The latest round of primary elections took place Tuesday in four states: Maryland, New York, South Carolina and Utah.<\/p>\n
The midterm elections in November will determine control of both chambers of Congress and will also see the election of dozens of governors and other state and local offices. Before then, voters must choose nominees for each of these offices, making their picks in primary elections throughout the spring and summer in all 50 states.<\/p>\n
Maryland<\/a>: All eight of the state\u2019s congressional districts held contested primaries. In a state that typically leans left (only one district is led by a Republican), the primaries often determine the general election winners. Gov. Wes Moore<\/a> secured the Democratic nomination for a second term.<\/p>\n New York<\/a>: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> is looking to shape the city\u2019s congressional delegation<\/a> through a series of endorsements. Candidates he backed in districts 7 and 10 won the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, several Democrats are seeking the party nomination in District 12, including Trump critic George Conway<\/a> and Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n South Carolina<\/a>: State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the Republican nomination for governor after President Donald Trump<\/a>, who initially endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette<\/a> for the job, said on Friday that either contender would be a good pick.<\/p>\n Utah<\/a>: Voters cast ballots to nominate congressional candidates using a new map<\/a> that created a Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n Here’s the latest:<\/p>\n Maryland state Del. Adrian Boafo wins Democratic primary in race to succeed Rep. Steny Hoyer<\/p>\n In choosing Boafo over nearly two dozen competitors, voters in the 5th District opted for a continuation of Hoyer\u2019s pragmatic style of politics rather than a more progressive, antiestablishment approach promised by some other candidates.<\/p>\n Boafo, 32, is endorsed by Hoyer \u2014 his former boss \u2014 along with Gov. Wes Moore and other prominent Democrats. He also secured donations from tech firms and the cryptocurrency industry. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee\u2019s super PAC also spent more than $1 million backing him.<\/p>\n Boafo worked as a field director and campaign manager for Hoyer before becoming a lobbyist and state delegate.<\/p>\n Mamdani-backed candidate Claire Valdez wins Democratic primary in New York\u2019s 7th District<\/p>\n New York state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso with the backing of Mamdani and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Both endorsed Valdez in hopes of giving the progressive left a greater foothold over the Democratic establishment in New York\u2019s congressional delegation.<\/p>\n The primary victory also leaves Valdez in strong position for November in the heavily Democratic district that covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens. It also marked a stinging setback for Reynoso, who had the endorsement of the district\u2019s retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez.<\/p>\n Lots of voters in Salt Lake City despite wildfire smoke<\/p>\n Voters in the state\u2019s most populous city were turning out in large numbers even as smoke from wildfires burning across Utah turned the skies hazy and produced some of the worst air quality on the planet.<\/p>\n Some voters at the Salt Lake County Government Center said they had been waiting for close to an hour as polls got busier later in the day. Some walked briskly to their vehicles after casting ballots, while others pulled up to drop boxes to avoid the lines and hazy air.<\/p>\n Seven large fires were burning across Utah<\/a>, including a blaze that started over the weekend in the dry, grassy foothills just outside Salt Lake City. It had the 12th-worst air quality of any city globally on Tuesday, according to IQAir\u2019s live ranking.<\/p>\n An independent voter for Mohamed in Utah\u2019s 1st District<\/p>\n Eunice Jean Irwin, from Holladay, Utah, said she backed Democrat Liban Mohamed in the 1st Congressional District.<\/p>\n Irwin, 78, an immigrant from Japan and independent, said Democratic friends that she trusted \u201ccouldn\u2019t shut up\u201d about Mohamed.<\/p>\n She was told \u201cthat he was extraordinarily articulate, that he was very, very bright, that he was a visionary and all the things I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n Mohamed is the son of Somali immigrants, and Irwin liked that he also comes from an immigrant family.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I\u2019m really tired of Ben,\u201d she added, referring to former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination.<\/p>\n Hasan Piker canvasses with Avila Chevalier<\/p>\n The streamer has been making the rounds<\/a> with progressive candidates this year. In New York, he\u2019s backing Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist ally of Mamdani who is up against U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a hard-fought Democratic primary.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the longest time, people were like, \u2018Democratic socialists are white, younger, maybe even affluent, college educated or college students in general and there is no broad base, there is no appetite for this kind of politics on the country,\u2019 and it turns out it couldn\u2019t be further from the truth,\u201d he told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard from so many people, older voters in this district that want Espaillat out. They feel like he hasn\u2019t done anything for this district, that he\u2019s just been around, and he\u2019s just a figure and he shows up every four years. And they want that change, and they\u2019re willing to bet that Darializa could be that change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Mamdani ally Brad Lander defeats Rep. Daniel Goldman in Democratic New York primary<\/p>\n Lander is the former New York City comptroller. He was endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n Goldman has represented the lower Manhattan and Brooklyn brownstone district since first winning election in 2022.<\/p>\n Lander was acquitted<\/a> this month on charges related to a protest inside a building housing an immigration court and has pledged to push back against Trump\u2019s administration, promising to \u201cfight, not fold.\u201d<\/p>\n His victory in the primary puts him in strong position in the heavily Democratic 10th District in November, where he\u2019ll face Republican Jennifer Moore, who was unopposed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Polls have closed in New York<\/p>\n In-person election day voting concluded in New York at 9 p.m. EDT. Comparable past elections can offer clues<\/a> about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.<\/p>\n In the 2022 primary, The Associated Press first reported results at 9:04 p.m. EDT, or four minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 3:11 a.m. EDT with about 95% of total votes counted.<\/p>\n Wilson makes appeal to Evette\u2019s supporters in accepting South Carolina victory<\/p>\n Saying he looked forward to sitting down with Evette at some point in the future, Wilson said \u201cshe\u2019s to be commended\u201d for calling him to concede.<\/p>\n Noting the support he\u2019d received from other GOP candidates in the primary, including U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, Wilson said Evette\u2019s backers are also his \u201ckinsmen,\u201d for whom he promised \u201cto fight as hard for you as you fought.\u201d<\/p>\n Joined on stage by his wife, children and other relatives including his father, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, the newly minted nominee pledged to be a \u201ctransformational governor\u201d who would reform government and improve infrastructure.<\/p>\n Wilson goes on to face Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in the general election.<\/p>\n New York candidate stumps for votes as clock runs out<\/p>\n Around an hour before polls closed in New York\u2019s Democratic congressional primary, candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier stood on a Harlem street corner with streamer Hasan Piker, slipping her campaign flyers into the hands of passersby.<\/p>\n \u201cI think folks are really tired of politics that seems more beholden to donors,\u201d she told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n On the next corner, a truck covered with screens displayed a political ad attacking Avila Chevalier over a remark she made on social media disparaging former Vice President Kamala Harris. Avila Chevalier has previously apologized for the post.<\/p>\n \u201cI think most folks just want to hear about the issues that impact them,\u201d she said when asked about the truck.<\/p>\n She is running against U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a fellow Democrat.<\/p>\n Evette says she will stay in public life and support Republicans after South Carolina runoff loss<\/p>\n Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette was surrounded by her family \u2014 but not Republican Gov. Henry McMaster \u2014 as she took the stage for four minutes with the sun setting behind a sweeping ocean vista at her election party.<\/p>\n In a horse voice that cracked a little as she thanked her children and husband for their support, Evette said she needed to read this speech because she didn\u2019t want to forget to say something.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s OK to be disappointed. Lord knows that I am, but in just a few months, there\u2019s going to be a general election, and the choice in that general election is going to be between conservative principles and a Democratic Party that wants the exact opposite for South Carolina,\u201d Evette said, throwing her support behind the Republican nominee, state Attorney General Alan Wilson.<\/p>\n Evette said she is grateful for the honor of serving as lieutenant governor for eight years and her political career likely isn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t the end of anything for me,\u201d Evette said. \u201cIt is just the beginning of a different chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson had strong early leads across the state<\/p>\n In South Carolina<\/a>, Wilson had double-digit leads in 21 of the 23 counties that had released vote results from across the state by the time AP called the GOP runoff for governor.<\/p>\n He significantly expanded the leads he had in the primary in the heavily populated Charleston and Columbia areas and also led in counties that went for Evette and Ralph Norman on June 9. Evette was ahead in only two counties.<\/p>\n Voter worries progressives will split vote in Utah House race<\/p>\n Emily Cort describes herself as a progressive who backs Democrat Nate Blouin, a firebrand in the state\u2019s Republican-controlled Legislature. Cort said Blouin\u2019s beliefs align closely with hers, including opposition to Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza and concern for environmental issues.<\/p>\n But she worries that Blouin could end up splitting the vote with other progressive-leaning candidates in the race, to the advantage of Democrat Ben McAdams, who is considered more moderate and who Cort doesn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only do we have to be voting for people that we believe in, but it\u2019s politics and we have to be voting for people that we think will make it the furthest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a little nervous that there is a split at the moment,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Wilson celebrates winning South Carolina GOP runoff<\/p>\n A video played of Wilson supporters, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, as the gubernatorial candidate greeted family and backers on stage with the strains of Van Halen as accompaniment.<\/p>\n \u201cI will never lie to you and I will always make fighting for your family my No. 1 consideration,\u201d Wilson\u2019s voice said in the video background.<\/p>\n After Wilson walked on stage, he shouted to the crowd, \u201cAre we having fun tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n Until last week, Trump had endorsed only Wilson\u2019s opponent Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. He added Wilson to his endorsements the Friday before the runoff.<\/p>\n Evette had finished narrowly ahead of Wilson in the June primary.<\/p>\n Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wins Democratic primary as he seeks 2nd term<\/p>\n Moore, 47, promoted a record of job growth and declining violent crime in the deep-blue state, and he campaigned on standing up for Maryland\u2019s middle class while criticizing Trump for healthcare cuts and price hikes.<\/p>\n An author and former Army officer, Moore\u2019s first foray into politics was getting elected as Maryland\u2019s first Black governor four years ago. He is often mentioned among Democrats as a potential presidential candidate, even as he has repeatedly said he will not run in 2028.<\/p>\n Moore easily beat physician Eric Felber, his sole Democratic challenger in the primary.<\/p>\n \u2018Conservative Democrat\u2019 says he backs McAdams in Utah House race<\/p>\n Joaquin Ezra, 20, says he used to be pro-choice but now considers himself \u201cin the middle\u201d on abortion. He cited that as one of the reasons he voted for former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, who is considered more moderate than his Democratic primary opponents in Utah\u2019s 1st Congressional District.<\/p>\n McAdams previously described himself as anti-abortion and pitched himself as a moderate during his 2018 campaign. This year, running in a more solidly Democratic district, he\u2019s pledged his support for abortion rights.<\/p>\n Ezra said the district is not as progressive as some Democratic Party activists have claimed and includes lots of people who voted for Trump. He suggested that would make McAdams a better fit.<\/p>\n \u201cOut of the three frontrunners, definitely yes,\u201d Ezra said. \u201cThere are probably maybe some better candidates that could have ran, but he\u2019s not the worst. I think he\u2019s actually pretty decent.\u201d<\/p>\n Polls have closed in Maryland<\/p>\n