Live coverage: Polls close in Alabama, Texas
Voters in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas are going to the polls today to choose the Democratic and Republican nominees in key Senate, House and gubernatorial races.
In Georgia, two candidates backed by President Trump are trying to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R). Both parties will also settle on their nominees for a Senate race that could determine the fate of Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the upper chamber.
In Texas, progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros is in a runoff against nine-term Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the most high-profile Democratic match-ups in this year’s midterm cycle.
Alabama and Arkansas both have hotly contested GOP Senate primaries, and in Arkansas, former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is looking to clinch the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
Follow The Hill’s live coverage below:
Alabama GOP Senate primary heads to a runoff between Britt, Brooks
11:52 p.m.
Alabama’s GOP Senate primary is projected to head to a runoff after no candidate clinched 50 percent support in the race Tuesday.
The two candidates reaching the June 21 runoff are Katie Britt, a former top aide to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R), whose seat she is running for, and Rep. Mo Brooks (R).
The Associated Press called the race around 11:45 p.m. ET.
The race has been one of the ugliest of the midterm cycle so far, with the candidates calling into question their opponents’ conservative credentials and fealty to former President Trump.
— Tal Axelrod
McBath defeats fellow incumbent Bourdeaux in Georgia House primary
10:03 p.m.
Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) is projected to defeat fellow Democratic Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (Ga.) in the Democratic primary to represent Georgia’s 7th Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race for McBath at 10 p.m.
With the Democratic nomination locked up, McBath, a gun control activist who was first elected to Congress in 2018, is expected to coast to another term in the House representing the heavily Democratic suburban Atlanta district.
— Max Greenwood
Texas AG Paxton wins GOP runoff
9:32 p.m.
Incumbent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is projected to win Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff, fending off a challenge from Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.
NBC News and ABC News both called the race shortly after 9 p.m. ET.
The race between Paxton and Bush went to a runoff after neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote in March to receive the nomination.
— Julia Manchester
Sarah Huckabee Sanders sails to Arkansas GOP governor nomination
9:17 p.m.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sailed to a projected victory in Arkansas’ Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.
NBC News and CNN both called the race for Sanders around 9 p.m. ET.
Huckabee Sanders, who is the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), was long seen as the favorite to win the GOP primary, facing only one opponent in former radio host Francis “Doc” Washburn.
— Julia Manchester
Greene easily wins Georgia GOP primary
9:05 p.m.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was projected to win the Republican primary in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District on Tuesday, fending off five GOP challengers.
ABC News, CNN and NBC News both called the race before 9 p.m. ET.
The victory, which was largely expected, is seen as a win for the most Trump-aligned faction of the GOP. Former President Trump endorsed Greene last month.
— Julia Manchester
Kemp defeats Perdue in Georgia, delivering loss for Trump
8:37 p.m.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was projected to win his renomination for a second term on Tuesday, overcoming a primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) and, by extension, former President Donald Trump.
ABC and NBC News both called the race for Kemp around 8:30 p.m. ET.
Kemp, a one-time ally of the former president, stirred Trump’s ire in the wake of the 2020 presidential election after he rebuffed his pleas to overturn President Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. Trump vowed to campaign against Kemp, eventually persuading Perdue to enter the race for governor in hopes of ousting him.
But despite carrying Trump’s endorsement, Perdue struggled to gain traction among Georgia Republican voters. Polling in the runup to the primary showed Kemp leading Perdue by wide, double-digit margins.
Kemp’s victory on Tuesday dealt only the latest blow to Trump’s endorsing power, undermining the former president’s argument that he has the ability to pick winners and losers in GOP primaries, even in his post-presidency.
— Max Greenwood
Polls close in Alabama, Texas
8 p.m.
Polls are closed in Alabama and most of Texas, which are hosting a red-hot Senate GOP primary and closely-watched Democratic House runoff, respectively.
In Alabama, Katie Britt, a former top staffer to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby (R), is leading in the polls, but she needs to clinch 50 percent to avoid a runoff, an unlikely scenario. Meanwhile, Rep. Mo Brooks and former Army helicopter pilot Mike Durant are battling for the second spot.
Brooks was initially viewed as a frontrunner and won Trump’s endorsement. However, the former president rescinded his endorsement earlier this year over frustration with a comment from Brooks saying that the GOP grassroots should move on from the 2020 election.
Gov. Kay Ivey (R) is also running for another term, though she has large leads in the polls.
In Texas, Jessica Cisneros, a progressive, is challenging nine-term Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), considered the most conservative Democrat in the House.
— Tal Axelrod
Herschel Walker clinches GOP Senate nomination in Georgia
7:58 p.m.
Former NFL star Herschel Walker is projected to easily clinch the Republican Senate nomination in Georgia, securing his spot on the ballot to face off against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in November.
NBC and ABC News both called the race before 8 pm. ET.
While half-a-dozen Republicans sought the party’s Senate nomination in Georgia, Walker has long been seen as far-and-away the favorite to win Tuesday’s primary.
— Max Greenwood
Warnock easily secures Democratic Senate nomination in Georgia
7:43 p.m.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is projected to secure renomination on Tuesday, crossing a key hurdle in his bid for his first full term in the Senate.
The Associated Press called the race for him at 7:41 p.m.
Warnock faced only nominal opposition in the Democratic primary and his win on Tuesday was never in any serious doubt. Still, he’s expected to face a tough general election campaign this fall as Democrats look to maintain their paper-thin Senate majority in a tough midterm year.
— Max Greenwood
Candidates in Texas runoff react to school shooting
7:15 p.m.
Candidates running in Texas’ 28th Congressional District runoffs reacted to the news of the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday afternoon.
Republican Cassy Garcia cancelled all of her campaign events for the evening and offered her condolences to the shooting’s victims in a tweet.
“My heart breaks right now for the people of Uvalde. We all mourn the loss of so many innocent lives including young children & the families who are having to endure tremendous pain & loss,” she wrote.
On the Democratic side, incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) called for unity in the wake of the shooting, while progressive Jessica Cisneros also offered her condolences in a tweet.
“How many more mass shootings do children have to experience before we say enough?” Cisneros said.
Uvalde is a part of the state’s 23rd Congressional District.
— Julia Manchester
Polls close in Georgia
7 p.m.
Polls just closed in Georgia as it hosts a slew of marquee primary contests.
Voters are casting ballots to pick nominees in the state’s Senate, gubernatorial and secretary of state races, among others, and the results could offer key insights into both parties.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) is facing only nominal opposition in the Democratic Senate primary, while former football star Herschel Walker is virtually guaranteed to win the GOP nomination.
In the gubernatorial race, activist Stacey Abrams is expected to coast to the Democratic nomination. Polling also shows Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in good position to fend off a primary challenge from former Sen. David Perdue (R), though Perdue still could force a runoff if Kemp gets below 50 percent of the vote.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) is also facing a stiff challenge from Rep. Jody Hice (R). Raffensperger earned former President Trump’s ire for not overturning his 2020 loss in Georgia, while Hice has won Trump’s endorsement and has said the last presidential race was fraudulent.
— Tal Axelrod
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