June 6 (UPI) — Another round of primaries ended Tuesday night in eight states, further setting the stage for midterm elections this November.
Alabama
Incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey won her primary election with 56 percent of the vote, easily beating out Huntsville, Ala. Mayor Tommy Battle, who came in a distant second with 25 percent.
Ivey, who stepped into the governor role after the resignation of Robert Bentley in April 2017, will seek a full term in November.
Her opponent will be Democrat Walt Maddox, the longtime mayor of Tuscaloosa, Ala., who won his party’s primary with 54.6 percent of the vote.
California
California has a top-two primary system, which means the top two vote recipients, regardless of party, get to compete against each other in the November election.
On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom finished first among a crowded field of candidates from both major parties, as well as a few independent and third party candidates. Newsom won 34.4 percent of the state’s vote.
Coming in second was Republican John Cox with 26.2 percent.
Newsom a well-known face in deep blue California and a former mayor of San Francisco, is expected to easily beat Cox, who is backed by President Donald Trump, in the November election.
Iowa
In Iowa, incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds ran unopposed in her party’s primary and will face Democrat Fred Hubbell, who cruised to his party’s nomination with 55.6 percent of the vote.
In Iowa’s 1st District, incumbent Republican Rep. Rod Blum will face state Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who won the Democratic primary with a strong 67 percent.
In the state’s 3rd District, incumbent Republican Rep. David Young will face Democrat Cindy Axne, who won 58 percent of her party’s vote.
Mississippi
Incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Wicker easily won his primary with 83 percent of the vote. But his opponent is yet to be determined after Democrats Howard Sherman and David Baria closed voting within one point of each other — Sherman with 32 percent and Baria with 31 percent.
The two Democrats will advance to a run off to decide who gets to face Wicker in November.
Montana
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester ran unopposed in his party’s primary, but several contenders lined up to take the Republican nomination to face off against him in November.
And Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale won 34 percent of the vote to edge out Judge Russ Fagg,who won 30 percent.
Tester will face Rosendale, who now has his party’s backing and the millions of dollars in campaign funds the GOP plans to use to oust Tester in November.
New Jersey
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Robert Menendez, who was indicted on corruption charges in 2015 but got the charges dropped in January, won his party’ primary with 62 percent of the vote, beating out challenger Lisa McCormick, a political newbie who won 38 percent of the party’s vote.
Menendez’s next opponent will be Republican Bob Hugin, a businessman who 75 percent of New Jersey’s GOP vote.
New Mexico
New Mexico’s 2nd District has long been an easy win for Republicans, but Rep. Steve Pearce decided to vacate his seat to run for governor.
On Tuesday, Democrats overwhelmingly chose attorney Xochitl Torres Small, who won 72.6 percent of the vote against Coast Guard veteran Madeline Hildebrandt, who took 27.4 percent.
Torres will face Republican Yvette Herrell, who won her primary with a convincing 49 percent, beating out Monty Newman, who took 32 percent.
Pearce, who ran unopposed in his party’s primary for governor, will face Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, who won 66.4 percent of her party’s vote.
South Dakota
Republican Kristi Noem won the GOP primary for governor with 56 percent of the vote and has a good chance of becoming the state’s first female to win that position.
Noem will face Democrat Billie Sutton, who ran unopposed.
