Key Primary Results in Colorado, New York, South Carolina and Utah
June 26, 2024 · 10:13 AM EDT
A House incumbent was finally defeated in a primary this cycle, although it was not a surprise.
Another is locked in a race that is still too close to call. And House Republicans had a good night overall in Colorado, where they avoided nominating flawed candidates in multiple races.
Voters in three more states – Colorado, New York and Utah – cast primary ballots on Tuesday, along with one runoff in South Carolina. That means 31 states have completed their primaries up to this point with 18 remaining between now and Sept. 10. (Yes, that adds up to 49. Louisiana has its all-party primary on Nov. 5.)
With less than five months still before Election Day, 31 candidates effectively have their tickets punched for Capitol Hill. They are likely to be new members of Congress next year because they’ve already won primaries in districts or states that are either solidly Republican or solidly Democratic and the general election is more of a formality. Republicans Jeff Crank of Colorado, Sheri Biggs of South Carolina and Mike Kennedy of Utah, along with Democrat George Latimer of New York, are the latest additions to the list.
Here’s what happened in some key contests on Tuesday.
Colorado.
3rd District (Pueblo area and Western Slope) Open; Lauren Boebert, R, running in 4th District. Trump 53%. Democratic efforts to push former state Rep. Ron Hanks to the top of the GOP primary field fell flat as the Jan. 6 participant trailed attorney Jeff Hurd, 42-28 percent, with nearly all of the vote counted. That complicates the path to victory for Democrat Adam Frisch, the former Aspen City Councilman who nearly pulled off an upset two years ago against Boebert but will now have to run against a much more conventional Republican, in a district that typically favors GOP candidates. Lean Republican.
4th District (Eastern Colorado and Denver exurbs) Vacant; Ken Buck, R, resigned. Trump 57%. 3rd District Rep. Lauren Boebert clinched the GOP nomination with 43 percent of the vote, but a divided field meant that no other candidate even cracked 15 percent. Boebert, who crossed the state rather than run again in the more competitive 3rd District, is heavily favored in the general election. Solid Republican.
4th District Special (Eastern Colorado and Denver exurbs) Vacant; Ken Buck, R, resigned. Trump 57%. Former Parker, Colorado Mayor Greg Lopez waltzed to victory over Democratic speechwriter Trisha Calvarese, 58-35 percent, and will fill out the remainder of Buck’s term.
5th District (Colorado Springs area) Open; Doug Lamborn, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 53%. Republicans avoided a headache as state party chairman Dave Williams lost resoundingly to radio host Jeff Crank, 67-33 percent. Williams, who was endorsed by Trump, has had a rocky tenure at the helm of the Colorado GOP and could have made this leftward-trending seat interesting in a general election. Instead, Crank, who lost primaries to Lambron in 2006 and 2008, is finally a likely new member of Congress. Solid Republican.
8th District (Northern Denver suburbs and Greeley area) Yadira Caraveo, D, elected 48%. Biden 51%. One of 2024’s marquee matchups is officially set as state Rep. Gabe Evans blew past former state Rep. Janak Joshi, 78-22 percent, in the GOP primary. Evans will have to step up his fundraising but the district could be better for Republicans this year. Toss-up.
New York.
1st District (Eastern Long Island and north shore of Suffolk County) Nick LaLota, R, elected 54%. Trump 49.9%. Former CNN anchor John Avlon rode a wave of endorsements to a 70-30 percent romp over 2020 nominee Nancy Goroff in the Democratic primary. Now comes the hard part: beating LaLota at a moment when the Democratic brand on Long Island is in terrible shape. Lean Republican.
16th District (Southern Westchester County) Jamaal Bowman, D, re-elected 84%. Biden 72%. Bowman lost the most expensive House primary in history to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who leads 56-44 percent with 70 percent of the estimated vote counted. Bowman faced an unprecedented onslaught of outside spending from AIPAC-affiliated groups. Solid Democratic.
22nd District (Syracuse and Utica areas) Brandon Williams, R, elected 51%. Biden 54%. State Sen. John Mannion clinched the Democratic nomination for what should be the party’s best chance at beating a GOP incumbent this cycle. Mannion outpaced DeWitt Town Councilor Sarah Klee Hood, 62-38 percent, and will be the slight favorite against Williams in this district that Democrats redrew to be more favorable to their party this year. Mannion is a favorite of organized labor and received significant support from the teachers’ unions in the closing weeks of the race. Tilt Democratic.
South Carolina. June 25 runoff.
3rd District (Northwestern South Carolina) Open; Jeff Duncan, R, not seeking re-election. Trump 68%. A Trump endorsement wasn’t enough for pastor Mark Burns to seal the deal in the runoff. He lost to Air Force National Guard Col. Sheri Biggs, 51-49 percent. Solid Republican.
Utah.
Governor. Spencer Cox (R) elected 2020 (63%). Cox outpaced state Rep. Phil Lyman, who ran to his right and had the state party’s endorsement, by 18 points, 59-41 percent. Cox is the heavy favorite against state Rep. Brian King in the general election. Solid Republican.
2nd District (Central and western Salt Lake City and southwestern Utah) Celeste Maloy, R, elected in Nov. 2023 special election 57%. Trump 56%. Tuesday’s only uncalled race is in southwest Utah, where Maloy faces a spirited challenge from former Green Beret Colby Jenkins. Jenkins nearly ended Maloy’s hopes at a full term at the GOP convention but trails her in the primary, 52-48 percent. A late endorsement for Maloy from Trump might be the difference-maker here. Solid Republican.
3rd District (Provo area, southeastern Salt Lake City, and rural southeastern Utah) Open; John Curtis, R, running for Senate. Trump 58%. State Sen. Mike Kennedy emerged from a crowded field to secure the GOP nomination with 36 percent (with three-quarters of the vote counted). Kennedy, a physician, first arrived on the political scene when he challenged Mitt Romney in the 2018 Senate race. Now, he’ll head to Washington as Romney heads for the exits. Solid Republican.