Tuesday’s House and Senate primaries in New York, Utah and Colorado are expected to be tough, highlighting the fierce intraparty divide between Democrats and Republicans ahead of the general election in November.
Tightly contested House races in highly partisan New York and Colorado districts seem like the perfect arena for voters to rebel against incumbent politicians and stage major upsets that could change the makeup of Congress next year.
And in Utah, the GOP Senate primary is shaping up to be a referendum on how the state’s Republicans view former President Donald Trump’s fierce conservatism.
Here are some notable races taking place across the country on Tuesday.
new york
Progressive Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman faces a tough challenge in the primary for New York’s 16th district.Number The district, which stretches from the Bronx to the Connecticut border, is represented by Westchester County Mayor George Latimer, and the election could be the latest and most closely watched test of 2024 to gauge how Democratic divisions over Israel’s war with Hamas will play out on the campaign trail.
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Bowman, who has represented the district since 2020, has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics in Congress, accusing Israel of committing genocide in its war with Hamas and calling on the Biden administration to cut off aid to Israel. Progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York rallied to support Bowman in the primary.
Latimer, a more moderate pro-Israel candidate, has the backing of mainstream Democrats like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a group that supports pro-Israel politicians, has donated more than $1.2 million to Latimer’s campaign, according to campaign finance reports through June 5.
Bowman said at a weekend rally that his supporters would show AIPAC the “power” of the South Bronx in Tuesday’s election, but recent polls have shown him trailing.
For example, an Emerson College Poll/PIX11/The Hill poll conducted in early June found Latimer leading Bowman by more than 10 points, 48% to 31%.
Bowman was also at the center of a chaotic incident at the U.S. Capitol last year when he set off a fire alarm in a congressional office building, leading to an emergency evacuation. The House later reprimanded the New York congressman.
Colorado
Colorado’s congressional primary on Tuesday will lay the groundwork for a general election that could determine the balance of power in Congress next year.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican firebrand, currently represents three Colorado districts.rd Boebert announced her decision to reschedule last year after Republican Rep. Ken Buck confirmed he would not seek a sixth term representing the 4th District.Number district.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, and Boebert narrowly defeated her Democratic rivals to win three seats.rd He won his congressional seat in the 2022 midterm elections by just 546 votes. Still, the district, which covers much of the western half of the state, holds a nine-point Republican advantage.
The third-place finisher in the six-person Republican primaryrd He will face off against Boebert’s former Democratic challenger, Adam Frisch, in Tuesday’s election. Former state Rep. Ron Hanks has garnered the state party’s endorsement in the race, with attorney Jeff Hurd leading the polls conducted in early June.
of 4Number Boebert is competing against five other candidates in the district’s Republican primary. A poll conducted at the end of May showed the Trump-supporting conservative leading the other candidates by 35 points.
Utah
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s announcement in September that he would not seek reelection to the Senate has sparked a battle among GOP Senate candidates over their competing visions for the party’s future.
The race for the seat between Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, former state Assembly Speaker Brad Wilson and U.S. Rep. John Curtis has been fought over the extent to which politicians are willing to embrace President Trump’s far-right conservative politics.
Recent polls have put Curtis ahead of other candidates by more than 20 points, and he is the only candidate who has said he plans to vote for Trump in 2024, but has stopped short of endorsing him outright.
President Trump and the Utah Republican Party have endorsed Staggs.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, accused by some GOP critics of being too centrist, also is expected to win Tuesday’s primary election, though he did not receive the state party’s endorsement.
Contributors: Cy Neff, Natasha Lovato, USA TODAY
