Voters in multiple U.S. states cast ballots Tuesday in primary elections ahead of the November general elections that will decide control of the U.S. congress.
In the state of Arizona, Karrin Taylor Robson led Kari Lake in the Republican race for governor with more than half the ballots counted. Lake has the backing of former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose support is being closely watched ahead of the November vote.
The winner will advance to face Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, in the general election.
A U.S. Senate seat will also be on the November ballot in Arizona with incumbent Democrat Mark Kelly facing reelection. Trump-backed Blake Masters was leading Jim Lamon with more than half the votes counted.
The race for Arizona secretary of state featured Mark Finchem, another Trump-backed candidate who was at the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Finchem was leading three other Republicans early Wednesday.
Voters in the U.S. state of Kansas rejected a constitutional amendment that would have removed abortion protections.
It was the first time U.S. voters decided an abortion-related matter since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision overturning a longstanding constitutional right to end a pregnancy.
In another Kansas vote, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt won the Republican nomination for governor. Trump supported Schmidt, who will go up against Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in the November election.
In the state of Michigan, Republican Tudor Dixon won the party’s nomination to face Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Dixon is among a group of Republican candidates who have supported Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Talib won her primary election by a wide margin.
Two other Michigan lawmakers, Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Congressman Andy Levin faced off against each other in a Democratic primary due to the fact that the state lost one of its seats in the House of Representatives in the latest round of redistricting. Stevens prevailed and will face Republican Mark Ambrose in the general election.
In Missouri, Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush also handily won a spot on the November ballot.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt won the Republican race to oppose Democrat Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress to the Anheuser-Busch beer fortune, in a November election for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters