and hopefully get a governor who can guide the legislature and get a good budget. I think Dan Cox is good on the budget.”
Mangen, 60, said being a Republican in the heavily Democratic state often means coming up short.
“I live in Maryland, so I know what that means. That’s the nature of living here,” he said. “But I choose to live in Maryland.”
A Mamdani-backed challenger faces off against a veteran congressman in a Manhattan Democratic primary
U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat faces a primary challenge from community organizer and graduate student Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist endorsed by the city’s popular mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
The race has become a contest over age, experience and how to best confront the Trump administration in Washington.
Avila Chevalier was a college protestor at her alma mater, Columbia University, which is in the district. She says her candidacy is about electing new leadership to Washington and has called for greater economic support for the district’s working class residents.
Espaillat is the first formerly undocumented person elected to Congress, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and an outspoken critic of the White House’s immigration enforcement tactics. He has warned that Avila Chevalier is a candidate of transplants to the district’s historic neighborhoods like Harlem.
Wilson’s ‘law and order’ stance wins over South Carolina voter
Pam Helton, who also said she supported Wilson in South Carolina’s gubernatorial primary two weeks ago, said it was the longtime attorney general’s approach to “law and order” that made him her choice in Tuesday’s runoff.
Wilson’s campaign platform includes criminal justice reforms like ending cashless bail and creating stricter mandatory minimum sentences for child sexual abuse material.
After voting at a precinct in Elgin, Helton said she didn’t really know much about Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who has been elected twice on a ticket with Gov. Henry McMaster but never run atop her own campaign before this year’s elections.
“The other lady, I haven’t really seen anything about her,” Helton said. “I don’t know what she has done. I just like Alan Wilson.”
This Maryland Democrat voted against the favorites
Norma James, 64, said she was initially excited to vote for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor, but public sentiment and research have changed that.
“The taxes have gone up,” and other questions about his honesty have come up, she said. “Public sentiment that I’ve found is he hasn’t fulfilled his promises. I did end up voting for Eric Felber.”
James said she was glad to see the 5th District seat open for the first time in decades, but she had questions about the candidate with the highest profile, Adrian Boafo. She went with Rushern L. Baker III, a two-term county executive.
James said she braved the weather because of those races and the sacrifices that people made for voting rights that are under attack. “I read that only one in four residents in Prince George’s vote. That’s appalling.”
Who will replace the longest-serving Democrat in the US House?
Rep. Steny Hoyer is a congressman. But he’s also a Democratic institution.
The lawmaker has served in Maryland’s 5th District for 45 years, including two decades spent as the party’s No. 2 in the chamber.
Now that he's retiring, voters will have a chance to reflect on his leadership — and decide what they want for the future.
The candidate field offers a wide range of options, from one of his former staffers to a progressive attorney and a former Capitol police officer. The winner could offer a clue into what the state’s Democrats want the next generation of their party to look like.
Voter picked Stumbo for South Carolina attorney general ‘because I just liked his name’
That’s what Elgin voter John Potter said about casting his ballot for 8th Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo in the GOP runoff for South Carolina’s top prosecutor job.
Voter Lynn Strickland said she picked Stumbo, too: “I don’t know much about him, but I like him.”
Pam Helton said she sided with Stumbo’s opponent, state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, but noted, “I really don’t even know him.”
The attorney general’s race is one of three statewide GOP runoffs up for grabs Tuesday. Current Attorney General Alan Wilson is in a Republican runoff for governor.
What to know about New York’s voting-eligible population
New York is racially and ethnically diverse with higher educational attainment than the U.S. as a whole. Black, Hispanic and Asian people make up a higher percentage of the voting age population than the country overall.
The Empire State leans left, voting for Kamala Harris in 2024 by an almost 13-point margin, but U.S. House primary contests in the state often indicate the direction of each party.
In New York City, all eyes are on several Democratic congressional primaries, many of which pit incumbents and establishment candidates against the party's progressive wing.
While there are a few contested Republican primaries in the state, the 21st Congressional District is one to watch. State Assemblyman Robert Smullen, popular among local party officials, is running against Trump-backed business owner Anthony Constantino.
Trump says his call to US attorney in California swung primary vote for Hilton
Repeating his baseless claim that the California primary was rigged, Trump on Tuesday suggested that it was his call that got Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton a spot on the November ballot.
“Had I not made that call, Steve Hilton would right now be looking and watching the election from home,” Trump said at an event in Pennsylvania.
Trump said he made the call as California’s votes were being counted and it appeared Hilton might fall short. He said the U.S. attorney then made a call to “check” on the votes. About an hour later, Hilton was declared a winner, Trump said.
It took nearly a week to determine the general election matchup for governor due to California’s notoriously slow vote-counting process. Hilton edged out Democrat Tom Steyer.
Trump had previously suggested without evidence that his pressure helped swing the race for Hilton, but he had not mentioned the call.
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