Vince Fong, a state lawmaker in California and former aide to Kevin McCarthy, won a special election to fill McCarthy’s seat in the most conservative district in the state. He will serve until January and will face his Republican opponent in the fall for a full term. Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Oregon also held primary contests on Tuesday. President Biden faced resistance in the Kentucky primary, with nearly 30% of Democratic voters backing an option other than him. Trump won about 85% of the Republican primary vote in Kentucky. Oregon also saw a protest vote against Biden, but it underperformed significantly.
Fani T. Willis, the prosecutor for Trump’s Georgia criminal case, won her primary in a landslide. She received 87% of the vote, signaling confidence in her performance among Democrats. Scott McAfee, the judge overseeing Trump’s case in Georgia, also won re-election with 83% of the vote. Both were considered favorites in their races. The result for Willis comes after a romantic relationship with a lawyer she hired for the case raised conflict of interest concerns, which defense lawyers for Trump raised. The Georgia Court of Appeals will review Judge McAfee’s decision to keep Willis on the case.
In Oregon, a progressive candidate, Jamie McLeod-Skinner, lost in a closely watched Democratic primary for the Fifth Congressional District. Janelle Bynum, endorsed by Gov. Tina Kotek, will face a Republican opponent for the swing seat. Mike Schmidt, the progressive district attorney of Multnomah County, including Portland, was trailing in his primary against Nathan Vasquez, a prosecutor in his office who previously registered as a Republican. Vasquez blamed Schmidt for Portland’s problems with drugs and crime and promised to prosecute even petty crimes amid rising homicides, homelessness, and overdose deaths.
The write-in campaign in Oregon protesting Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza underperformed significantly, with less than 5% of votes going to write-ins in the Democratic primary. In neighboring Washington State, the uncommitted option got nearly 10% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Trump was unopposed in Oregon’s Republican primary. The protest vote against Biden in Kentucky was nearly double that against Trump, who won about 85% of the vote in the Republican primary. Turnout in the Democratic primary in Kentucky also plunged compared to the previous year.
Overall, the primary contests in these states showed varying levels of support for incumbents and protest votes against them. Willis and McAfee’s victories in Georgia indicated confidence in their handling of Trump’s case. The Oregon primaries saw a progressive candidate lose in a closely watched race, while the progressive district attorney faced a challenger blaming him for the area’s issues with crime and drugs. Biden faced significant resistance in the Kentucky primary, with nearly 30% of Democratic voters choosing an alternative option. Trump’s support remained strong, winning about 85% of the vote in the Republican primary in Kentucky.
