As it happenedended1656520674

Primary elections 2022 latest: Trump-backed Republican wins in Illinois as New York’s governor cruises to victory

Colorado, New York, Illinois among states voting Tuesday

John Bowden
Wednesday 29 June 2022 17:37 BST
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Lauren Boebert jokes Jesus didn't have enough AR-15s to save his life

Tuesday saw another wave of primary showdowns across the country as US voters turned out to make crucial decisions ahead of November’s general elections.

This week’s challenges included the numerous battles taking place in New York, where redistricting as well as the resignation of Gov Andrew Cuomo have brewed up a particularly interesting election season. Gov Kathy Hochul won a nomination to serve her first full term as governor in New York, while JB Pritzker coasted to victory in his own primary in Illinois where he will now face David Bailey, a state senator, in the November general election.

Meanwhile in Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert became latest far-right Trump acolyte to win own primary challenge; she faced a challenge from Don Coram of the Colorado She

The first-term congresswoman faced a coordinated effort to dig into her past by David Wheeler, the head of the “Fire Boebert” PAC who previously led a drip-drip campaign of damaging revelations that contributed to Madison Cawthorn’s primary defeat in North Carolina.

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Here are the states set to vote on Tuesday

Voters in eight states will head to the polls on Tuesday. Those states are New York, Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, Utah, South Carolina and Oklahoma. New York’s primaries tomorrow will include races for statewide seats like the governor and lieutenant governor, while other seats including those in the state legislature and Congress will have their races conclude in August.

John Bowden27 June 2022 20:04
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Boebert to face primary challenger

Rep Lauren Boebert, one of the House’s most controversial members, is set to face Don Coram in Tuesday’s GOP primary for the 3rd congressional district of Colorado.

She’s favoured to win, but faces a competitive challenger in Don Coram, a member of the state legislature, due in no small part to her own controversial remarks and actions. Two major PACs, the Fire Boebert PAC and the Better Than Boebert PAC, are backing her opponent.

What to watch in primaries in Colorado, Illinois, elsewhere

Seven states are set to host primary elections Tuesday as the nation comes to terms with last week’s stunning Supreme Court ruling eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion

John Bowden27 June 2022 21:05
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Kathy Hochul expected to sweep NY’s Dem primary

Gov Kathy Hochul is expected to sweep the field in tomorrow’s Democratic primary as she seeks to win her first full term. Previously the state’s lieutenant governor, she took office after Gov Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021.

She faces Juumane Williams, a popular progressive who lost to her in the lieutenant governor’s race in 2018, as well as Tom Suozzi, a conservative Democrat.

A crowded field of GOP candidate is vying to face her (or whichever of her rivals wins Tuesday’s primary) in November, though the election of a Republican governor in New York would be a rare occurrence.

John Bowden28 June 2022 03:53
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Rudy Giuliani’s son makes a foray into politics

Tuesday’s elections will see the first time New York voters get the chance to vote for (or against) a Giuliani in decades.

Known by some as “America’s Mayor” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks struck his city during his mayoral tenure, Rudy Giuliani saw his reputation diminish to a great extent with his performance as lead attorney for Donald Trump’s ill-conceived effort to overturn the 2020 election in the courts. Now, just under two years later, his son Andrew is a candidate in the Republican primary for New York governor. It’s his first foray into politics at any level.

Mr Giuliani (the younger) is not likely to win his primary on Tuesday; Rep Lee Zeldin is the frontrunner for the GOP contest. If he loses, it will likely be because many voters did not want to trust the governor’s mansion in one of the US’s biggest states to a political newcomer.

John Bowden28 June 2022 04:44
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Republican who voted for Jan 6 commission faces crucial test

A Republican congressman who voted to create an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack is at risk of losing his seat on Tuesday.

Rep Michael Guest of Mississippi is facing a Trump-backed challenger in his state’s runoff. The congressman previously trailed him by a few hundred votes in the state’s primary election earlier this month.

His opponent, Navy veteran Michael Cassidy, has used his vote against him as well as his support for sending military aid to Ukraine, a prospect opposed by the isolationist far-right of the GOP.

John Bowden28 June 2022 06:05
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Boebert denies she ‘encouraged’ official to commit crimes

Lauren Boebert’s office has released a statement to The Washington Post denying a claim from an embattled GOP county clerk whose efforts to prove nonexistant fraud in the 2020 election led to actions that resulted in her indictment on numerous criminal charges.

Now Mesa County clerk Tina Peters is claiming in statements to journalists that Ms Boebert “encouraged” her actions.

Read more in The Independent from John Bowden:

Lauren Boebert’s spox denies she ‘encouraged’ indicted GOP official to commit crimes

The embattled official is accused of leaking images of hard drives to conspiracy theorists online

John Bowden28 June 2022 07:05
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Mike Lee faces crucial challenge in Utah

Donald Trump’s conservative ally in Utah, Mike Lee, is facing two primary challengers today. The two well-funded candidates, Ally Islom and Becky Edwards, have hit Mr Lee on a number of issues including his support for discredited conspiracy theorist Sidney Powell and her efforts to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election.

He also faces lingering bad blood in the Mormon-heavy state after comparing Mr Trump to Captain Moroni from the Book of Mormon at an event. Mr Lee himself is a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

If he loses today, a fairly unlikely prospect, it will send a significant message about Utah’s GOP electorate which in recent years sent impeachment-supporting Mitt Romney to the Senate as Mr Lee’s colleague.

John Bowden28 June 2022 08:15
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Illinois Republicans to pick nominee to face Gov. Pritzker

J.B. Pritzker is running for reelection as the popular Democratic governor of Illinois, home state of former first lady Michelle Obama. He’s emerged as a leader among Democratic state governors around the country, particularly given last year’s resignation of New York’s Andrew Cuomo.

On Tuesday, he’s expected to coast to victory against one primary challenger. For that reason, the millionaire-turned-governor and his Democratic allies have spend upwards of $30m attempting to sink the campaign of a centrist Republican candidate running in Tuesday’s primary in the hopes of seeing him fall to a Trump-backed rival who is seen as less electable in the purple-blue state.

Read more about the dynamics of the race from The Associated Press:

Illinois Republicans to pick nominee to face Gov. Pritzker

Illinois Republicans are choosing a nominee to take on Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker this fall

John Bowden28 June 2022 09:15
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Poll spells midterm trouble for GOP

A new poll released on Sunday from CBS News indicates a troubling dynamic arising for Republican candidates ahead of November’s midterms.

Following Friday’s ruling by the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, the survey shows independents and Democrats particularly more energised by the issue and eager to vote this fall. And clear majorities of both groups opposed the ruling.

That could be a problem for Republicans trying to win back the House and Senate as more and more GOP-led state legislatures around the country pursue restrictions and outright bans on abortion care services.

Read more from The Independent’s John Bowden:

New poll suggests midterm voter backlash against GOP over Roe v Wade ruling

Democrats energised heading into crucial midterm battle

John Bowden28 June 2022 10:31
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Two US Senate seats up for grabs in Oklahoma

Voters are heading to the polls in deep-red Oklahoma on Tuesday to decide the fate of the state’s two US Senate seats, a rare occurrence that is only happening due to the early retirement of incumbent Sen Jim Inhofe.

His colleague, Sen James Lankford, is facing a candidate in the state’s GOP primary who raising claims of RINOism due to Mr Lankford’s refusal to support Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Mr Inhofe’s seat, on the other hand, will likely go to one of numerous candidates in a crowded Republican field for the open seat; currently-serving Rep Markwayne Mullin is among the challengers.

Read more from The Associated Press:

Oklahoma voters to cast ballots for 2 US Senate seats

Oklahoma voters will have the rare opportunity to cast ballots for candidates for both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats

John Bowden28 June 2022 11:31

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