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Heart of the Primaries, Democrats-Special Edition 11 (August 29, 2018)
In this special post-primary edition: Gillum surprises for Florida governor, another DCCC choice wins in AZ-1, and at least 18 educators advance in Arizona state legislative races following teacher strikes this summer.
Here are the results of the Aug. 28 primaries so far.
Arizona
Garcia wins Democratic gubernatorial primary
Arizona State University professor David Garcia defeated two challengers in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
With 60 percent of precincts reporting, Garcia led with 48.7 percent. State Sen. Steve Farley was second with 34.3 percent.
Garcia emphasized his opposition to incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey’s education policies and supported tuition-free college and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democracy for America, Planned Parenthood, and the Arizona Education Association endorsed him.
Farley emphasized his appeal to independent and centrist voters, saying he was not trying to “go to the left as far as you can.” Former U.S. Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Ron Barber, both of whom represented swing congressional districts, endorsed Farley.
Kelly Fryer also ran in the race, positioning herself to the left of her opponents on border security.
Garcia faces Ducey in the general election.
DCCC-backed Kirkpatrick beats Heinz in AZ-2 primary
Former 1st Congressional District Representative Ann Kirkpatrick defeated former state Rep. Matt Heinz and five others in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary.
Kirkpatrick had 41.4 percent of the vote to Heinz's 30.6 percent.
Kirkpatrick and Heinz sparred over who was more progressive, criticizing one another's records on gun policy and health care. Satellite groups spent more than $650,000 on the race, almost all on ads and direct mail either in support of Kirkpatrick or in opposition to Heinz. Women Vote!, a super PAC affiliate of EMILY's List, was the biggest spender, putting $503,808 into the race as of Aug. 22.
Kirkpatrick was named to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's (DCCC) "Red to Blue" program. Her endorsers included Planned Parenthood Action Fund and former 8th District Rep. Gabby Giffords (D), who founded the group Courage to Fight Gun Violence.
The American Federation of Teachers, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence endorsed Heinz.
The District’s current incumbent, Rep. Martha McSally (R) announced her bid for U.S. Senate in January, leaving this swing district open. It is one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House seats Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016.
At least 18 educators advance in Arizona state legislative Democratic primaries
At least 18 educators advanced from Arizona’s state legislative Democratic primaries—five in state Senate races and 13 in state House races. Another eight races with educators running are too close to call.
Arizona was one of five states that had a statewide teacher strike in early 2018 and saw more teachers running for the Legislature. The others were Kentucky, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and West Virginia.
Florida
Gillum wins gubernatorial primary
Despite trailing former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine in most pre-election polls,Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination with more than 34 percent of the vote to Graham’s 31.4 percent and Levine’s 20.3 percent.
Gillum emphasized his progressive platform, particularly his support for Medicare for All, and that he was the only non-millionaire in the primary. If elected, Gillum would be the state’s first black governor.
Progressive influencers lined up behind Gillum. Democratic donors George Soros and Tom Steyer supported him with more than $2.5 million in donations, while U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and progressive groups like Our Revolution and Democracy for America endorsed him.
Gillum faces U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) in the general election. A Democrat has not won Florida’s governorship since 1994, but the race this year is rated as a “toss-up.”
Lawson survives primary challenge in FL-05
U.S. Rep. Al Lawson (D) defeated former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 5th Congressional District. Lawson received more than 60 percent of the vote to Brown’s 40 percent.
Both candidates accused the other of being insufficiently progressive. Lawson faced criticism for being the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to stand and applaud the president during the 2018 State of the Union when Trump said black unemployment was down. Brown was criticized for declining to take a position on a city ordinance that supporters said would protect members of the LGBTQ community when he served as Jacksonville mayor.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) and 38 CBC members endorsed Lawson. The Florida AFL-CIO endorsed Brown. The district is safely Democratic and not expected to be competitive in the general election.
Soto defeats former Rep. Grayson in FL-09
In the Democratic primary for Florida's 9th Congressional District, incumbent Darren Soto (D) fended off a primary challenge from the seat's former occupant, Alan Grayson (D). Soto received 66.2 percent of the vote to Grayson's 33.8 percent.
Soto was elected to the seat in 2016 after Grayson opted to run for the U.S. Senate. Soto won the endorsement of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He said his campaign focus was building "a strong coalition of support among Hispanics, African-Americans and women."
Grayson criticized Soto for saying he would not call for the president’s impeachment, and for his "A" rating from the National Rifle Association in previous election cycles.
Carlson defeats Learned in open seat FL-15 primary
Attorney Kristen Carlson (D) defeated Navy veteran and school owner Andrew Learned in the Democratic primary for Florida's 15th Congressional District. With 97 percents of precincts reporting, Carlson led Learned 54 percent to 32 percent.
Carlson described herself as moderate—liberal on social issues and conservative on fiscal matters.
Learned supported Medicare for All and was endorsed by progressive organizations Indivisible and Our Revolution Tampa Bay.
Carlson faces state Rep. Ross Spano (R) in the general election.
Democrats nominate former HHS Secretary Shalala in FL-27
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will be the Democratic nominee in Florida’s 27th District. Shalala received 31.9 percent of the vote while state Rep. David Richardson received 27.5 percent.
Richardson said Shalala was not progressive enough and needed to step aside for new leaders in the Democratic primary. Shalala was Health and Human Services Secretary under Bill Clinton and later headed up the Clinton Foundation. She emphasized her government experience and her role in creating the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The current incumbent, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), is retiring. The general election is rated “Leans Democratic.” The 27th District is one of 25 Republican-held U.S. House seats Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
Oklahoma
Educators advance from at least four Oklahoma primary runoffs
Educators advanced in at least four of Tuesday’s Democratic state legislative runoffs. In the June 26 regular primaries, educators won 22 contested primaries.
The primaries occurred in the aftermath of a statewide teacher strike over salaries and education funding. Four other states--Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia--also had teacher strikes in early 2018 and saw an increase in the number of teachers running for state legislature.
Up next: The final five statewide primaries of 2018: Massachusetts, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York state elections. Top stories to watch include:
- Incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano faces Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley (D) in MA-07. It’s Capuano’s first contested primary since his election in 1998.
- Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin faces a challenge from Boston City Councillor Josh Zakim - the first challenger of an incumbent to win the state party endorsement since 1982.
- U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (Del.) must top progressive activist Kerri Evelyn Harris in his bid for a fourth term.
