Highlights from primaries
• Eyes on Florida: State Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist, will win the Democratic Senate primary over Alex Vindman and advance to face GOP Sen. Ashley Moody in November, CNN projects. In the race to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Byron Donalds is projected to win the GOP nomination, and he will face Democrat David Jolly.
• Key House races: Rep. Cory Mills, who faced a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations including sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations and misuse of congressional resources, will lose his GOP primary in Florida’s 7th District. On the Democratic side, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is projected to win the nomination for the redrawn 20th District that was represented by Black lawmakers for more than 30 years and Rep. Jared Moskowitz will beat a democratic socialist in the 25th District.
• In Wyoming: CNN projects State Sen. Eric Barlow will win the GOP primary for governor, defeating President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate.
Our live coverage of tonight’s primaries has concluded. Please scroll through the posts below to learn about all the developments. You can also read our takeaways here.
Donalds brushes off concerns about the size of victory in GOP gubernatorial primary
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds said he is not concerned that he fell short of gaining 50% support among Republican voters after CNN projected that he will win the GOP gubernatorial primary to advance to the November election.
Donalds’ projected win was the climax in a bitter fight to succeed outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis, who refused to endorse Donalds and spent months both publicly and privately arguing the congressman was unfit to replace him despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Megan Degenfelder is 5th Trump-backed governor candidate to lose a primary this cycle
In another setback for President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidates, Megan Degenfelder will lose Wyoming’s Republican gubernatorial election, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Her defeat comes after Trump’s picks for governor in Georgia, Iowa, and Minnesota also fell short in their primaries earlier this cycle. In South Carolina, the candidate he initially backed for governor lost steam ahead of a runoff, leading the president to also endorse her opponent and the eventual winner.
This is the third loss for a Trump-backed candidate tonight, after his picks in two Florida congressional races — Rep. Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf — also lost primaries.
Eric Barlow will defeat Trump-backed rival in GOP primary for Wyoming governor, CNN projects
State Sen. Eric Barlow will win the Republican primary for governor in Wyoming, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, defeating President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate in the race.
Barlow served five terms in the Statehouse, including two years as speaker, before he was elected to the state Senate. He is a Marine veteran and works as a veterinarian and rancher.
His campaign priorities include advancing Wyoming energy independence, rural health access and water infrastructure.
Barlow’s defeat of Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder marks the latest loss for a gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Trump, after voters snubbed his endorsements in several states earlier this year.
The state legislator will face Democrat Ken Casner in November’s general election for the open seat.
Democrats see a path to a Senate majority through Alaska
Polls won’t close in Alaska until 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday, but Democrats believe former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola could bring them one step closer to their goal of controlling the Senate in 2027.
Peltola, a one-and-a-half term former congresswoman, was considering a run for governor but was urged by national Democrats to enter the Senate race as they build their path to the majority, pouring millions into their bet that Peltola can defeat incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Despite last electing a Democrat to the Senate in 2008, Alaska has always had an independent streak. Democrats this year see their best path since former Sen. Mark Begich’s triumph to flip the seat — in large part because of the souring environment over President Donald Trump’s job performance and rising costs for voters, particularly over healthcare.
To retake the Senate, Democrats must secure a net gain of at least four seats in November.
“Our campaign knew that we were going to win,” Angie Nixon says
State Rep. Angie Nixon told CNN’s Laura Coates tonight she was confident in her win tonight in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary.
The democratic socialist defeated Alex Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served on the National Security Council and was a key witness in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.
She told Coates that her campaign appealed to those Florida voters who are upset because Trump and Nixon’s opponent, GOP Sen. Ashley Moody, are focused on making the rich richer, while “everyday people are working harder than ever and still struggling just to stay afloat.”
Nixon ended with a message to her opponent, “So I look forward, Ashley Moody, to taking you on and to whooping you in November, and you will be calling me your senator.”
The post was updated with more from Nixon’s interview on CNN.
It's 11 p.m. ET and polls are closing in California's special election
Two Democrats are facing off to serve the rest of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term in California’s 14th Congressional District. The polls are now closed.
Progressive state Sen. Aisha Wahab finished first in the June special election with about 43% of the vote. That was well ahead of Melissa Hernandez, a former mayor of Dublin, California, who now chairs the board of Bay Area Rapid Transit, who won 17%.
Technically that regular primary was on a different map, but the 14th District changed only very slightly in redistricting.
While those results would make Wahab the heavy favorite to replace Swalwell, in recent weeks groups aligned with AIPAC have jumped into the race, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to attack Wahab and boost Hernandez.
James Byrd will win Democratic nomination for Senate in Wyoming, CNN projects
Former state Rep. James Byrd will win the Democratic nomination for Senate in Wyoming, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Byrd served in the Statehouse for a decade, including several years as the chamber’s minority whip and minority caucus leader. He represented the same seat as his mother, Harriet Byrd, who was the first Black woman to serve in the Wyoming Legislature.
After leaving the Legislature in 2019, James Byrd planned to retire from politics but said he felt driven to run for outgoing GOP Sen. Cynthia Loomis’ seat to protect Wyoming’s public lands.
As a Wyoming native, Byrd focused his campaign platform on strengthening energy independence, improving rural education and expanding support services for veterans.
He faces an uphill battle in November’s general election. The state has not elected a Democrat to serve as a US senator since Gale McGee in 1970.
Rep. Harriet Hageman will win GOP nomination for Senate in Wyoming, CNN projects
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman will win the Republican nomination for the Senate in Wyoming, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Wyoming’s lone US representative, Hageman is best known for defeating former Rep. Liz Cheney by a wide margin in the 2022 Republican primary after Cheney lost support over her opposition to President Donald Trump.
Hageman secured Trump’s endorsement in the Senate race after GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced in December that she would not seek a second term.
On the campaign trail, she leaned heavily on her work as a natural resources lawyer and on related House panels, vowing to “defend Wyoming’s ability to access, manage and use our natural resources to fuel our economy.”
Hageman will be the favorite heading into November’s general election. Wyoming last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 1970.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz says projected win shows “people want to see a change"
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz says his projected win tonight in Florida’s 25th District shows that “people want to see a change.”
He went on to criticize democratic socialism, saying that it’s “not what the American people want.”
His primary opponent was democratic socialist Oliver Larkin.
Moskowitz represents Florida’s 23rd District but elected to run in the new 25th after the state-approved a new map amid a rush of mid-decade redistricting around the country.
Looking forward to November, Moskowitz said that he’s going to focus on his record as a congressman.
“I have a proven record of working across the aisle which I’ve brought to Washington,” Moskowitz said. “And so what I’m going to say to the residents of 25 … Let’s reject the extremes of the left and the right and let’s work together and bring the change that Americans want, which is to lower costs for the American people.”
"It's going to be more of a race," Republican ally of Byron Donalds tells CNN
Rep. Byron Donalds had major advantages in his GOP primary for Florida governor. President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Tons of money. And a divided field of rivals who strained to get traction.
So why didn’t he eclipse 50% of the vote tonight? With 98% of the vote counted, Donalds has 47.8% of the ballots.
It’s something his campaign needs to study, one Republican fundraiser told CNN.
Just a few weeks ago, Rep. Andy Biggs, another Trump-backed MAGA stalwart, sailed to the GOP nomination for Arizona governor with about 74% the vote. Few expected Donalds to match that total Tuesday. Still, the final result made for a primary night that gave Donalds supporters little to sweat about but nevertheless made some people uneasy.
“It’s going to be more of a race, at least at the start, then most people wanted to believe a few months ago,” another longtime GOP operative in the state said not long after the confetti fell at Donalds’ election night watch party.
Donalds will face David Jolly in November. Jolly was previously a Republican but left the party in 2018 and registered as a Democrat to run in the gubernatorial race. He faced limited opposition in the Democratic primary.
Here's a look at who is running in Alaska's crowded governor’s race
We won’t know the results for many more hours, but 17 candidates are running in the all-party primary for Alaska’s open governorship.
The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election, where Alaskans will decide their next leader by ranked choice voting.
Polls will close at 1 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Here’s what to know about the major candidates:
- Tom Begich: A member of one of Alaska’s most famous political families and a former member of the state Senate, the Democrat has focused his campaign on affordability issues and his record of working across the aisle in the state legislature.
- Click Bishop: A former member of the Alaska Senate, the Republican served in the state legislature for over a decade. According to his website, Bishop’s priorities include lowering energy costs, increasing education investment and supporting Alaska’s fishing industry. He has the endorsements of over a dozen Alaskan labor unions.
- Dave Bronson: Bronson, a Republican, served as mayor of Anchorage, the state’s largest city, from 2021 to 2024. He is a veteran of the Air Force and National Guard. On the campaign trail, Bronson highlighted his support for voter ID legislation, a major issue Trump has been advocating for with the “SAVE America Act.”
- Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins: Known by the nickname “JKT,” the Democratic former state representative is focusing his platform on healthcare access, data center and AI regulation, and funding public schools. Kreiss-Tomkins’ campaign has led fundraising in the primary.
- Bill Walker: The independent served as Alaska’s governor before Republican Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited. Walker has focused his comeback bid on building the Alaska gas pipeline — a multimillion-dollar project that is currently stalled — as well as lowering energy and fuel costs.
- Bernadette Wilson: A conservative activist and owner of a waste management company, Wilson is running as a political outsider. Wilson has vowed to drop out of the race if she isn’t the top Republican vote-getter in the primary and encouraged other GOP candidates to commit to doing the same.
Rep. Cory Mills is the 11th House member to lose a primary this year
Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida will be the latest House member to lose renomination this election cycle, CNN’s Decision Desk projected.
Mills lost to former news anchor Ryan Elijah in the state’s 7th Congressional District, which runs from outside Orlando to near Daytona Beach and leans Republican.
He is the 11th House member to lose a primary this year, the most in a non-decennial redistricting year since 1948, according to data from the Brookings Institution. That count doesn’t include former Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, who dropped out of the race amid scandals ahead of a primary runoff.
Mills, a two-term congressman and Army combat veteran, has frequently been at the center of scandal. He faces a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
While Mills has denied wrongdoing, he faced calls for his resignation on both sides of the aisle and struggled with lackluster campaign fundraising, despite being endorsed by President Donald Trump.
He serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Armed Services Committee.
State Rep. Angie Nixon celebrates her projected Florida Democratic Senate primary win
State Rep. Angie Nixon celebrated her projected victory tonight in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary and declared she was looking forward to November, when she will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.
The democratic socialist went on to say that “the great thing about our movement is we are not trying to force anyone to agree with us and believe exactly the same thing.”
“What makes our movement great is that we all share the same ultimate dream: A Florida where working families can thrive,” she said.
Vindman failed to convert cash edge
Alex Vindman’s defeat in Florida’s Democratic US Senate primary came despite an immense financial advantage that was not fully utilized.
He outraised his opponent, state Rep. Angie Nixon, by about $16 million to $1 million, and had more than $7 million in the bank as of his last pre-primary fundraising report.
Meanwhile, Vindman’s campaign spent just $2.2 million total on advertising ahead of the vote, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, compared to under $60,000 in advertising spending from Nixon’s campaign.
The totals suggest Vindman was looking past Nixon in the primary, and hoarding cash for a potentially costly general election campaign. But the misallocation of resources proved costlier, setting the stage for the upset by the 42-year old democratic socialist state legislator.
Vindman joins a list of candidates who lost their races with significant resources to spare.
Sara Gideon, the 2020 Democratic nominee for US Senate in Maine who lost to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, infamously finished with nearly $15 million left in her campaign account. And Amy McGrath, the party’s unsuccessful nominee against Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell the same year, also drew complaints when she had over $3 million left after raising more than $90 million for her long-shot bid.
Fishback said he congratulated Donalds on winning GOP nomination for Florida governor
Conservative influencer James Fishback said he called Byron Donalds to congratulate him on winning the Republican nomination for Florida’s governor.
Fishback said his campaign won 10 times more votes than the dollars it raised.
“This campaign from the beginning has not been about AIPAC, it’s been about impact here in Florida,” he added.
“The movement that we started here in Tampa in November does not end tonight. We merely pick up the pen and write the next chapter,” Fishback said. “Until we put America first at the front and center of our movement, we may concede tonight but we will not concede this fight.”
Some context: The 31-year-old commentator gained national attention despite a troubling legal history and limited financial support. Fishback had called Donalds, who is Black, a “slave to his donors” and a “DEI Republican” who would “turn Florida into a Section 8 ghetto.” He also attracted praise from influential right-wing personalities such as Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes.
A recap of the primary election action in Florida so far tonight
Results are pouring in from Florida’s primary elections tonight and polls just closed in Wyoming where we are watching several other key races.
If you’re just joining us here’s a recap of what happened so far, according to CNN’s Decision Desk:
- Rep. Byron Donalds will win the Republican nomination for governor in Florida. Despite not having outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ backing, he was endorsed by President Donald Trump and much of the state’s GOP establishment.
- Challenging Donalds will be former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida. He faced limited opposition in the primary as the state has shifted to the right in the last decade.
- In the race to finish out Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s term, Sen. Ashley Moody wants to keep doing the job. She will have to beat state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist, in November.
Florida’s new congressional map shook up several House races:
- A match up has been set in Florida’s 7th District. Navy veteran and former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton, a Democrat, will take on Republican Ryan Elijah, who defeated Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Cory Mills.
- Former state Rep. Mike Beltran will win the GOP primary in Florida’s redrawn 14th District. Republicans are looking to flip this seat in the general election.
- Jim Schwartzel will defeat a Trump-backed rival in Florida’s 19th District. Unlike many of the candidates in the crowded race, the political newcomer is a native of Southwest Florida.
- In the majority-Black 20th District, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will win the Democratic nomination. She will be favored to win in November.
- Educator Pia Dandiya will win the Democratic primary in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District as the party seeks to defend the newly redrawn seat. She will face Marine veteran and Republican businessman Casey Askar.
- Rep. Jared Moskowitz will win the Democratic primary in Florida’s 25th District, beating democratic socialist Oliver Larkin. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer will be the Republican nominee as the GOP vie to flip the newly redrawn seat.
CNN’s David Wright, Jack Clifton, Morgan Leason, Dejania Oliver, Abigail Hatting, Isa Mudannayake, August Phillips and Katie Doran contributed reporting to this post.
Sen. Moody celebrates Florida GOP primary win
Florida Sen. Ashley Moody, who CNN projected will win the state’s special Republican Senate primary, told supporters that she’s embraced the opportunity to serve Floridians since being appointed to the chamber last year.
“While I didn’t expect this to be the next chapter in my life…not a day goes by that I don’t embrace the challenge as an opportunity to use my experience and training to serve Floridians,” Moody said, thanking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for appointing her to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s seat.
Moody touted her track record of supporting MAGA-aligned policies, including fighting back against Covid-19 restrictions restrictions as Florida attorney general and supporting the “SAVE America Act” to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
She also attacked her general election opponent, democratic socialist state Rep. Angie Nixon, saying a Nixon win would be destabilizing for the country.
“Now is not the time to stay home, because in 77 days, if the crazies get in office, they will drive this country off a cliff while laughing and telling us that America deserved it,” Moody said.
Vindman calls on Democrats to rally behind Nixon
Alex Vindman, the retired US colonel who lost today’s Florida Democratic Senate primary to state Rep. Angie Nixon, praised his opponent’s campaign and asked Democrats to rally behind her in a statement.
Vindman, a Jewish refugee who went on to serve as a National Security Council aide and star witness during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, also reflected on his own journey.
“Who would’ve ever thought that a Jewish refugee would make it to the U.S. Army, to the White House, and to becoming a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Only in America is that possible,” the statement read. “I still believe in the American Dream, because I’ve lived it. It’s worth fighting for.”
Trump-backed Lauf says she's "not going anywhere" after Florida primary defeat
Catalina Lauf, the Trump-backed candidate who lost in the Republican primary in Florida’s 19th District, promised that “we’ll be back” in her concession speech at a watch party in Naples, Florida.
Lauf, a former US Commerce official, was defeated by Jim Schwartzel, the president of Sun Broadcasting, CNN’s Decision Desk projected. President Donald Trump had endorsed Lauf in the final stretch of the race.
Lauf congratulated Schwartzel and said she had already called him.
