Voters are heading to the polls in seven states today. And in addition to the contests we highlighted in today's First Read, here are some of the other primary races we’re watching today:
Mississippi: GOP Rep. Steven Palazzo is running for re-election against a crowded field of candidates all looking to take advantage of the ethics investigation into Palazzo and force him into a runoff (which will happen if no one wins a majority of the primary vote).
Montana: Montana gained a House seat in reapportionment, and this election looks to be setting up a return to Congress for former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who left Congress to join the Trump administration. Zinke (who Trump’s endorsement) left his Interior post in 2019 after allegations of impropriety — the Office of Inspector General at the agency eventually found he “did not comply with ethical obligations and duty of candor” surrounding a development project in his hometown.
New Jersey: There could be another Menendez in Congress. Port Authority Commissioner Rob Menendez, the son of Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Albio Sires in a deep-blue seat.
New Mexico: Incumbent Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is running for re-election in a race that could become competitive. The best-funded GOP candidates are former meteorologist Mark Ronchetti, the party’s Senate nominee last cycle, state Rep. Rebecca Dow and former Bernalillo County GOP chair Gregory Zanetti.
South Dakota: At-large GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson is being challenged from his right flank by state Rep. Taffy Howard, who has called Johnson “a staunch supporter of Liz Cheney,” and attacked him for not voting to object to the 2020 election, as well as for voting in support of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Trump has not endorsed in this race.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
Wisconsin Senate: Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes received the endorsement of a key labor union, AFSCME Council 32, in his race for the Democratic nomination for Senate.
Florida Governor/Florida 27th District: Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo dropped out of the race for governor, instead challenging GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar in the 27th District.
New York Governor: Gov. Kathy Hochul will debate her two top Democratic primary rivals on Tuesday on WCBS.
Texas 34th District: House Majority PAC, the group aligned with Democratic leadership, is going up with its first ad buy in the special election aimed at replacing former Rep. Filemon Vela. It comes amid some Democratic concerns about whether the party can hold the seat.
Los Angeles Redistricting: A federal judge blocked Louisiana’s new congressional map, which only included one majority-Black district, giving the legislature until June 20 to draw new lines. The GOP secretary of state appealed the ruling.
