Key election races we're watching
• Mamdani’s influence: New York’s primaries today will test just how influential Mayor Zohran Mamdani is with voters six months into his tenure and offer a preview of the ideological battles to come as Democrats look ahead to the 2028 presidential primary.
• Running in NYC: Former New York City mayoral candidate and city comptroller Brad Lander faces off against Rep. Dan Goldman for the state’s 10th Congressional District, while NY-12’s race is a crowded field with notable names, including Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg and George Conway.
• In other states: President Donald Trump has hedged his bets in South Carolina by endorsing both of the Republican candidates for governor who are facing a GOP runoff. In Maryland, more than 20 candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer.
It's 7 p.m. ET and polls are closing in South Carolina
Voters in South Carolina went back to the polls today for some high-profile runoff races. It is 7 p.m. ET and voting is ending.
But with momentum appearing to shift toward Wilson and several of the eliminated candidates coalescing around his campaign, Trump added an endorsement of Wilson on Friday as well.
While South Carolina voters don’t register by party, voters who voted in the Democratic primary in the first round can’t vote in the Republican runoff and vice versa.
Outside groups spent heavily in Democratic primary for Manhattan-area House seat
The Democratic primary in New York’s 12th District emerged as one of the most expensive and scrutinized nominating contests in the country this primary season, drawing in rival AI labs and a billionaire former mayor.
The presence of Assemblymember Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee who made his efforts to regulate artificial intelligence central to his campaign, turned the race into a lightning rod. Outside groups funded by the industry flooded the race, both supporting and opposing him.
Leading The Future, a pro-AI super PAC funded by OpenAI president Greg Brockman and the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, made Bores one of its first targets, spending more than $3 million on an ad campaign against him. But that galvanized Bores supporters, including a constellation of PACs funded by rival lab Anthropic and several AI safety advocates, which combined to spend more than $9 million on pro-Bores advertising, according to AdImpact data.
Driving the totals even higher, billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg threw his support behind Assemblymember Micah Lasher, one of Bores’ top rivals, funding $8 million worth of pro-Lasher advertising.
And with John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg and former Republican lawyer George Conway adding additional star power and fundraising prowess to the contest, the race for the Democratic nomination in the Manhattan district ended up ranking as the second-most expensive primary of the 2026 cycle so far, totaling more than $26 million in ad spending.
Trump has hedged his bets in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoff
President Donald Trump did something rather transparent on Friday.
Facing the prospect of one of his endorsed candidates for governor losing a primary for the third time this month, Trump decided to just endorse the other remaining candidate, too.
Despite having Trump’s endorsement, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette only narrowly led state Attorney General Alan Wilson in the primary two weeks ago, 29%-26%. Wilson is considered a real threat to beat her today, and now Trump has backed him as well.
Trump has played games like this with his endorsements before. He endorsed “Eric” in the 2022 Missouri Senate primary, when two top candidates shared that name. (One of them is now-Sen. Eric Schmitt.) And last year, he endorsed business executive Karrin Taylor Robson but then also endorsed Rep. Andy Biggs when Biggs later joined the race. (Robson later dropped out.)
Trump’s second endorsement means he’ll be able to claim he endorsed whoever wins. But if Wilson wins by a decent margin, it’ll be pretty clear Trump was covering his backside — and that his endorsement of Evette failed, just like his endorsement of Rep. Randy Feenstra did in Iowa and just like his backing of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones did in Georgia last week.
Jeffries says he and Mamdani “have agreed to strongly disagree” on NY primary races
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted he and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani are not on opposite pages, even as the pair of prominent Democrats are backing different candidates in a set of New York primary contests being held today.
The Democratic leader, who represents large chunks of Brooklyn, continued: “So, with respect to races where he may have endorsed a different candidate, we have agreed to strongly disagree and we put it into the hands of the people in New York to decide what’s the best path forward.”
In a pair of New York contests today, Jeffries and the democratic socialist mayor have endorsed different Democrats.
The contests, among others in New York, have generated national interest in part because they’re seen as tests of Mamdani’s influence in the Empire State. Still, Jeffries told Raju that, ultimately, the House Democratic caucus won’t be reshaped by tonight’s results.
Asked if Mamdani was making a mistake by shifting the caucus so sharply to the left, Jeffries replied that was a question for Mamdani.
“As House Democrats, we have been very clear,” Jeffries said. “What brings us together is a focus on driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken health care system and cleaning up corruption.”
A billionaire takes on a multimillionaire in an expensive Democratic House primary
The battle between Rep. April McClain Delaney and former Rep. David Trone for the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s 6th District quietly ranks as one of the fiercest and costliest nominating contests in the country.
David Trone, the co-founder of the Total Wine & More retail franchise, has a net worth estimated in the billions; McClain Delaney, a Democratic lawyer and the wife of former 6th District congressman and long-shot 2020 presidential candidate John Delaney, is a multimillionaire herself.
Both have aggressively deployed their personal wealth in the race – Trone loaning his campaign $25 million and Delaney putting more than $7 million into her bid.
That’s driven ad spending for the safe Democratic seat past $20 million, blitzing voters’ screens across the district that stretches from the northwestern tip of the state down to the Washington, DC, suburbs.
The clash represents a bitter crescendo after years of amicable coexistence between the ultrawealthy Maryland politicians, whose families have traded the seat back and forth for over a decade.
John Delaney represented the district from 2013 to 2019; he was succeeded by Trone, who opted not to run for reelection in 2024 as he mounted an unsuccessful US Senate bid; McClain Delaney took over from Trone in 2025 and is now seeking reelection to a second term.
And at a time when affordability concerns are paramount, the intensifying battle between two ultrawealthy Democrats is a discordant note for a party looking to reconnect with middle- and lower-income voters.
Brad Lander calls for stop to "toxic" online rhetoric against opponent, Dan Goldman
Brad Lander pushed back against “over-the-top toxic” online rhetoric against Dan Goldman, his opponent in New York’s 10th Congressional District Democratic primary, calling for “people to turn it down.”
“Over the last few days, the online rhetoric targeting Dan Goldman & his staff have been over-the-top toxic, from right & left & who knows where. I’m pleading with people to turn it down,” Lander said in a post on X.
It comes after a Brooklyn coffee shop apparently banned Goldman with a viral social media post amid the heated Democratic primary that has focused heavily on the politics of the Israel-Gaza war. The issue has been punctuated by both candidates’ Jewish faith and underscoring party divisions on the issue.
Lander sharply criticized Goldman for his stance on the war in Gaza, attacking the incumbent’s refusal to issue a stronger condemnation of Israel’s military actions.
Lander, a former NYC comptroller and one of Zohran Mamdani’s primary opponents in the 2025 mayoral race, has aligned himself with the progressive wing of the party and secured an endorsement from the mayor.
CNN’s David Wright contributed reporting to this post.
Today's primaries include some of the most expensive this cycle
Three Democratic primaries held today rank among the most expensive House races of the 2026 cycle so far — despite being non-factors in the battle for control of the chamber this fall.
In New York’s 12th District, outside groups funded by the artificial intelligence industry have flooded the contest, battling over Assemblymember Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee, who has made AI regulations a centerpiece of his campaign.
Assemblymember Micah Lasher, meanwhile, is backed by the billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and other big names, including Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, and George Conway, the former Republican lawyer and outspoken Trump critic, have drawn even more attention to the race.
In Maryland’s 6th District, billionaire David Trone is looking to return to his former seat, which is currently held by Rep. April McClain Delaney, herself a multimillionaire. With both candidates leveraging their personal fortunes to self-fund their campaigns, ad spending has rocketed upward here, too.
And the Democratic primary in Maryland’s 5th District is another costly, crowded affair. State Del. Adrian Boafo is looking to succeed his former boss, outgoing Rep. Steny Hoyer, with the veteran Democrat’s backing and more than $8 million worth of outside spending support.
That includes nearly $5 million from the super PAC arm of AIPAC, a source of blowback in the contest amid sharp divisions among Democrats over US-Israel relations.
The New York primary to fill Nadler's shoes is an early test for AI
The Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District is not only a race to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler after 17 terms in Washington. It’s also an early test of the political potency of artificial intelligence.
Alex Bores, a computer scientist and New York assemblyman who has led the charge in Albany to rein in the industry, is at the center of a multi-million dollar political tug-of-war over AI. His work for Palantir, the tech company, has made him a target in the race.
As he talked with voters heading into an Upper West Side polling place today, he said he believes his primary campaign offers an early glimpse into the political spending to come by the industry.
Nadler has been in office since Bores, 35, was a baby. Bores said it’s a moment to turn the page.
Over 20 Democratic candidates are vying to succeed Steny Hoyer in Maryland’s 5th District
Outgoing Rep. Steny Hoyer, who has represented Maryland’s 5th Congressional District since 1981, has more than 20 Democratic candidates vying to be his successor.
Here’s a look at some of the frontrunners:
- Adrian Boafo: A member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Boafo previously worked for Hoyer and won his endorsement, along with that of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks. He has faced criticism over an influx of outside spending by the pro-Israel lobby and crypto industry on his campaign’s behalf – including from Maryland’s other US senator, Chris Van Hollen. Boafo says he is against big money in politics and highlights his campaign’s focus on addressing affordability concerns and raising the minimum wage.
- Quincy Bareebe: The candidate, who was born in Uganda and immigrated to the United States, tells the story of starting out as a dishwasher at KFC and charting her path to becoming the CEO of Royal Home Care, a home healthcare business. Bareebe challenged Hoyer in 2024 but lost to him in the primary. Her campaign issues include increasing healthcare coverage, supporting investment into affordable housing and lowering prescription drug costs.
- Harry Dunn: The former US Capitol Police officer was on duty during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and became one of the most prominent and outspoken figures in the aftermath. This is not his first run for Congress. He previously ran for Maryland’s 3rd District in 2024 and lost in the primary to Rep. Sarah Elfreth. He is campaigning on issues like affordable childcare, defending reproductive rights and opposing efforts to expand ICE detention centers across Maryland.
- Rushern Baker III: A former US Army JAG Corps captain turned civil rights attorney, Baker served as Prince George’s County executive for two terms between 2010 and 2018. He is campaigning on holding President Donald Trump accountable, making housing more affordable and lowering costs of prescription drugs among others. He ran unsuccessfully for Maryland governor in 2018 and 2022.
Here's when polls close in tonight's primaries
Primary season continues to roll today, when voters in several states will head to the polls for primary contests for Senate, US House and governor.
In the first round of voting on June 9, the first votes were reported about 20 minutes after polls closed. Less than 20% was reported in the first hour, but 80% of the vote was in by 10 p.m. ET and the state was virtually done reporting by midnight.
In November 2024, the first votes were reported about an hour and 20 minutes after polls closed. 50% of the vote was in at the first drop of ballots, and about 80% of the vote was in just before midnight.
The first votes were reported about 5 minutes after polls closed in November 2024. 50% of the vote was in before 10 p.m. ET, and 90% of the vote was counted just before midnight.
About half the vote was in around 12:30 a.m., but 90% wasn’t in until a week after Election Day. It may not take quite as long for the first votes to be reported tonight, and there should be fewer ballots left to count because, unlike in previous years, all mail ballots must be received by the close of polls.
"No regrets," George Conway says
George Conway dropped by a polling place on the Upper West Side this afternoon, walking his dog and chatting with voters in the final hours of his Democratic primary in the 12th Congressional District.
“No regrets,” Conway said of his candidacy that was built around his fierce and longstanding opposition to President Donald Trump.
Conway is not seen as one of the leading contenders in the closing days of the race to fill the seat of Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is retiring after 34 years representing the 12th District, which includes the Upper West and Upper East sides of Manhattan as well as Midtown.
Mamdani's endorsements raise the stakes in New York races
Across New York this primary season, an ascendant left fueled by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory last fall is hoping to sustain the momentum for their movement.
Several nominating contests on the ballot today function as proxy battles, pitting old guard and establishment Democrats against progressive, left-wing challengers who have the explicit backing of the democratic socialist mayor.
In New York’s 10th District, former city Comptroller Brad Lander is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman from the left in a fight that has centered on support for Israel.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old democratic socialist and activist, is another Mamdani-backed challenger running against veteran Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District. Upended by revelations from CNN’s KFile about Avila Chevalier’s controversial social media record, the race poses a severe test to Mamdani’s political capital.
Mamdani split with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in those races, with the top Democrat backing his incumbent colleagues.
The mayor has also thrown his support behind Assemblymember Claire Valdez in New York’s 7th District, where the democratic socialist is running against Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn’s borough president and outgoing Rep. Nydia Velazquez’s preferred successor.
Animated by divisions over campaign tactics, economic policies, and US relations with Israel, the intraparty battles reflect major ideological fault lines among Democrats trying to chart a path back to majorities in Congress.
"A sad state of affairs": Goldman addresses banning by Brooklyn coffee shop
Rep. Dan Goldman called it “sad” that a Brooklyn coffee shop apparently banned him with a viral social media post amid a heated Democratic primary election that has focused heavily on the politics of the Israel-Gaza war.
Speaking to CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday, Goldman addressed his experience at Poetica Coffee, which used its branded social media account to post a photo Sunday of Goldman and a receipt of a refund, according to screenshots of the shop’s posts that were widely shared Monday. Poetica Coffee has since taken down its Instagram page.
The since-deleted post from Poetica Coffee references AIPAC, saying to Goldman, “we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways).”
“Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee,” the deleted post reads. “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”
CNN has reached out to Poetica Coffee for comment.
Read more about the coffee shop ban
Fetterman on New York progressive Democratic candidates: "The dirtbag left is surging"
Sen. John Fetterman is not shy about hiding his views – especially when it comes to the left flank of his party.
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who has staked out hawkish views, including on Israel, took a whack at the progressives who are looking to defeat more traditional Democrats backed by the party’s establishment in Tuesday’s primaries in New York. Two incumbents, Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman, face primary challengers backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“The dirtbag left is surging,” Fetterman told CNN. He then pivoted to Graham Platner, the progressive Maine Senate Democratic nominee who has endured an array of controversies amid his insurgent candidacy against GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
“The dirtbag left is having their moment,” he added.
NYC first lady encourages voters to support some of Mamdani's endorsed candidates
The first lady of New York City Rama Duwaji encouraged residents to vote in today’s primary elections in an Instagram story.
The photo features Duwaji holding an “I Voted” sticker, tagging just two out of the three candidates her husband Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed in some of New York’s races.
Duwaji tagged Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who is running in New York’s 7th Congressional District and educator Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running in New York’s 13th. Notably, Duwaji but did not tag former city comptroller Brad Lander. Both Valdez and Avila Chevalier are members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Bold-faced names square off today in Manhattan's 12th District
The Democratic primary in the deep-blue, Manhattan-based 12th District is awash with big names — including a Kennedy family scion, a prominent anti-Trump former Republican and two state lawmakers, one of whom is the subject of millions in advertising spending linked to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency forces.
Another state assemblyman, Alex Bores, is a former Palantir employee who became an enemy of artificial intelligence companies after he co-sponsored a 2025 New York artificial intelligence safety law.
George Conway, once a prominent GOP attorney who emerged as a prominent and frequently televised critic of Trump while his ex-wife, Kellyanne Conway, worked in the president’s White House, is making his first run for office. His candidacy is a test, nearly two years after former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, of whether Democratic voters have any interest in aligning with former Republicans who sided with the party not out of ideological alignment but distaste for the president.
The 33-year-old Jack Schlossberg is the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and the son of Caroline Kennedy. He is seeking to become the latest in a long line of Kennedy family members — and if he wins, he would be the only one currently in elected office.
The last Kennedy to win an election was former US Rep. Joe Kennedy III in 2018; he lost a run for a Senate seat in Massachusetts two years later. However, three family members — including Schlossberg’s mother — were ambassadors or envoys during former President Joe Biden’s administration, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President Donald Trump’s health and human services secretary.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani cast his vote in the 12th Congressional District on Saturday, but he would not reveal who he voted for.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani cast his vote in the Democratic primary for his state's 12th Congressional District on Saturday, but he won't reveal who he voted for. CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.
Here’s a look at the prominent Democrats running in New York’s 12th District
Longtime Congressman Jerry Nadler’s retirement announcement last fall set off a scramble for the coveted 12th District seat, covering the reliably Democratic Upper West Side and Upper East Side, which drew a host of prominent contenders.
Here’s a look at who’s running.
- Alex Bores: A state assemblymember and former Palantir employee who has raised alarms about big tech and artificial intelligence, Bores made his industry experience and efforts at regulation a centerpiece of his campaign. As a result, he became the first major target of an emerging pro-AI lobby, which spent millions on attack ads that had the unintended effect of raising his profile.
- Jack Schlossberg: The grandson of President John F. Kennedy, Schlossberg’s famous family lineage loomed large in the race. He aligned with the young, progressive wing of the Democratic Party pressing for generational change, however, and distinguished himself with a freewheeling style and unorthodox social media presence that also produced its share of critics.
- Micah Lasher: A former aide and longtime partner to Nadler in New York politics, the assemblymember leveraged deep community roots and traditional grassroots campaigning to overcome his prominent pack of rivals, positioning himself as the heir apparent to the venerable outgoing congressman. Lasher is running with Nadler’s endorsement.
- George Conway: The former Republican lawyer rose to national prominence during the first Trump administration as the then-husband of former White House aide Kellyanne Conway, distinguishing himself with increasingly strident criticism of the president and conservative politics. Formalizing his conversion, Conway is running in the Democratic primary, centering his sustained Trump antagonism.
- Nina Schwalbe: An American public health researcher, scientist, policy expert and a sixth-generation New Yorker, Schwalbe has struggled to break through in the primary field among rivals with high name recognition.
Trump pardon recipient could win today's primary in Utah
President Donald Trump has pardoned a lot of people — and especially a lot of political allies. And today, one of them could win a primary and be set to join Congress.
Trump pardoned then-state Rep. Phil Lyman in 2020 for illegally riding an all-terrain vehicle in a closed Utah canyon. It was part of a protest against the federal Bureau of Land Management. (Trump has also pardoned others who committed more series crimes while protesting BLM out west.)
Lyman, who lost to Gov. Spencer Cox by eight points in a 2024 primary, is now challenging Rep. Celeste Maloy, a somewhat moderate Republican, in a primary.
If he wins, he’ll be a heavy favorite to join Congress.
