Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is seeking a fourth term, is set to face Bernie Moreno in November after CNN projected the Cleveland businessman's victory in the state's Republican primary. Donald Trump had endorsed Moreno, and the primary was this year’s first test of the former president's clout in a contested Senate race.
It was the key race to watch Tuesday night as President Joe Biden and Trump continued to pick up delegates in their respective presidential primaries in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio. Trump also won Florida's GOP presidential primary. The candidates had already secured last week the threshold of delegates needed to clinch their party nominations.
Here's a recap of what happened Tuesday in House primary contests, some of which could help decide the balance of power in Congress:
Ohio:
- 9th District: Trump-backed Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin will win the Republican nomination, CNN projects, setting up what is likely to be a highly competitive general election against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
- 6th District: Michael Rulli will win the Republican primaries for the regular election and the special election, CNN projects. He will be the heavy favorite against Democrat Michael Kripchak in both the June 11 special election and the November general election. Republicans are eager to fill the seat given their narrow margin in the chamber, which has at times made it difficult to advance legislative priorities.
- Ohio's 13th District: Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes will face off against former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin. Sykes, a former minority leader in the Ohio House, was unopposed in her primary while Coughlin, who had the backing of Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, easily won a three-way GOP contest. Read about other Ohio down-ballot races here and here.
California:
- 20th District: Trump-backed Republican state Assemblyman Vince Fong will advance to the special general election for the seat vacated by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, CNN projects. A majority of the vote was needed to avoid a second round on May 21. The second spot in the special general election for the San Joaquin Valley seat is too early to call. Under California's election system, all candidates in the special election, regardless of party, ran on the same ballot.
Illinois:
- 7th District: Longtime Democratic Rep. Danny Davis will win his primary, CNN projects, fending off four challengers in his bid for a 15th term in this deep-blue seat in the Chicago area.
- 17th District: Retired judge Joe McGraw will win the Republican nomination, CNN projects, advancing to take on Democratic incumbent Eric Sorensen in a seat the GOP is targeting this fall.
- 12th District: The competitive Republican primary between incumbent Mike Bost and former state Sen. Darren Bailey for a conservative southern Illinois seat remained too early to call just after midnight Wednesday. Read about the state's other down-ballot races here.