Voters in six states are heading to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in a slew of races up and down the ballot.
Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio cast their votes in both the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, while Florida only held a GOP primary after the Democratic one was canceled. Arizona is also voting in both primaries, with the last polls in the state closing at 10 p.m. Eastern.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump surpassed the delegate thresholds to become their parties’ presumptive nominees on March 12 and are not expected to be blocked from victory in any of Tuesday’s primary contests.
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However, all eyes will be watching whether or not the “uncommitted” vote push continues to plague Biden on Tuesday night as the president continues to face criticism for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Meanwhile, Trump’s biggest unknown of the night may lie in whether or not former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the GOP primary the day after Super Tuesday, wins a sizable portion of votes in any of the states she is appearing on the ballot after she secured over 77,000 votes in Georgia on March 12, largely from the Peach State’s suburbs.
Still, the most excitement of the night will come from races down the ballot, as several Senate and House primary races take place that will shape the playing field come November as both parties try to wrestle control of both chambers. California’s special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will also be one to watch as Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong seeks to fill McCarthy’s seat for the remainder of his term.
Results
Ohio
The Buckeye State held both its Republican and Democratic primary elections. Biden won his primary with 92% support with the Associated Press calling the race seven minutes after polls closed at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time with 3% of votes counted.
Trump won Ohio’s Republican primary at 70% with 2% of votes counted, with the Associated Press calling the race 14 minutes after the polls closed. Ohio, once considered a swing state, has gone to Trump twice in the last two presidential elections and is largely considered a safe red state heading into 2024.
Trump-backed Bernie Moreno won Ohio’s Senate GOP primary race, beating state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose for the opportunity to take on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in November. The Associated Press called the race for Moreno at 41.9% of 25% of votes counted at 8:35 p.m. Eastern.
Ohio’s Senate race is considered to be one of the most competitive contests of 2024 as Brown seeks to win another term and help Democrats hold on to their slim majority in the Senate.
Former state Sen. Kevin Coughlin defeated Hudson City Councilor Chris Banweg on Tuesday in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District GOP primary, with the Associated Press calling the race at 8:53 p.m. Eastern with Coughlin holding 66.5% with 23% of votes counted. Coughlin will face incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) in November.
State Rep. Derek Merrin won the Republican primary in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, beating Steve Lankenau, and Craig Riedel. J.R. Majewski exited the race earlier this month. The Associated Press called the race for Merrin with 47.7% out of 60% of votes counted at 9:43 p.m. Eastern.
Merrin will face Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) in November.
Yet to be called: In Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, former Rep. Bill Johnson’s seat is up for grabs in a special election to fill out the remainder of Johnson’s term and compete in the scheduled primary for a full term.
Meanwhile, Democrats are hoping to flip the Ohio Supreme Court in November, with Tuesday’s primary giving voters the choice between Democratic Judges Lisa Forbes and Terri Jamison, both state appellate judges, to take on Republican Dan Hawkins, a judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, for the state Supreme Court’s open seat.
Delegates at stake: 127 for Democrats, 79 for Republicans
Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Florida
Trump won Florida’s Republican primary, with the Associated Press calling the race in Trump’s favor at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Florida is Trump’s home state and the site of his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump had 80.2% of the vote with 85% counted, with Haley garnering 14.5%. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), once thought to be Trump’s biggest threat to securing the GOP nomination for a third time and who dropped his bid in January, got 3.9%.
Florida’s Democratic primary was canceled, as Biden was the only candidate nominated, awarding all 224 of the party’s delegates to the president.
Delegates at stake: 125 for Republicans
Most polls closed at 7 p.m. EST, with the rest closing at 8 p.m.
Illinois
Biden won Illinois’s Democratic primary, with the Associated Press calling the race for Biden at 8:11 p.m. Eastern with Biden holding 95.3% support with 2% of votes counted.
Trump won the state’s GOP primary, holding 67.3% out of 1% of votes counted when the Associated Press called the race at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.
Trump’s appearance on the ballot comes after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that states, including Illinois, could not remove him from their ballots using the 14th Amendment.
Yet to be called: Several congressional primary races are taking place in Illinois as well, most notably in the state’s 12th Congressional District, where Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) is facing a challenger from his party’s hard-line flank.
Darren Bailey, who has the support of firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and House Freedom Caucus member Mary Miller (R-IL), is part of a growing number of Republican candidates challenging incumbents from their own party.
Registered voters can participate in either party’s primary.
Delegates at stake: 147 for Democrats, 64 for Republicans
Polls closed at 8 p.m. EST.
Kansas
Both Biden and Trump won their primary races in Kansas. Biden won with 87.2% with 43% of votes counted, with the Associated Press calling the race at 9 p.m. Eastern when polls closed.
One of Biden’s biggest challenges of the night, the “none of the names shown” option on the ballot, secured 7.7% of the vote.
The “uncommitted” vote push has followed the president throughout the 2024 primary cycle as he faces criticism over his support of Israel in its war against Hamas.
Trump won Kansas’s Republican primary at 71.3% with 31% of votes counted, with the Associated Press calling the race at 9 p.m. Eastern just as the last polls closed. Kansas is a reliably safe red state heading into 2024. The state hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since 1964.
The “none of the names shown” option also appeared on the Republican primary ballot. Registered voters could only participate in their own party’s contest, but independents could participate in either election.
Delegates at stake: 33 for Democrats, 39 for Republicans
Most polls closed at 8 p.m. EST, with the last polls closing at 9 p.m.
Races to watch
Arizona
Biden’s other biggest challenge of the night could come from Arizona, a state he won in 2020, beating Trump by only 10,457 votes. There is not an “uncommitted” vote option on Arizona’s Democratic ballot, however, the national Vote for Ceasefire campaign has organized supporters to vote for author Marianne Williamson instead.
If Biden loses a sizable amount of voters, it could be cause for concern for the president heading into his November rematch with Trump.
The former president also will be seeking a strong turnout in the state as he looks to flip the state back in his favor in 2024.
Delegates at stake: 72 for Democrats, 43 for Republicans
First polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern time, with most closing at 10 p.m.
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California
The Golden State’s only race on Tuesday is the special election to fill McCarthy’s seat in California’s 20th Congressional District after he left Congress last December.
Fong is favored to win the race, but he must secure more than 50% of the vote, or he will be forced into a runoff election with the candidate who comes in second.
Fong faces Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and Democrat Marisa Wood, among other candidates, for McCarthy’s seat. A separate primary for a full term beginning in January 2025 was held on March 5. In that primary, Fong received the most votes and will face Boudreaux in November.
California’s 20th Congressional District is reliably red.
Polls close at 11 p.m. Eastern time.
