Eight states are holding primary or runoff elections on Tuesday, the first elections since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark case Roe v. Wade.
In Colorado’s 3rd House District, CBS News projected Rep. Lauren Boebert will win the Republican primary. Boebert, a controversial conservative freshman member of Congress, had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Trump loomed large over the race to be Colorado’s top elections official. The current Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, a Democrat, is unopposed in her primary. CBS News projected Pam Anderson wins the Republican nomination for secretary of state in Colorado.
Anderson had faced two Republican challengers: Mike O’Donnell and Tina Peters. When asked by the Colorado Sun if the 2020 election was “stolen,” one of the candidates, Peters answered yes.
“This is a personal opinion based on the evidence that I have seen and gone through and based on what I know from our reports. I do believe there may have been enough fraud that it turned the election,” she told the newspaper.
Peters was indicted earlier this year in a security breach of her county’s election system. She has also been barred by a judge from overseeing the 2022 elections in Mesa County partly because of the breach,
One of her opponents, Mike O’Donnell, told the Colorado Sun he couldn’t “say yes or no” to the question of whether the 2020 election was stolen. Anderson, a former Jefferson County clerk and recorder and the former executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, was the only GOP candidate to answer no.
In Illinois, redistricting has spawned some incumbent vs. incumbent races. CBS News projects Rep. Sean Casten will win the Democratic nomination, defeating a primary challenge from Rep. Marie Newman. Both have represented only portions of the newly-drawn 6th District, which is considered solidly blue.
Casten’s 17-year-old daughter died earlier this month. In a concession speech, Newman urged the party to come together.
In Illinois’ 15th District, Rep. Mary Miller has Trump’s backing in the race against another incumbent, Rep. Rodney Davis. Davis, who was one of 35 Republicans to vote to create a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack.
Over the weekend, Miller said at a rally – flanked by Trump – that the decision to overturn Roe was a “victory for White life by the Supreme Court.” Her campaign said she misread the prepared remarks.
In the governor’s race, CBS projected incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker won the Democratic primary.
In the Republican primary, CBS News projected Illinois Darren Bailey defeated Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who was funded by $50 million from GOP megadonor Ken Griffin. Griffin has said he would not back the Republican nominee if it is not Irvin and criticized Democratic groups for their outside spending to boost Bailey. “The unprecedented tens of millions of dollars spent by Pritzker and national Democrats in the Republican Primary to avoid facing Richard in the General Election demonstrated he was the right candidate,” Griffin said in a statement.In his concession speech, Irvin said he hoped Pritzker “is wrong in his assessment that he can easily defeat the opponent he paid tens of millions of dollars to face.”
In New York, CBS News projects New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will win the Democratic nomination for governor. She had two primary challengers: Rep. Tom Suozzi from Long Island and New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams.
Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, from eastern Long Island, has long been considered the frontrunner in the Republican race. He faces three challengers, Rob Astrorino, Harry WIlson and Andrew Giuliani, the son of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani. Trump hasn’t endorsed in the race.
In Utah, two-term Republican Sen. Mike Lee, one of Trump’s closest allies, is facing two primary challengers, former state lawmaker Becky Edwards and businesswoman Ally Isom. Neither voted for Trump, according to The Associated Press.
