Abortion, Trump legal woes surface in state elections

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump firmed up support from their respective political primaries Tuesday.

Four states held primary elections, with official results showing winners advancing to the general election for key congressional races. In addition, California held a special election to replace former Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Vince Fong, a California legislator backed by former President Donald Trump and McCarthy, will serve out McCarthy’s term.

For more election results, visit WORLD’s Election Center 2024.

What’s happening in Georgia? In a race for Georgia Supreme Court, Republican-appointed Justice Andrew Pinson defeated challenger John Barrow, a former Democratic U.S. representative who campaigned on abortion. Meanwhile, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis faced off against challenger Christian Wise Smith. Willis gained national notoriety in recent months for leading the prosecution of Trump in a 2020 election interference case. Willis won the Democratic nomination with 87 percent of the vote. The judge in Trump’s case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, also won his bid for reelection with 83 percent of the vote.

Were there any surprises in Kentucky? Despite Biden’s win in Kentucky, roughly 18 percent of the Democratic vote went to “uncommitted,” which some analysts believe to be a protest against his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Likewise, former candidate Nikki Haley garnered 6 percent of the Republican vote in the state despite dropping out of the race.

Why isn’t the race for the White House on the ballot in Idaho? State lawmakers scrapped the presidential primary last year. Instead, Idaho held its GOP presidential caucus in March. Its Democratic presidential caucus is scheduled for Thursday. On Tuesday, Idaho voters cast ballots for state offices and one U.S. House of Representatives seat. Rep. Mike Simpson won the GOP nomination for reelection with a 56 percent vote. Simpson will face uncontested Democratic candidate David Roth, who lost a 2022 bid for the U.S. Senate to Republican Sen. Mike Crapo.

What about Oregon? Oregon had several hotly contested primaries. In the 5th Congressional District, state Rep. Janelle Bynum won the Democratic nomination with nearly 70 percent of the vote against opponent Jamie McLeod-Skinner. Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer currently holds the seat and ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

In the Portland-based 3rd District, Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, state Rep. Maxine Dexter, and Gresham City Councilman Eddy Morales had sought the Democratic nomination to fill the seat that will be left vacant by retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Dexter won the nomination with a slim 51 percent of the vote.

Republicans are hoping to flip a Democratic seat in the 4th District. Their leading challenger is retired Air Force Col. Monique DeSpain, who is facing off against Amy Ryan Courser. DeSpain won the GOP nomination with 58 percent of the vote. Incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.