Heart of the Primaries, Republicans-Special Edition 8 (June 27, 2018)
In this special post-primary edition: Two candidates who planned to join Freedom Caucus lose, Trump-endorsed Dan Donovan defeats Michael Grimm's comeback attempt, and August runoffs are set in Oklahoma.
Here are the results of the June 26 primaries so far.
Two Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates lose primaries
Two Republican candidates who planned to join the House Freedom Caucus lost Tuesday night: Andy Coleman in OK-1 and Lee Bright in SC-4.
Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates have won six of 12 open Republican primaries against candidates not affiliated with the group. Seven of the 12 primaries were in districts of Freedom Caucus members who left office.
Colorado
Stapleton wins gubernatorial nod
With 94 percent of precincts reporting, state Treasurer Walker Stapleton (R) won the Republican gubernatorial primary 47.9 percent to 30.1 percent over former state Rep. Victor Mitchell (R).
Stapleton led in polling and fundraising ahead of the election and the endorsement of former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R), who ran for governor in 2010 and 2014.
Mitchell loaned $3 million to his own campaign and refused to accept contributions from interest groups or endorsements. He highlighted his business career and opposition to a ballot measure that would have increased the state’s income and sales tax rates.
Businessman Doug Robinson (R) ran on a platform of infrastructure spending, opposition to sanctuary cities, and increased regulation for the state’s marijuana industry.
Former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez (R) touted his business and military background and called for increased outreach to Hispanic voters.
Lamborn beats four challengers in CO-05
Incumbent Rep. Doug Lamborn (R) defeated four challengers in his bid for a seventh term in the Republican primary for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District.
The NRA, The Gazette, and the National Federation of Independent Business-backed Lamborn. His top challenger was El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn.
The Colorado Supreme Court blocked Lamborn from the ballot in April after district voters filed a lawsuit saying he hired non-residents to collect his nominating petition signatures. U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer later overturned that ruling.
Two incumbents lose in Colorado state House primaries
Two Colorado state House incumbents facing challenges from the center lost Tuesday night.
Don Bendell defeated state Rep. Judy Reyher, who faced controversy after she posted negative remarks about black people and Muslims on social media.
Rod Bockenfield beat state Rep. Phillip Covarrubias. Marianne Goodland of ColoradoPolitics.com described Bockenfield as a moderate and Covarrubias as a conservative.
New York
Donovan defeats Grimm in NY-11
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R) beat former incumbent Michael Grimm (R) in New York’s 11th District by 28 percentage points. Grimm represented the district from 2011 to 2015. He resigned after pleading guilty to tax evasion. Although both candidates sought to tie themselves to Trump, the president endorsed Donovan, who Trump said would have a better chance of winning the district in November.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma governor’s race goes to a runoff
Neither Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett nor mortgage industry executive Kevin Stitt won more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday, so both advance to a Republican primary runoff on Aug. 28 for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Education, social issues, and energy policy have helped to distinguish the candidates. During a debate in April, Cornett approved of a $474 million tax package to fund raises for teachers, while Stitt said he would have sought to reduce waste before raising taxes.
Harris and Hern advance in OK-1 GOP primary
Former Tulsa County district attorney Tim Harris and businessman Kevin Hern were the top-two vote getters in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District GOP primary.
Harris received 27.5 percent of the vote to Hern’s 22.7 percent. They advance to an Aug. 28 runoff.
Harris ran on his ties to the local community, while Hern partially self-funded his campaign and was backed by the Republican Main Street Partnership. The House Freedom Caucus endorsed former military intelligence officer Andy Coleman, one of the candidates who did not advance. Former incumbent Jim Bridenstine (R) was a member of the Freedom Caucus before he resigned to become the director of NASA.
Incumbents fall flat in Oklahoma state legislative primaries
At least 16 Republican incumbents in the Oklahoma state legislature either lost or face runoffs. Six incumbents — one state senator and five state House members — lost, while 10 state House incumbents will go to runoffs on Aug. 28. Another incumbent, Kevin McDugle, has a slim lead that could trigger a recount.
The primaries occurred in the aftermath of an April public school teacher strike. Similar strikes in states such as Kentucky led to teachers defeating incumbents in primaries.
According to Vox, the strikes prompted more than 100 public educators to run for the Oklahoma state legislature, mostly on the Democratic side. In the Republican primaries, a teacher defeated state Rep. Scooter Park and another forced state Rep. Bob Cleveland into a runoff.
South Carolina
McMaster fends off Warren in gubernatorial runoff
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster (R) defeated businessman John Warren (R) 53.6 percent to 46.4 percent in the GOP gubernatorial runoff.
McMaster took office following Nikki Haley's (R) resignation to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. in January 2017. He finished first in the June 12 primary but fell short of the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff. McMaster touted the state's economic performance since he took office as well as his endorsement from President Trump, who campaigned on McMaster's behalf Monday.
First-time candidate Warren contributed $3 million to his own campaign, which highlighted his business experience and service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Following the June 12 primary, former candidates Catherine Templeton (R) and Kevin Bryant (R) endorsed Warren. Combined, the three had received a greater share of the vote than McMaster.
Timmons defeats Bright in 4th District runoff
State Sen. William Timmons (R) defeated former state Sen. Lee Bright (R) in the GOP primary runoff 54.3 percent to 45.7 percent.
Bright ran a Trump-style campaign and had endorsements from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Steve King (R-Iowa). He was also backed by the Club for Growth PAC, which spent $230,000 running a digital and television ad campaign against Timmons.
Timmons emphasized his personal and business ties to the district and was endorsed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). The Conservative Leadership Alliance spent $200,000 in support of Timmons during the runoff.
Utah
Romney wins Republican primary for U.S. Senate
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney defeated state Rep. Mike Kennedy (R) in the Republican Senate primary.
Retiring incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch said in March 2017 that Romney would be perfect to replace him. The president endorsed Romney in February 2018.
Kennedy was backed by retired Gen. Robert C. Oaks and state Rep. Cory Maloy (R).
Up next: Heart of the Primaries will take a short break for Independence Day, but we'll be back on July 16. Top races to watch after the break include…
- July 17 runoffs in Alabama for Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and the 2nd Congressional District. There, incumbent Martha Roby was endorsed by President Trump despite her earlier criticisms of the president.
- Gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial runoffs in Georgia on July 24. The tone was set for the gubernatorial runoff the night of the May 22 primary when Secretary of State Brian Kemp told his supporters Lieutenant Gov. Casey Cagle is a “puppet." Cagle said Kemp offered "little other than gimmicks."
- Aug. 2 primaries in Tennessee, followed by Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington on Aug. 7.
