The Biggest Stories From The August 4 Primary Elections

Several states held their primary elections on Tuesday evening. From a former representative losing their comeback bid in Missouri to a progressive narrowly winning the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s Senate race, here are the biggest stories from Tuesday night. 

AP reports that progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly beat Rep. Haley Stevens to become the state’s Democratic nominee for Senate. When I went to bed last night, El-Sayed was up by only 1.4%, so I was prepared for this race to go either way. El-Sayed and Stevens ran bruising campaigns that laid bare some of the growing divisions within the Democratic Party. El-Sayed acknowledged as much when speaking to his supporters on Tuesday night, saying “tomorrow we begin to mend fences.”

Stevens released a statement on Wednesday throwing her support behind El-Sayed in the general election. “I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election,” she said. “This was a thorough and rigorous campaign that brought out the full span of views within the Democratic Party — and that is why we have primaries.”

While El-Sayed’s win is notable for progressives, the real challenge comes in November when El-Sayed faces off against former congressman Mike Rogers. Michigan’s Senate race is a must-win for Democrats in their bid to flip control of both chambers of Congress. 

El-Sayed was not the only progressive to win in Michigan, as the New York Times reports that William Lawrence beat out two more moderate candidates to secure the Democratic nomination to represent Michigan’s 7th district. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) currently represents what is seen as one of the few battleground districts in this year’s primaries. 

Elsewhere in Michigan, Trump-endorsed candidate John James secured the GOP nomination for governor. James will go on to face Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who won the Democratic primary on Tuesday. The two are running to replace current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has reached her term limit. While Michigan is traditionally a Democratic state, it did go for President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. 

Between the state’s Senate and gubernatorial races, the midterms will provide a solid litmus test to see where Michigan stands ahead of the 2028 presidential election. 

While Michigan provided another example of progressives winning, the same can’t be said in Missouri. According to AP, former Rep. Cori Bush lost her bid to unseat incumbent Rep. Wesley Bell. Bush previously represented Missouri’s First Congressional District for two terms before Bell unseated her in 2024. Bush focused on Bell’s support for Israel, which is increasingly an unpopular position. Bell positioned himself as a more pragmatic option than Bush, which seems to have resonated with Missouri voters. Missouri’s First District is solidly Blue, so Bell is expected to retain his seat in the general election.

There was some good news in Missouri, as NBC News reports that voters struck down a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would’ve made it significantly harder for ballot initiatives to pass. Under current law, a ballot initiative only needs to gain a simple statewide majority to pass. The proposed amendment would’ve required any public ballot initiative to gain a majority in all of the state’s congressional districts. This rule wouldn’t have applied to ballot initiatives proposed by the state legislature.

Missouri voters have used ballot initiatives to reverse the state’s abortion ban, legalize recreational marijuana, and mandate paid sick leave. Missouri’s Republican led state legislature has a history of going against the will of the people. The state legislature vetoed the paid sick leave measure and has consistently tried to reinstate the abortion ban. 

While the ballot measure failed, I expect the Missouri state legislature will continue to find new and inventive ways to undermine their voters. 

The primary period will be completely wrapped up by the end of the month, so all eyes on November, where we’ll learn how strong progressives are in a general election and whether the GOP’s rampant redistricting efforts will actually protect them against an increasingly dissatisfied electorate.

SEE ALSO:

Everything You Need To Know About Today’s Primaries

Mandela Barnes Drops Out Of Wisconsin Governor’s Race

The Biggest Stories From The August 4 Primary Elections was originally published on newsone.com