Voters in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico went to the polls on Tuesday to nominate candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats ahead of the fall midterms.
Polls closed in New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa and New Mexico. Some results were called by the Associated Press, including Democrat Rebecca Bennett winning the primary in New Jersey's competitive 7th Congressional District and Republican Ashley Hinson securing the Senate nomination in Iowa. In California the focus was on the open governor's race after prominent Democrats declined to run. Candidates advancing under the state's top-two system were expected to include Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer along with Republican Steve Hilton. Polls closed at 8 p.m. local time but slow vote counting meant outcomes might not be known immediately. Iowa Republicans also chose a gubernatorial nominee in an open race, with Rep. Randy Feenstra the only candidate endorsed by President Trump. Democrats selected between state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls for the Senate contest against Hinson.