Ballotpedia's Top 10 Democratic primaries, September 13, 2018

These 10 Democratic Party primaries are the most compelling intra-party contests of this cycle, either because they reflect an ideological battle between two factions within the party or a close primary contest in a battleground election. Click here for more on how we build this list.

We added the September 13 primaries in the New York State Senate to the seventh spot on our final Top 10 Democratic primaries list. There, progressive challengers unseated six of nine Democratic senators who have helped keep Republicans in control of the state Senate in recent years. The state senators who faced primary challenges included eight former members of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) and state Sen. Simcha Felder (D). The IDC caucused with Republicans from 2013 to 2018 and kept them in power even though Democrats often held a numerical majority. Former IDC leader Jeffrey Klein and six other incumbent Democratic state senators (including five former IDC members) were defeated.

Our final list contains primaries for three governor’s races, six U.S. House seats, and one set of state legislative contests.

Click here to read our Top 10 Republican Party primaries list.

Know of a race that belongs on our list? Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Last updated: September 13, 2018

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Top 10 Democratic Primaries Ranked list

(Last week's ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Florida governor (August 28)
2. (2) New York's 14th Congressional District (June 26)
3. (3) Illinois' 3rd Congressional District (March 20)
4. (4) Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District (September 4)
5. (6) Kansas' 3rd Congressional District (August 7)
6. (5) Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District (May 15)
7. (-) New York state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018 (September 13) - newly added
8. (7) Colorado governor (June 26)
9. (9) Minnesota governor (August 14)
10. (10) Virginia's 10th Congressional District (June 12)

Races removed from the Top 10 list this week

Michigan's 11th (August 7)

Top 10 Democratic Primaries race summaries

• Florida governor (August 28)

See also: Florida gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 28 Democratic primary)

Florida Democrats looked to take back the governor's office for the first time in 20 years with Gov. Rick Scott (R) term-limited and election forecasters calling the general election a "Toss-up." Five Democratic candidates argued that they were best suited to represent the party in November.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum touted his support for single-payer healthcare and highlighted that, unlike the other candidates, he did not have personal or family wealth to fund his campaign. Democratic donors George Soros and Tom Steyer, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Democracy for America endorsed him. He also had support from satellite groups. Steyer's NextGen America, the Collective Super PAC, and a coalition of grassroots progressive organizations announced nearly $7 million in spending on his behalf. National and Florida Democrats lined up behind former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham (D). She highlighted her support for abortion access and attention to women's issues as well as her plans to expand Medicaid in Florida, tighten gun regulations, and increase public education funding. She said her 2014 election to a North Florida congressional seat proved she was the only candidate who could win in Republican-leaning areas.

Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine Levine, who owned a cruise line media company, self-funded nearly $22 million as of mid-August, with most going into television advertising. His ads emphasized his support for additional restrictions on firearms, stronger government regulation of Florida's environment in the face of the 2018 toxic algae bloom, and increasing public education funding. Real estate investor Jeff Greene emphasized his plan to revamp education in the state and criticized Levine and Graham in campaign ads saying they harmed Florida’s environment during their stints in elected office. Entrepreneur Christopher King partially self-funded his campaign with around $5 million. He called for changes in gun laws and the criminal justice system, saying he represented transformative change rather than just partisan change for Florida.

Although most polling showed former Graham and Levine leading the field, Gillum won the primary with just over 34 percent of the vote. Graham finished second with 31 percent, and Levine was third.

• New York's 14th Congressional District (June 26)

See also: New York's 14th Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)

Long-time incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley, who had not seen a primary challenge since 2004, was defeated by self-described democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York's 14th District. Crowley became the first Democratic incumbent member of Congress to lose in the primary in 2018. He had been a congressman since 1999 and was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the 4th highest-ranking member in the Democratic Party leadership. Crowley was also identified by Roll Call as one of six Democrats most likely to succeed Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should she step down as House Minority Leader. At the end of March 2018, Crowley had a 22-to-1 fundraising lead over Ocasio-Cortez, who had pledged not to accept contributions from lobbyists.

Ocasio-Cortez garnered endorsements from progressive groups including Justice Democrats, Brand New Congress, and NYC Democratic Socialists of America. Crowley's list of endorsements included more than 20 labor unions, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and more than a dozen state legislators. Both candidates expressed support for $15 minimum wage and Medicare for All policies; Ocasio-Cortez credited her campaign with pushing Crowley to the left on these issues, while Crowley's campaign argued that "he's always been a progressive advocate."

• Illinois' 3rd Congressional District (March 20)

See also: Illinois' 3rd Congressional District election (March 20, 2018 Democratic primary)

Longtime incumbent Rep. and Blue Dog Coalition member Daniel Lipinski defeated political newcomer Marie Newman by just over 2,100 votes, 51 percent to 49 percent, for the Democratic nomination in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District for a seat held by the party since 1975. This race, called "a battle for the soul of the Democratic party” by Kate Sweeny of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, was seen as a good example of the struggle between moderate and progressive Democrats.

Newman based her campaign on her opposition to Lipinski's positions on reproductive issues and healthcare, saying that he opposed federal funding for cervical cancer screenings and voted against the Affordable Care Act because of funding for contraception included in the bill. Lipinski countered that he voted 26 times to support funding for family planning programs from 2005 to 2017. Newman received the backing of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Human Rights Campaign. Lipinski was backed by the Illinois AFL-CIO, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D), state party chairman Michael Madigan (D), the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.

• Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District (September 4)

See also: Massachusetts' 7th Congressional District election (September 4, 2018 Democratic primary)

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley (D) defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano (D) in his first contested primary in two decades. Capuano was the fourth House incumbent to lose his primary in 2018. At the time of the election, Massachusetts' 7th was the state's only majority-minority district. Pressley, who is black, highlighted the importance of representation in the race. She said, "This district and these times demand more than an ally, they demand an advocate and a champion." She was endorsed by Justice Democrats, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D), and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu.

Pressley ran as a change candidate and criticized Capuano for compromising too much on key issues, including immigration and abortion. She pointed to his willingness to fund a border along the U.S.-Mexico border—which she called a "Trump hate wall"—as part of a larger immigration bill. Pressley also attacked Capuano's vote to support an amendment to the Affordable Care Act banning federal funding of abortion. Capuano defended his vote, saying it was necessary to get the larger health insurance bill passed. The Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Capuano, with caucus chairman and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) saying in a statement, "Capuano has built his career on standing up for those who have been left behind, from health care, to transportation, to housing. We ... have a strong, committed partner in Mike and unanimously support his campaign for Congress.” Capuano also had support from other party leaders in the state, including former Gov. Deval Patrick (D).

• Kansas' 3rd Congressional District (August 7)

See also: Kansas' 3rd Congressional District election (August 7, 2018 Democratic primary)

Sharice Davids defeated five opponents and won the party's nomination to challenge Rep. Kevin Yoder (R) in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. Davids received just over 37 percent of the vote and finished about 2,000 votes ahead of second-place finisher Brent Welder, who took 34 percent. The district voted for Hillary Clinton (D) by 1 percentage point in the 2016 presidential election, and perceived dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump (R) brought the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) optimism that the district could be in play. The DCCC placed the district on its target list for 2018.

Davids, who has experience as a lawyer, economic adviser, and former mixed martial arts competitor, ran with the backing of EMILY's List. Davis would be the first Native American woman in Congress if elected, and she got her start in politics on a federal level working on economic development programs on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Davids would also be the first openly gay member of the Kansas delegation and is endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

Welder is a labor lawyer who received endorsements from Our Revolution and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, among other progressive groups. He spent more than a year working for Bernie Sanders' (D) presidential campaign and ran on many of the policy positions that Sanders ran on in 2016, such as a $15 per hour minimum wage and Medicare for all. Welder was endorsed by Bernie Sanders (I) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D) and he led all Democrats in small-dollar donations and cash on hand as of July. Businessman and 2016 Democratic nominee Jay Sidie, nonprofit executive Mike McCamon, teacher Tom Niermann, and retired bank manager Sylvia Williams also ran.

• Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District (May 15)

See also: Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election (May 15, 2018 Democratic primary)

Moderates and progressives clashed in the Democratic primary for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District on May 15, where nonprofit executive and Metropolitan Community College board member Kara Eastman defeated the district’s former congressman, Brad Ashford. Ashford, who held the seat for a single term before losing his re-election bid to current incumbent Rep. Don Bacon (R), had the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which added him to its “Red to Blue” list. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee backed Eastman. She also had the support of local unions and state figures such as state Sens. Tony Vargas and Justin Wayne. Eastman ran on a platform that included tuition-free college and universal healthcare.

Eastman defeated Ashford by just over 1,100 votes, 51 percent to 49 percent. While progressive groups celebrated Eastman's victory, political observers questioned whether her victory hurt Dems' chances to win the seat. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball managing editor Kyle Kondik tweeted after the primary that they were changing the rating on the general election race in this district from "Toss-up" to "Leans Republican" after Eastman’s victory. “Basically the NRCC got what it wanted and the DCCC didn't,” Kondik said. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is a national 527 group and subsidiary of the Republican Party that aims to build and maintain a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives through contributions to Republican candidates and political organizations. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is a similar group which supports the Democratic Party.

• New York state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018 (September 13)

See also: New York state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018

In the September 13 Democratic primaries, progressive challengers unseated six of the nine Democratic senators who helped keep Republicans in control of the state Senate in recent years. The senators who faced primary challenges included eight former members of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) and state Sen. Simcha Felder (D). The IDC caucused with Republicans from 2013 to 2018 and kept them in power even though Democrats often held a numerical majority. Felder caucused with Republicans too, but he was not an IDC member. In April 2018, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) brokered a deal between IDC leader Jeffrey Klein and mainline Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins where the IDC was dissolved and the caucuses were reunified with Stewart-Cousins as leader and Klein as her deputy. In 2018, Republicans still control the chamber 32-31 with the continued support of Simcha Felder.

Despite the dissolution of the IDC, the primary challenges to its former members went forward. Challengers focused on affordable housing policies and criticized former IDC members for having kept Republicans in power. The challengers also said the new mainline Democratic-IDC alliance would not last. The reunification deal was meant to prohibit incumbent state senators from backing primary challenges against other incumbents. With the deal in place, Stewart-Cousins endorsed all former IDC members at the state Democratic convention in May, not their primary challengers. However, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer (D), and NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D) endorsed some of the challengers. Their endorsements came after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D), the head of the Queens County Democratic Party, in the June 26 Democratic primary.

On September 13, former IDC leader Jeffrey Klein and former IDC members state Sen. Tony Avella, state Sen. Jose Peralta, state Sen. Jesse Hamilton, state Sen. Marisol Alcantara, and state Sen. David Valesky were all defeated. Simcha Felder and former IDC members Diane Savino and David Carlucci won their primaries. The state legislative primaries were concurrent with the Democratic gubernatorial primary where Cuomo defeated actress Cynthia Nixon. Nixon said Cuomo enabled the IDC because he preferred working with a Republican-controlled Senate, particularly on the state budget. Nixon specifically endorsed three of the successful challengers in their primaries and supported Ocasio-Cortez before her primary win against Crowley.

• Colorado governor (June 26)

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (June 26 Democratic primary)

Rep. Jared Polis defeated former state Treasurer Cary Kennedy, former state Sen. Mike Johnston, and current Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne to win the Democratic primary for this purple state's highest office. While Kennedy was the first choice of 62 percent of delegates at the state party convention in April 2018, Polis received almost 45 percent of the vote to win, compared with Kennedy's 25 percent and Johnston's 23 percent. Polis faces a competitive general election against the Republican nominee, state Treasurer Walker Stapleton in a contest characterized by ratings outlets as either "Leans Democratic" or "Toss-up." Colorado has voted for the Democratic nominee in each of the last three presidential elections.

Polis led in most polls. He promised free preschool and kindergarten as well as energy independence by 2040. National political figures including Rep. John Lewis (D) and interest groups such as NORML PAC and the Sierra Club endorsed him. EMILY's List and labor unions such as the Communications Workers of America and the Colorado Education Association endorsed Kennedy, who called for increased funding for public schools and the creation of a public option for health insurance. Johnston supported providing two years of tuition-free community college to state residents, the establishment of a civilian work corps, and the expansion of Medicaid to all state citizens. Former Sen. Gary Hart (D) and former Gov. Dick Lamm (D) endorsed him. Lynne, a former insurance executive, ran on her private sector experience and her two years serving alongside term-limited Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).

• Minnesota governor (August 14)

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 (August 14 Democratic primary)

A three-way battle for the Democratic nomination to succeed outgoing Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) unfolded in Minnesota as state Rep. Erin Murphy, Rep. Tim Walz, and state Attorney General Lori Swanson sought the party's nod. Murphy earned the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota's endorsement at its annual convention, defeating Walz and state Auditor Rebecca Otto (D), who subsequently suspended her campaign. Murphy is backed by the Service Employees International Union-Minnesota and the AFSCME and served in the state House since 2006, including holding various leadership positions within the DFL caucus.

Walz has represented the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District since 2007. His history of representing his swing district and his past opposition to firearms regulations were identified by political observers as factors in his convention defeat. He is backed by Education Minnesota, the state's largest labor union. Swanson was serving her third term as attorney general, having been first elected in 2006. Swanson withdrew from the nominating process for attorney general at the 2018 convention after she did not secure a majority in the first round of voting. She instead launched a campaign for governor the day before the filing deadline with Rep. Rick Nolan (D) as her running mate. On August 14, Walz won this primary with almost 42 percent of the vote.

• Virginia's 10th Congressional District (June 12)

See also: Virginia's 10th Congressional District election (June 12, 2018 Democratic primary)

Six well-funded candidates competed in the Democratic primary for Virginia's 10th Congressional District—a swing seat that simultaneously backed Hillary Clinton (D) by 10 points in the 2016 presidential election and elected Republican incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock. Daily Kos identified Comstock as the eighth-most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the 2018 midterm elections, and it's likely Democrats had to win districts like this one to gain enough seats to win control of the House. Four candidates raised $800,000 or more through the first quarter of 2018: former senior State Department official Alison Kiehl Friedman (D), state Sen. Jennifer Wexton (D), Army veteran Daniel Helmer (D), and former Obama administration official Lindsey Davis Stover.

Wexton received about 42 percent of the vote to win the primary. Friedman finished second with 23 percent, and Stover was third with 16 percent. The general election contest between Comstock and Wexton figures to be one of the most closely watched House races of this cycle.

Methodology

Our seat rankings reflect a subjective assessment, based primarily on two factors:

• Whether the nature or result of a primary provides an indication as to the direction of the party or the relative strength of various factions within the party in that state or district,
• The extent to which the outcome of a primary impacts the party’s chances for that seat in the November elections.

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