Temperatures have cooled, a new school year has started and the national political spotlight is trained Tuesday on the first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump — but there are still states holding primaries. Voters in Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island will cast their ballots in a slate of primary races Tuesday, the last ones of the 2024 election cycle.
By Washington Post staff
and Delaware at-large congressional primary
Delaware state senator Sarah McBride is projected to win the Democratic primary for the state’s at-large congressional seat, according to the Associated Press, defeating two other candidates and setting her on a course to become the first openly transgender member of Congress in U.S. history. McBride is favored to win the general election — Biden won his home state in 2020 by nearly 19 percentage points — to succeed Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D), who is running for Senate.
President Joe Biden won his home state of Delaware in 2020 by nearly 19 percentage points, and the winner of the Democratic primary is favored to win the general election to fill the seat of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D). Rochester announced last year she would run for Senate after Sen. Tom Carper (D) announced he would not seek reelection to a fifth term.
Former police officer John Whalen III is projected to win the Republican primary for Delaware’s at-large congressional seat, according to the Associated Press.
Delaware gubernatorial primary
New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer is projected to win the Democratic primary for Delaware governor, according to the Associated Press, upsetting Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, who had been dogged by a recent investigation into inconsistencies in her past campaign finance reports. Meyer will advance to the general election, where he is heavily favored to win and succeed Gov. John Carney (D), who was term-limited from running again.
State House Rep. Mike Ramone won the GOP nomination, the AP reported.
New Hampshire gubernatorial primaries
Former U.S. senator Kelly Ayotte is projected to win the Republican primary for governor in New Hampshire, according to the Associated Press, defeating a crowded field of candidates that had jumped into the race after incumbent Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced last year he would not seek reelection.
Three candidates are running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary: former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig, small business owner Jonathan Kiper and lawyer and New Hampshire Executive Council member Cinde Warmington.
Though Biden won the state by more than seven percentage points in 2020, the governor’s race is seen as a toss-up. Sununu, a Republican, has served in office since 2017
Former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig is projected to win the Democratic primary, according to the AP. Craig will advance to November’s general election for an office that is expected to stay in Republican hands.
New Hampshire 1st Congressional District primary
Incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas (D) was projected to prevail over a little-known challenger in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. The 1st district covers the southeastern portion of the state, including its largest city, Manchester. Pappas was first elected in 2018 and is seeking his fourth term in Congress. Rondeau ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020 and 2022.
The AP projected Russell Prescott as the winner of the GOP primary.
New Hampshire 2nd Congressional District primary
Maggie Goodlander is projected to win the Democratic primary for New Hampshire’s 2nd district, according to the Associated Press, defeating Colin Van Ostern, a former member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, in an unusually expensive race. Goodlander, a lawyer who previously served in the Justice Department as an assistant attorney general, is married to Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser. Though she and Van Ostern were ideologically similar, their race became a contentious one focused heavily on the fight for reproductive rights and the sources of the millions of dollars poured into boosting both of their candidacies.
Goodlander is favored to win the general election to succeed Rep. Annie Kuster (D), who announced earlier this year she would retire after six terms in Congress. The district covers much of the northern and western parts of the state, including the capital of Concord.
The district covers much of the northern and western parts of the state, including the capital, Concord. The winner of the Democratic primary is favored to win the general election; Biden won the district by more than eight percentage points in 2020.
More than a dozen candidates are running in the GOP primary for New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District. The winner of the Republican primary will go on to face the winner of a contentious Democratic primary in the general election, which the Democrat is favored to win.
Lily Williams is projected to win the Republican primary for New Hampshire’s 2nd congressional district, according to the Associated Press.
Rhode Island Senate primary
Incumbent Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is projected to win the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Rhode Island, according to the Associated Press, defeating little-known challenger Michael Costa, an engineer. Whitehouse was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and is favored to win the general election in November. He will face Patricia Morgan, the Republican projected by the AP to win the primary.
Democrats are favored to hang on to the seat in the general election in November. Biden won the state handily in 2020, defeating Donald Trump by more than 20 percentage points.
