The final state and congressional primaries of the year concluded Tuesday, with one gubernatorial and future congressional candidate set to make history.
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (RN.H.) and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig (D) won their party's nominations for New Hampshire's first gubernatorial seat in eight years, while a former Biden administration official fended off controversy over his finances to win a primary for the open House seat representing the state.
And Delaware Sen. Sarah McBride (Democrat) handily won the primary for her state's only House seat and will likely become the first openly transgender member of Congress next year.
Here are five takeaways from the final round of primary elections on Tuesday.
New Hampshire gubernatorial race set for a fierce battle
One of the few closely fought gubernatorial races this year was decided on Tuesday, when Ayotte and Craig won their respective primaries in a race expected to be closely fought in a state that is dominated by Democrats at the federal level but has been led by Republican Chris Sununu for the past eight years.
Because New Hampshire is one of only two states in the nation that elects its governor every two years, Governor Sununu decided not to seek a fifth two-year term.
Ayotte won the Republican primary by handily defeating former New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse. She has the endorsement of Sununu and has vowed to carry on the outgoing governor's legacy if elected.
Ayotte, who represented the state in the Senate for one term before losing reelection in 2016, kept her distance from former President Trump when he first ran for president, but supported him this year, along with Sununu.
Craig, meanwhile, narrowly defeated New Hampshire Executive Council Member Cindy Warmington in the race after receiving support from New England Democrats including New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
Former Biden official survives tough primary campaign
Maggie Goodlander, a former Justice Department official in the Biden administration, won a tight primary race for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Rep. Annie Custer (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle).
Goodlander defeated former State Executive Councilman Collin Van Ostern (D) of Kuster. The chosen successorGoodlander ran for the nomination to represent New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District in a race that highlighted tensions within the party, with Hillary Clinton and the abortion rights group EMILY's List endorsing Goodlander and Castor endorsing Van Ostern.
Goodlander, who is married to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, faced some controversy surrounding her candidacy ahead of the primary.
Van Ostern has released ads attacking Goodlander on abortion, and Kuster himself has questioned Goodlander's commitment to reproductive rights. Claimed Goodlander's past donations to several Republicans undermine her credibility on this issue.
Questions also swirl around Goodlander's personal financial disclosure form, which lists several assets easily identifiable as “unvested,” casting doubt on the actual value of her holdings, including checking accounts, retirement accounts, investment accounts, cash bonds, and multiple real estate properties.
In response to questions from The Hill, a campaign spokesman suggested the disclosure would be revised.
But despite the controversy, Goodlander managed to win relatively easily and is in a strong position to win the general election in a district that Decision Desk HQ considers “likely to be won by a Democrat.”
McBride is ready to make history.
Sarah McBride has already broken several barriers as the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention when she attended the Democratic National Convention in 2016, and as the first openly transgender state senator in the United States.
And now she looks set to make history again on Tuesday, winning the Democratic nomination for Delaware's statewide House seat.
McBride was initially opposed by two major candidates for the nomination, but both dropped out and endorsed her as she solidified her support, making her the favorite to win the House in the overwhelmingly Democratic state.
McBride's candidacy comes as transgender issues have come to the forefront of national politics and many states have passed laws restricting certain rights. About half of all states have laws restricting certain rights. Passed According to the Movement Advancement Project, there are laws banning gender-reassignment care for minors and banning transgender students from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity.
Delaware governor wins mayoral primary
An unusual Democratic primary election was held to decide the next mayor of Wilmington, and outgoing Delaware Governor John Carney (Democrat) won the nomination, making him virtually certain to become mayor next year.
Carney is completing his second term as governor and is not permitted to seek a third, making the relatively unusual decision to run for a lower-level office to lead the state's largest city.
Carney defeated former state Treasurer Verda Jones-Potter for the nomination to replace incumbent Mayor Mike Purzycki, a Democrat who decided not to run for a third term. With no Republican running for mayor, Carney will not face organized opposition in November's election.
Carney said he learned during his time in office that for the state to succeed, Wilmington must thrive as a “cultural center, a business center,” and that this inspired him to run for governor.
The primary elections are over
After months of primaries at the presidential, congressional and state levels, all primaries for 2024 are now concluded. General election showdowns that will determine which party will hold power in the presidency, House of Representatives, Senate and states are scheduled for November.
The primary elections also exposed rifts between the parties, with some voters casting protest ballots to signal their dissatisfaction with Trump and Biden during the presidential primaries, including one who ultimately dropped out of the race.
Several incumbents have also been forced out of office over personal or ideological differences, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-VA), who supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in a closely contested primary before losing to a Trump-backed candidate.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-New York) and Cori Bush (D-Missouri) faced criticism over their stance on Israel's war with Hamas and lost their primary elections to their opponents.
It remains to be seen how much each party will unite behind their respective candidates in November.
But one thing is clear: the coming months will be hectic and likely unpredictable.
