Primaries set ballots in key House, Senate battles

Five states held primaries on Tuesday, setting the ballot in several races that could play a significant role in determining which party gains control of the U.S. House in November. In one of the most surprising results, incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., lost his seat in a bitter primary battle centered on support for President Donald Trump, or lack thereof. Trump tweeted his disdain for Sanford, one of the president’s vocal critics, just hours before the polls closed Tuesday. During the campaign, state Rep. Katie Arrington blasted Sanford as a “Never Trumper.” Sanford’s defeat ends a remarkable comeback for a politician forced to resign seven years ago over a scandal involving an extramarital affair. It also sounds a clear warning for lawmakers critical of Trump, especially in states where the president remains popular.

In Nevada, Republican Sen. Dean Heller easily won his party’s primary and will face Democrat Jacky Rosen in November. Heller is the only Republican seeking reelection in a state Hillary Clinton carried in 2016. Democrats have high hopes for flipping the seat. They also have their eyes set on the governor’s mansion: Nevada is one of 26 Republican-held governors’ offices up for grabs this year and one of eight where Clinton bested Trump in 2016. Trump supported Adam Laxalt, who easily won the party’s nod. He will face Steve Sisolak, who won a bruising Democratic primary with support from former Sen. Harry Reid.

In Virginia, Republican Corey Stewart won the GOP primary bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November. Stewart served as the Trump campaign’s top aid in Virginia and nearly won last year’s Republican nomination for governor. In one of the key House races in the country, Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Wexton beat out five primary challengers for the right to face Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock in November. Comstock, a moderate who easily defeated her more conservative Republican challenger, likely will have a tough fight to retain her seat, one of several Democrats believe they can flip.

And in North Dakota, GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer easily won his primary in the bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. Republicans have high hopes for defeating Heitkamp, one of a few moderate Democrats fighting for survival in increasingly conservative states.