Former President Donald Trump’s political power was on full display as several states, including battleground territories, held their
Republican primaries. The presumptive GOP nominee added to his 2024 endorsement record, with many key Trump-backed candidates scoring victories. In the Ohio Republican
Senate primary race, Trump-backed MAGA candidate, Bernie Moreno, secured the GOP nod and will face incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. After receiving an endorsement from President Trump, Ohio State Sen. Derek Merrin recorded a double-digit victory in the primary race. Five-term incumbent Rep. Mike Bost, supported by President Trump, also won his primary. Ohio is a deep red state
President Trump won in 2016 and 2020 by eight points. Mr. Moreno’s win set up a general
election clash with incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, who was first elected to the post in 2007. It was a vicious Republican primary marked with mudslinging and arguing about each candidate’’s commitment to Republican values. During his victory speech, Mr. Moreno echoed a view shared by Mr. Dolan and Mr. LaRose. “We have one mission, and that is to get rid of Sherrod Brown. As Republicans, we have spirited debates. Sometimes, too spirited. But we will now be united to defeat Sherrod Brown, regain control of the U.S. Senate, return
Donald Trump to the
White House, and make sure the America First agenda moves forward.” Mr. Moreno noted that Mr. Brown votes with President Biden “99 percent of the time.” Mr. Merrin, who was endorsed at the last minute by President Trump, defeated former state Rep. Craig Riedel and real estate owner and former mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, Steve Lankenau. The exit of controversial MAGA firebrand J.R. Majewski sealed Mr. Merrin’s victory, and provides the GOP with a formidable candidate that could send Ms. Kaptur packing. In Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin won the GOP primary to take on incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), a freshman congresswoman. He defeated U.S. Marine veteran and businessman Chris Banweg and imaging technician Richard Morckel, who also ran unsuccessfully for
Congress in 2016 and 2020. Another incumbent, Sean Casten (D-Ill.), also defended his seat against insurgents within the party. In his case, they included Mahnoor Ahmad, who helped bring
Democratic support for Israel to the fore. Incumbent Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) faced a similar challenge from Qasim Rashad and came out ahead. Retired Judge Joe McGraw won against Scott Crowl in the 17th Congressional District GOP primary. He will go up against incumbent Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) in what could prove to be a competitive race in a narrow band of western Illinois. Another key primary, among the Republicans in the 12th Congressional District, came down to a narrower margin. Incumbent Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) led Darren Bailey by 6 points as of 10:50 p.m. Central. Mr. Bost was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, while Mr. Bailey, who lost to J.B. Pritzker as a Republican candidate for governor, had the backing of Rep. Matt Gaetz. Other notable wins include that of incumbent Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.), a left-leaning candidate who beat law-and-order Ald. Ray Lopez in the Democratic primary for the 4th District. As of 10:37 p.m. Central, Ms. Burke led by roughly 2 points. She’s been strong in Cook County’s suburbs, while Mr. Harris III performed better in the city. Some mail-in ballots have yet to be counted. “We will let the democratic process play out,” Ms. Burke told her supporters at her election party. Mr. Harris made similar remarks at his own election night event, vowing to “make sure… that every voice is counted,” according to reporter Quinn Myers of Block Club Chicago. Mr. Harris is an activist and University of
Chicago lecturer perceived as an inheritor of the mantle of current State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who has not sought an additional term. If Ms. Burke wins, it will be seen as blow to the progressive wing of Chicago’s almost uniformly Democrat-led political establishment–including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who endorsed Mr. Harris. Meanwhile, “Bring Chicago Home,” a controversial real estate transfer tax
referendum, appeared on track to lose. The proposal, which would raise those taxes on more expensive properties while cutting them on less costly properties in the name of housing the homeless, has met with support from key left-leaning organizations, including Service Employees International Union (SEIU)–a major source of foot soldiers in Chicago’s politics. At 10:45 p.m. Central, with 83 percent of the vote counted, “No” led “Yes” by 53.7 percent to 46.3 percent. Mr. Fong scored 42 percent of the vote, while Mr. Boudreaux garnered 24 percent. They will now head to a special general election runoff on May 21. In California’s primaries, all candidates from all parties run on the same ballot, with the top two advancing to the special general election. However, if one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, he or she automatically wins the vacant seat. Mr. Fong and Mr. Boudreaux finished first and second, respectively, in the regular March 5 primary for the next Congressional term. The congressional district covers the state’s Central Valley between Bakersfield and Fresno. In 2020, it voted overwhelmingly for President Trump. Heading into the GOP primary, Mr. Fong secured endorsements from Mr. McCarthy and former President Trump. “Now is the time to unite around Vince Fong and elect a true Republican to this seat,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account in February. In December, two months after being ousted as House Speaker, Mr. McCarthy announced that he would be stepping down from his seat. He served for nearly 20 years and became the first speaker to be removed from office through a motion to vacate. Recent reports suggest that Mr. McCarthy is a top candidate to serve as chief of staff in a potential
Trump Administration.