Today’s marquee races are in Pennsylvania — one of the nation’s largest swing states

It’s election day again with primary races taking place Tuesday in five states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon.

Voters in Pennsylvania and North Carolina will choose their Senate nominees for general elections that could determine control of the chamber. There are also key gubernatorial primaries in Idaho and Oregon and crucial House party contests, run under new boundaries following redistricting after the 2020 census.

Here’s what you need to know about the primaries and key races to watch:

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate primary is seen as anyone’s race to win, with Donald Trump-backed Mehmet Oz, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and conservative commentator Kathy Barnette running close in the polls and plenty of voters undecided. Oz’s struggle to break away from the field after receiving Trump’s support has worried the former President himself as he seeks to strengthen his endorsement record.

Meanwhile, the state’s Democratic primary was met with uncertainty days before the primary when the front-runner, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, announced he was recovering from a stroke. Fetterman’s opponents Tuesday include US Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

The Keystone State is also holding primaries to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the presumed front-runner for the GOP nomination, received a late endorsement from Trump on Saturday. Other Republicans in the race include former US Rep. Lou Barletta, former US Attorney Bill McSwain and businessman Dave White. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

North Carolina: In North Carolina, the Trump endorsement test continues in the GOP Senate primary, which features US Rep. Ted Budd, former Gov. Pat McCrory and former US Rep. Mark Walker. Budd won an endorsement from Trump early in the race, but that support did not clear the field. On the Democratic side, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is set to be her party’s nominee. If she were to win the general election, she would be North Carolina’s first Black senator.

Attention has also focused on the GOP primary in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, where firebrand Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn faces several primary challengers after repeatedly sparking controversy inside and outside Congress. Cawthorn is running with Trump’s support, which he received last year, but North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis has endorsed state Sen. Chuck Edwards in the race.

Idaho: The Republican primary for governor features a showdown between incumbent Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. The two have had a political tug-of-war throughout Little’s term. On the Democratic side, the leading candidate is running a write-in campaign after he failed to qualify for the ballot, but the primary winner will be the heavy underdog in the deep-red state.

Oregon: In Oregon, where Democratic Gov. Kate Brown is term-limited, the Democratic contest to succeed her initially centered on whether former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof met the residency requirements to run for governor. The state Supreme Court announced in February that he was ineligible to run, but Democrats were still left with more than a dozen candidates in the primary, including former Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read. Republicans also have a competitive primary for an office the party last won in 1982. The independent candidacy of former Democratic state Sen. Betsy Johnson could make for a three-way race in November.

The Democratic primary in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District will be an early test of President Joe Biden’s sway in the party, as Biden has backed moderate Rep. Kurt Schrader, who is running in a redrawn seat with plenty of new territory. Schrader is facing a progressive primary challenge from Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who has been endorsed by several local county Democratic parties and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Kentucky: Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul is up for reelection this year – and is on track to win the Republican nomination in May. He’ll likely face Democrat Charles Booker, a former state representative who ran for Senate in 2020 and narrowly lost the primary to establishment-backed Amy McGrath, the first woman to fly an F-18 in combat.

Read more about today’s primary elections here.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s health issues in the final days of his Democratic primary campaign have thrown a level of uncertainty into what had been a largely stable race. 

After three days off the campaign trail, Fetterman’s campaign announced on Sunday that the candidate had a stroke and had been in the hospital since Friday but was “well on my way to a full recovery.”

Fetterman was scheduled to have a packed weekend of campaigning, but on Friday morning, as supporters gathered at Millersville University for a meet-and-greet with the Senate candidate, a Fetterman spokesman took the microphone and announced that the candidate wasn’t feeling well and, out of an abundance of caution, would not be making the event. Reporters were told the same later on Friday and on Saturday and Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Fetterman’s campaign announced the news of the stroke and on Tuesday, the campaign announced that the lieutenant governor would have a pacemaker implanted to regulate “his heart rate and rhythm” and control “his atrial fibrillation,” the cause of the stroke. 

Fetterman has been the race’s front-runner for months, with polls showing he enjoyed a sizable lead over his top primary opponents, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

Fetterman supporters, and some who were undecided headed into Tuesday’s primary, told CNN that the candidate’s stroke did not change their thinking about the primary — they still planned to vote for the lieutenant governor. But supporters also expressed concerns that the health issues could become fodder for whomever wins the Republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania.

Andrew Charles, a Pennsylvania Democrat who attended a recent Fetterman event in homemade shirts supporting the candidate, expressed similar concerns: “I am definitely glad it happened now and not a month out from the general.”

“If they don’t use that against him,” he said. “I would be very surprised. … Republicans are going to look for everything.”

Polls for in-person voting close at 8 p.m. ET in Pennsylvania, and the eyes of the state and country will be on several high-stakes senate and governor’s races.

Here are 3 key things to watch in the state Tuesday:

Can Barnette deliver a stunner in Senate primary? The key question going into Tuesday is whether Kathy Barnette, the upstart candidate vying to become the first Black Republican woman elected to the Senate, can shock the political establishment by winning the commonwealth’s primary.

Barnette was largely an also-ran for much of the campaign, with celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund chief David McCormick widely seen as the top two candidates. But Barnette, spurred by grassroots Republican energy and a deep-seated antipathy for Trump’s decision to back Oz, has jumped into contention, making Tuesday’s primary a wide-open contest.

Barnette’s ascension has caused Republicans in Pennsylvania and Washington to worry about her chances in a general election, a fear highlighted by the question currently being raised about her military service, her past homophobic and bigoted statements, and her ties to the commonwealth.

The strength of Trump’s endorsement is also on the line. An Oz loss would be a blow for Trump, who backed the celebrity doctor despite concerns about the depth of his conservative convictions.

Will Fetterman advance? The Pennsylvania Senate primary has long been widely seen a forgone conclusion — a series of polls have shown Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, with a sizable double-digit lead over his closest opponents, Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

But a bit of uncertainty was thrown into the race on Sunday when, after three days off the campaign trail, Fetterman’s campaign announced that the candidate had a stroke, was still in the hospital but was “well on my way to a full recovery.”

“I’m feeling much better, and the doctors tell me I didn’t suffer any cognitive damage,” Fetterman said. “Our campaign isn’t slowing down one bit, and we are still on track to win this primary on Tuesday, and flip this Senate seat in November.”

A win for Fetterman on Tuesday would set up a stark contrast with any nominee Republican the unconventional Democrat could face — and likely lead to questions about how his recent stroke may impact his general election campaign. The former mayor of Braddock — standing at 6-feet, 8-inches and looking more comfortable in shorts and a hoodie than a suit — is about a unique a candidate as Democrats will nominate this year. Fetterman is known for a brand of progressivism aimed to relate to blue collar voters throughout the commonwealth, a departure from the kind of nominee Democrats have previously selected in Pennsylvania.

Will Pennsylvania Republicans nominate an election denier for governor? Republican strategists are worried that the party could blow its opportunity to pick off the Democratic-held governor’s office being vacated by Tom Wolf this November.

Trump endorsed a far-right contender, state Sen. Doug Mastriano — who is best known for embracing Trump’s lies about fraud in the 2020 election and who was pictured outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day of the insurrection — over former Rep. Lou Barletta, the candidate most party strategists see as the strongest general election candidate even though he too has embraced Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Democrats are all but certain to nominate state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who has in turn tried to boost Mastriano, seeing him as the easiest Republican to beat in November. In an ad, Shapiro highlighted Mastriano’s election lies, his desire to end mail-in voting and his opposition to abortion rights, positions that could help him win Tuesday but hurt his standing with suburban swing voters this fall.

The stakes are high: In Pennsylvania, the governor appoints the secretary of state — the person in charge of running Pennsylvania’s elections and signing off on its electors. Mastriano has already backed an effort to overturn voters’ will in 2020.

A win for John Fetterman in Pennsylvania on Tuesday would be a win for the unconventional candidate.

Scores of Fetterman supporters across the commonwealth were drawn to the candidate because of his uniqueness. They loved that he looked miserable at a White House event, has people not-entirely-jokingly guessing whether he owns a suit and literally stands out of a crowd with his 6-foot, 8-inch frame. His stances drew them in, too, from legal marijuana to climate justice to his focus on “forgotten areas” throughout Pennsylvania.

But with Fetterman on the precipice of winning the Democratic Senate primary — polls show the lieutenant governor up around 30 percentage points over Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta — many of those same supporters have a dilemma: Is the lieutenant governor too unique for a broader electorate?

It is not an uncommon question among both the Fetterman faithful and even some Republicans drawn to his persona. His supporters still love him.

But with Democrats’ sole goal being winning in November — flipping the open Senate seat is key to the party retaining control of the chamber — some have begun to question whether the same uniqueness that drew them in is what will turn off a broader, more politically diverse set of voters.

His campaign is now in a unique position with a unique candidate.

Fetterman announced on Sunday that he had a stroke on Friday, sidelining him from the campaign trail for multiple days while he recovers in a Lancaster area hospital. The candidate says his doctors have “assured me that I’ll be able to get back on the trail” and that there was no “cognitive damage” done by the stroke, but the injection of a health issue just days before the primary throws yet another question into what will likely be one of the most closely watched Senate campaigns of the 2022 cycle.

Read the full story here.

It’s Election Day in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho and Oregon as primary voters pick their party nominees for the 2022 midterms.

High-profile Senate races in the swing states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina have captured national attention, with control of the 50-50 chamber on the line in November. But there are also a number of US House races that could determine whether Democrats continue to hold their five-seat majority. Nominees in several of these key contests, as well as competitive primaries in seats considered safe for one party, will be decided Tuesday.

The House elections this year are taking place under new congressional lines that were redrawn in redistricting following the 2020 census. North Carolina and Oregon gained a seat each in reapportionment – the Tar Heel state goes from 13 seats to 14, while Oregon goes from five to six. Pennsylvania is down to 17 seats, after losing one. There were no changes to the seat counts in Idaho (two) and Kentucky (six).

State courts drew the congressional maps in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Idaho’s lines were approved by a bipartisan redistricting commission. The maps in Oregon and Kentucky were partisan affairs, with Democrats drawing the former and Republicans the latter.

Here’s a look at some of the House races we’re watching Tuesday:

North Carolina’s 4th District

Millions of dollars have been spent on the race to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. David Price in a deep-blue seat Biden would have carried by 35 points. Democratic candidates include state Sen. Valerie Foushee, who has benefited from spending by Protect Our Future, the super PAC funded by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, and the United Democracy Project; Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who in 2020 became the first Muslim woman to win elected office in North Carolina; and Clay Aiken, the ex-American Idol star.

North Carolina’s 11th District

Freshman Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn faces six primary challengers in this western North Carolina district, including state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who has the endorsement of the state’s junior US senator, Thom Tillis. Though Cawthorn has the backing of former President Donald Trump, he has sparked uproar in the GOP for a string of recent controversies. Other Republicans looking to oust him include GOP activist Michele Woodhouse and businessmen Bruce O’Connell and Matthew Burril. Trump would have carried the seat by 10 points in 2020.

Pennsylvania’s 12th District

Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle’s retirement has opened up this Pittsburgh-area district, where the Democratic primary has devolved into an expensive, ideological showdown between the party’s establishment and progressive wings. Attorney Steve Irwin, the fundraising leader, has Doyle’s endorsement. Progressive state Rep. Summer Lee has the backing of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as the climate activist group Sunrise Movement. The seat became more Republican in redistricting, but Biden would still have carried it by 20 points.

Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District

Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans, who was first elected in 2016 after serving decades in the state legislature, faces a primary challenge from Alexandra Hunt, a 29-year-old public health researcher. Hunt has gained media attention for highlighting her personal story – she told CNN she had an abortion when she was 18 and previously worked as a stripper. She raised $630,000 through April 27, compared with $795,000 for Evans. No Republicans have filed for this deep-blue Philadelphia-area seat.

Oregon’s 6th District

The race for this new district, which includes Salem, earned headlines recently when House Majority PAC, the super PAC tied to Democratic House leadership, backed attorney Carrick Flynn. Other Democrats in the race, including state Rep. Andrea Salinas, have publicly questioned why the group decided to weigh in ahead of the primary for the Democratic-leaning seat. (Biden would have carried it by 13 points.) Other Democrats running include self-funder Cody Reynolds, who has loaned his campaign $2.2 million, and Matt West, a progressive scientist who released campaign NFTs. The seat is an NRCC target. Republican candidates include businessman Mike Erickson, who has run for Congress before, and Nate Sandvig, a renewable energy executive and Army veteran.

Read the full story here:

In North Carolina, the GOP primary to replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr is another test of former President Donald Trump’s ability to steer the party toward his preferred candidates.

Trump-backed Rep. Ted Budd is the favorite in a field that also includes former Gov. Pat McCrory and Rep. Mark Walker. Budd was the first non-incumbent candidate Trump endorsed in the 2022 midterm election cycle — and he’s also backed by massive spending from the conservative Club for Growth’s political arm.

The winner is likely to face Democratic former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who would make history if she wins in November by becoming North Carolina’s first Black senator.

North Carolina also features several key House races to watch — including embattled Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s effort to survive a primary challenge for his 11th District seat. Though Trump has stuck with Cawthorn through a series of scandals, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis has backed state Sen. Chuck Edwards against Cawthorn. Cawthorn himself once backed one of his opponents, former local GOP official Michele Woodhouse, in a previous version of North Carolina’s congressional district map that has since been thrown out by courts.

Other candidates to watch in North Carolina include Clay Aiken, the former “American Idol” contestant seeking the Democratic nomination in the 4th District, and Bo Hines, the Trump-endorsed 26-year-old former college football player running in the 13th District.

Five states are holding primaries Tuesday — Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon — marking the most jam-packed date on the 2022 midterm calendar yet. Each state features compelling contests: North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn is attempting to survive a series of scandals; a Republican governor faces his own lieutenant governor in Idaho; and outside money has poured into Oregon House races.

But the marquee races are in Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s largest swing states.

The GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey had shaped up to be a head-to-head battle between celebrity surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and former hedge fund chief David McCormick. But Kathy Barnette, a little-known conservative candidate, has surged late in the race, worrying Republican strategists and even prompting Trump to say that she “will never be able to win” in November.

In the governor’s race, Trump has endorsed the far-right contender, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has embraced election fraud lies and is seeking an office that would allow him sway over the state’s electors in the 2024 presidential contest.

Democrats in Pennsylvania face turmoil, as well: the party’s leading Senate candidate, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, revealed Sunday that he had suffered a stroke just days before the primary.

Here are key things to watch tonight in Pennsylvania and the other four states.

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman just voted from the hospital via emergency absentee ballot in the state’s primary, spokesperson Joe Calvello tells CNN.

Fetterman has been in the hospital since Friday after suffering a stroke.

His campaign said later in a statement Monday that the candidate would undergo surgery to implant a pacemaker.

“It should be a short procedure that will help protect his heart and address the underlying cause of his stroke, atrial fibrillation (A-fib), by regulating his heart rate and rhythm,” the campaign said.

Polls show Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s current lieutenant governor, holding a significant lead over US Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

Fetterman said Sunday that he was continuing in the race.

“I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” he said, adding, “I’m feeling much better, and the doctors tell me I didn’t suffer any cognitive damage. I’m well on my way to a full recovery.”

He continued, “Our campaign isn’t slowing down one bit, and we are still on track to win this primary on Tuesday, and flip this Senate seat in November.”

The candidate shared a picture of him voting on Twitter:

CNN’s Jessica Dean contributed reporting to this post.

Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate David McCormick said that his opponent Kathy Barnette needs to answer questions about her march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after photos recently circulated of Barnette at the rally preceding the attack.

Asked by CNN whether he had any concerns about Barnette as the Republican Party’s potential Senate nominee following the emergence of the photos, McCormick said she should answer questions about her actions that day and that the “stakes” for the country and GOP in choosing the “right person” are “really significant.”

Barnette attended the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Capitol riot, but a spokesperson has said she did not enter the Capitol building. A spokesperson for Barnette campaign told CNN she did not participate in any destruction of property.

She has campaigned alongside Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, a state representative and fellow election denier who was also seen outside of the Capitol on January 6.

“The stakes for our country, and for the Republican Party in picking the right person, are really significant,” McCormick continued. “I think Kathy is getting the same questions that I got on day one that I answered, and I think she needs to answer them, and answer them all, because it’s only fair to the voters of Pennsylvania so they can make a good judgment.”

Pressed by CNN’s Laura Dolan, McCormick said, “Voters are going to have to make their judgments based on the totality of the information that they’re given.”

McCormick and his wife Dina Powell voted today at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. McCormick said that he has been told to expect a late night as the results come in between the three top Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidates: celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz, Barnette and himself.

He claimed there are “lots of undecideds” and that voters are asking themselves questions even on the final day of the race about who shares their conservative values, who can win in November and “who can go to Washington and on day one be able to have an impact, and make a difference on everything from inflation to the open borders, and what to do with China.”

“We’re extremely excited. We feel like voters are focused,” added McCormick. “I think we’re getting good momentum. We feel great about things. So, we’ll see.”