5 takeaways from primaries in Georgia, Oregon and Kentucky

Voters in several states headed to the polls Tuesday, weighing in on key races up and down the ballot in Oregon, Georgia, Kentucky and Idaho. 

November match-ups were solidified in a number of closely watched House contests, while President Biden and former President Trump sailed to victory in their respective party primaries in Kentucky and Oregon.

At the same time, voters in California picked Republican Vince Fong in a special election to finish the rest of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R) term in the House. 

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday night’s contests: 

Protest votes highlight frustration with Biden, Trump

Both presidential candidates raked in more delegates from their respective primaries in Kentucky and Oregon, but they also saw protest votes that underscore Americans’ discontent with the looming November rematch. 

Trump’s win in red-leaning Kentucky’s race was dampened by enduring protest votes for his ex-rival Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race back in March. 

Haley pulled in roughly 6 percent of the Bluegrass State’s primary vote, with 99 percent of precincts reporting at the time of publication. Another 4 percent voted “uncommitted.”

The figures follow notable Haley numbers in other states, signaling an abiding frustration with the former president among some in the GOP. Haley received roughly 20 percent of the vote in last week’s primaries in Maryland and Nebraska, and almost 10 percent in West Virginia.

An “uncommitted” push also cut into Biden’s Kentucky win, siphoning roughly 18 percent of the Democratic primary vote as of publication. A combined 11 percent went to Biden’s long-shot challengers, Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips (Minn.), who has exited the race. 

Biden has seen “uncommitted” protests in multiple states as progressives voice frustration with the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “Uncommitted” has scored 28 delegates so far, according to Decision Desk HQ’s tracker, a figure not in the same ballpark as Biden’s tallies but still notable.

Organizers over in Oregon, where “uncommitted” wasn’t a formal option on the ballot, also pushed for voters to write it in.

Incumbents have a good night 

Tuesday was a good night for incumbents in several key races. 

In Kentucky, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie fended off primary challengers for his seat in the state’s 4th Congressional District, even as a super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) aired ads hitting him over his record on Israel. AIPAC, however, has said it was not playing in Massie’s primary but setting the record straight for voters on his track record with Israel.

Over in Georgia, Rep. Lucy McBath (D) knocked out two primary competitors for her seat in the Peach State’s 6th Congressional District. 

Meanwhile, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor leading a probe into former President Trump’s efforts to interfere with Georgia’s 2020 election results, won her primary Tuesday, and the judge overseeing the case scored reelection.

Willis bested attorney Christian Wise Smith in her first election since launching her high-profile probe. She is set to go against a Republican competitor in the fall. 

At the same time, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee fended off a challenge and kept his seat, avoiding the complications that might have arisen in the Trump case if his caseload was passed to a successor. 

And Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson won reelection as well, fending off a challenge from Democratic former Rep. John Barrow, who had sought to put the issue of abortion front and center.

Establishment Dems breathe sigh of relief in Oregon 

The Democratic establishment’s pick for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District won a competitive primary Tuesday, raising hopes that the party will be able to flip the seat in November.

Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum, who had the backing of the party’s House campaign arm, bested Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the party’s unsuccessful 2022 nominee. 

Last cycle, McLeod-Skinner defeated centrist former Rep. Kurt Schrader (D) in the primary, only to go on to lose narrowly to her Republican rival, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. 

The seat, which the nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up, is now considered one of several that could help decide control of Congress in the fall.

The party establishment had rallied around Bynum, who was generally seen as a stronger candidate. Bynum scored endorsements from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) and EMILY’s List, a group that had backed McLeod-Skinner two years ago. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Bynum to its coveted “Red to Blue” program and has touted that the Democrat beat Chavez-DeRemer in previous state Legislature races. 

A well-funded candidate beats one with name recognition

In another closely watched Oregon race, state Rep. Maxine Dexter (D) emerged the winner of a competitive Democratic primary for outgoing Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s (D) seat in the House.

Dexter went up against Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, the older sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and six other Democrats for the open seat. 

Though Jayapal had drawn headlines early on thanks in part to the name ID of her progressive sister, Dexter had raked in large amounts of cash in the last few months of the race, including from pro-Israel donors.

Not even endorsements from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) were enough to pull Jayapal over the finish line, with progressives suffering one of a handful of notable defeats in the Beaver State.

Dexter is the favorite to succeed Blumenauer in November in the solidly blue district.

A warning to Dems on crime

The other big loss for progressives occurred in Portland-centered Multnomah County, where progressive District Attorney Mike Schmidt was trailing his primary challenger, though the race was still uncalled as of publication.

Schmidt faces a challenge from within his own office in Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, who ran as a tough-on-crime candidate in a race that has highlighted growing tensions around public safety and criminal justice.

Oregon sees growing concerns over drug decriminalization efforts and increasing homelessness. Schmidt, who took office in 2020 after the police murder of George Floyd sparked protests in Portland, has focused on progressive criminal justice reforms. 

And while Vasquez has the backing of six law enforcement unions in Multnomah County, Schmidt has the support of Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and former Gov. Kate Brown (D), as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Should Schmidt ultimately lose reelection, the race will likely be seen as a warning sign to Democrats on how to handle the issue of crime, which Republicans have tried to put front and center ahead of November in much the same way Democrats have sought to emphasize the abortion issue.