Voters in Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and Washington will choose candidates for the U.S. Congress, governor and other offices, as former President Donald Trump’s effort to maintain dominance over the Republican Party is tested anew.
Here are the key races to watch:
Arizona Governor: The Republican contenders include former news anchor Kari Lake, who is endorsed by Trump and has echoed his false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Her main rival is developer Karrin Taylor Robson, who is backed by several establishment Republicans, including Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.
On the Democratic side, the leading candidate is Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who has built a national profile by vociferously denying Trump’s allegations. She is facing Marco Lopez, a former Obama administration official and former mayor of Nogales, a border city.
Arizona Senate: A bitter fight to decide who will challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in November has come down to three Republican candidates. Blake Masters, chief operating officer of Thiel Capital and president of the Thiel Foundation, has the financial backing of tech billionaire Peter Thiel and Trump’s endorsement. Recent polling shows him leading state attorney general Mark Brnovich and Jim Lamon, a former power company executive.
Arizona Secretary of State: On the Republican side, the front-runner is Trump-endorsed state Representative Mark Finchem, who was present at the Jan. 6, 2021 rally that preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol and has embraced Trump’s stolen election claims. He faces several opponents. The Democratic contest pits former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes against state House of Representatives Minority Leader Reginald Bolding.
Kansas Governor: Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who has Trump’s endorsement, is expected to defeat an underfunded opponent in the Republican contest. The winner will challenge incumbent Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, who is among the most vulnerable Democratic governors in November.
Kansas votes on abortion: Voters in Kansas will decide whether the state constitution should go on protecting abortion rights in the first statewide electoral test of abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
