Primary elections in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Washington state are taking place on Tuesday, setting the stage for major Republican and Democratic nomination contests that will set the stage for the battles for House and Senate majorities this fall.
One hot race is in Michigan to replace retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, one of a handful of seats in key battleground states Republicans are seeking to retake control of the Senate after losing it in the 2020 election.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee during his time in Congress, has the backing of former Republican presidential candidate Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate Republican campaign arm.
What Mike Rogers told Fox News Digital about the Michigan Senate showdown
Former Congressman Mike Rogers spoke at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Gina Moon)
Rogers is seen as the clear frontrunner in a field that also includes former Rep. Justin Amash and physician Shelley O’Donnell.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in a Senate race that also includes actor and Detroit small business owner Hill Harper.
Vying to replace Slotkin in the Lansing-area swing seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District are Democrat Curtis Hertel and Republican Tom Barrett, two former state senators who are seeking their party’s nomination unopposed.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Bill Priano/Getty Images)
Michigan’s other seats that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold a slim majority, are in the 3rd, 8th and 10th Congressional Districts, all of which held primaries on Tuesday.
In Missouri, conservative Sen. Josh Hawley won his reelection bid unopposed in the Republican primary. The winner of the Democratic primary, including 2022 candidate Lucas Kunce, will face a tough challenge against Hawley in November.
Senator Josh Hawley (screenshot)
But the Missouri primary that’s garnering national attention is the race for the Democratic nomination in the St. Louis-area 1st Congressional District, where Rep. Cori Bush, part of a so-called “Squad” of diverse progressives, faces a challenge from St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. More than $15 million in outside funding has gone into that primary.
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A key issue in the campaign is Bush’s criticism of Israel’s handling of the war against Hamas in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Congressman Cori Bush (Paul Morigi/Getty Images via Communications Workers of America)
Meanwhile, in the Republican race to replace term-limited Republican Governor Mike Parson, Trump has endorsed three of the nine candidates in the primary: Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe and Air Force veteran and state senator Bill Eigel.
In Kansas, Democrats and Republicans are holding primaries in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers much of the eastern state, including parts of the Kansas City metropolitan area, to replace retiring Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner.
In the overwhelmingly urban 3rd District, two Republicans are vying to challenge three-term Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation.
In Washington state, Democratic Rep. Marie Grusenkamp Perez is seeking re-election to a second term in a district that flipped to Democrat status two years ago. Perez will face voters in a bipartisan primary that also includes Republican Rep. Joe Kent, a Trump supporter whom Perez defeated in 2022. The top two vote-getters in the Washington primary will face off in November.
There are also primaries underway to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
About 30 candidates are vying to succeed three-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.
Get the latest 2024 campaign updates, exclusive interviews and more on Fox News Digital’s Election Hub.
