Election News

Minnesota is notable due to the number of competitive races it has this year. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is not seeking a 3rd term. While the races leans Democratic, it is no sure thing. Likewise, in Minnesota's special election for U.S. Senate, incumbent Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is favored, but polling for this race has been much closer than for the 'regular' Senate election held by fellow Democrat Amy Klobuchar.

The congressional races are particularly interesting. Three of the state's 8 districts (MN-1, MN-2 and MN-8) are currently considered toss-ups, with the GOP-held 3rd hovering between toss-up and leans Democratic. MN-7 is considered likely to vote with 14-term incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson, but Donald Trump won here by 31% in 2016, his largest margin of victory in any district that elected a Democrat to Congress.  

Minnesota's early voting continues through the day before the midterms. We're a bit conflicted by this. Early voting is a great way to get a higher percentage of registered voters to cast a ballot. That said, people voting well in advance of Election Day do so without complete information. This shrinks the pool of voters left to be persuaded to consider another candidate and/or react to developments in the campaign. 

The change further improves the Democratic outlook for this previously safe Republican stronghold between Rochester and Buffalo. Donald Trump won here by nearly 25% in 2016, his largest margin of victory in any of the state's 27 congressional districts. Kyle Kondik, of Sabato's Crystal Ball, indicates the race will move from Likely to Leans Republican.

Sheesh. Assuming this happens we'll downgrade NY-27 from Likely R to Leans R - same rating as CA-50, another R seat with a legally damaged R incumbent running https://t.co/oIL2jDuyX9

— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) September 17, 2018

The Democratic nominee is Nate McMurray who is the Town Supervisor of Grand Island.

Not sure where to vote? Look up your polling place.

New York Democratic Primary for Governor

Incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seeking a 3rd term. He faces a challenge from actress and activist Cynthia Nixon. While the race has generated quite a bit of publicity, the polls indicate that Cuomo should prevail rather easily. Assuming Cuomo moves on, he should have little trouble winning reelection. The Republican nominee will be Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. (We are pleased to see that perennial candidate Jimmy McMillan, of the Rent is Too Damn High party, is also on the November ballot).

New York Democratic Primary for Attorney General

In a race that could impact President Trump down the road, four candidates are vying to become the state's next attorney general. A recent poll showed no clear frontrunner. The 2018 race opened up when Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned in May after abuse allegations became public. The acting AG, Barbara Underwood, is not running. The Republican nominee will be Keith Wofford.

Not sure where to vote? Look up your polling place.

Rhode Island Gubernatorial Primaries

Democratic Gina Raimondo is attempting to win a 2nd term. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, she defeated Republican nominee Allan Fung by about 4.5%. A 2018 general election rematch is a distinct possibility, although both must first get past primary challengers. The centrist Raimondo is facing a more liberal opponent, former Secretary of State Matt Brown.

Rhode Island Senate Primaries

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is heavily favored to win a 3rd term in November. 

Rhode Island House Primaries

The state has two congressional districts, both held by Democrats. Both incumbents are expected to win reelection in November.

Most New Hampshire polls close at 7:00 PM Eastern Time, with the remainder closing at 8:00 PM. Live results will be available on this page after that time. Reload for the latest totals.

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New Hampshire Gubernatorial Primary

New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only two states where governor serve for two years instead of four. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu is seeking a 2nd term. He will face the Democratic primary winner, either former State Sen. Molly Kelly or Steve Marchand, the former Mayor of Portsmouth. Marchand ran for governor in 2016, losing the Democratic primary.  There has been no recent polling. Sununu will start out the favorite against whichever Democrat wins.

New Hampshire House Primaries

The state has two congressional districts, both held by Democrats. District 1 is particularly competitive in general elections.  That district alternated between Democrat Carol Shea-Porter and Republican Frank Guinta in the four elections from 2010 through 2016. In 2016, Shea-Porter bested Guinta by about 1.3%, while Donald Trump won here by 1.6%. It was one of just 12 districts nationwide that elected a Democrat while voting for the president.

Neither Shea-Porter or Guinta are running in 2018, with the open seat generating a very crowded primary field in both parties. Most of the Democratic establishment has endorsed New Hampshire Executive Council member Chris Pappas. The notable exception is Rep. Shea-Porter, who has gotten behind her former chief of staff Naomi Andrews. Pappas and Maura Sullivan, a former Marine captain and Pentagon official, are the frontrunners, although Andrews is also in the mix. Levi Sanders, son of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is also on the ballot. On the Republican side, State Sen. Andy Sanborn or Eddie Edwards, a former police chief, seem to have the best chance to move on.

Democratic incumbent Rep. Ann Kuster is likely to win a fourth term regardless of which Republican is nominated in the 2nd district.

DeSantis recently won the Republican nomination for governor, helped along by the strong support of President Trump. He will meet Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in one of the marquee races this November. Incumbent Gov. Rick Scott (R) is termed out; he is running for Senate against incumbent Sen. Ben Nelson (D).

DeSantis was in his third term representing Florida's 6th congressional district; he and Trump both won here by about 17% in 2016. The district is seen as likely to stay in Republican hands, although it could prove more competitive if there's a strong Democratic wave. The party nominees are Republican Michael Waltz and Democrat Nancy Soderberg.

Not sure where to vote? Look up your polling place.

Delaware Senate Primaries

Sen. Tom Carper is facing a primary challenge from the left by a political novice, Kerri Evelyn Harris. While Carper is likely to win, we have seen Democratic House incumbents ousted by progressive insurgents this year, most recently this past Tuesday in the Massachusetts 7th district. There has been no recent polling of the race. Assuming Carper wins, he will be heavily favored to win a 4th term in November.

Delaware House Primary

The state is one of seven with a single at-large congressional district. Incumbent Democrat Lisa Rochester is expected to win a 2nd term against whichever Republican emerges from Thursday's primary.

All other U.S. House incumbents that faced primary challenges were victorious, and are expected to win re-election in November. In the 3rd district, where Rep. Niki Tsongas is retiring, a 10-way primary remained undecided. Daniel Koh and Lori Trahan were separated by fewer than 100 votes as of Wednesday AM.

Turning to the U.S. Senate race, Republican Geoff Diehl easily won a three-way primary. He will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in November.

Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker won renomination; he will face Democrat Jay Gonzalez.

Both Warren and Baker are expected to easily win reelection.

All Massachusetts Primary Results >>

Not sure where to vote? Look up your polling place.

Massachusetts Senate Primary

There's a competitive three-way primary on the GOP side. Regardless of who wins, incumbent Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is expected to easily win a 2nd term in November.

Massachusetts Gubernatorial Primaries

Despite the strong Democratic lean of the state, incumbent Republican Charlie Baker is one of the most popular governors in the country and is expected to easily win a 2nd term this fall.

Massachusetts House Primaries

The state has 9 congressional districts, all held by Democrats. It is the state with the largest number of districts under single party control.  All nine seats are expected to stay in Democratic control, so the real question is whether any incumbents lose in the primaries.  Keep an eye on the 1st, 7th and 8th districts for possible upsets. There will definitely be a new Democratic member of Congress in the 3rd district; 10 are competing on the ballot to replace retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas.

As expected, Gov. Rick Scott easily won the GOP nomination for Senate, setting up what will likely become one of the most expensive Senate races in U.S. history.

All Florida Results >>

Arizona

Rep. Martha McSally defeated hardliners Kelli Ward and Joe Arpaio in a race where Trump made no endorsement. Likely a pragmatic choice by the president, as neither Ward or Arpaio were seen as particularly good general election candidates. McSally will meet her congressional colleague, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in what will be a closely-contested general election.

Gov. Doug Ducey easily won renomination; he'll face David Garcia in November. Former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick won the Democratic nomination in Arizona's 2nd congressional district. This is the seat being vacated by McSally, and represents one of the best opportunities for a Democratic gain in November.

All Arizona Results >>

Oklahoma (Runoffs)

Businessman Kevin Stitt won the GOP gubernatorial runoff; he'll meet Democrat Drew Edmondson in November. While Oklahoma is a deep red state, a Democratic flip is not out of the question here in November. Outgoing GOP Gov. Mary Fallin is one of the most unpopular in the country, Edmondson is a strong candidate and polling thus far has him doing better against Stitt than the now-defeated Cornett.

All Oklahoma Results >>