See how Kansas’ new congressional map shifts voting power in Kansas City

The race for retiring Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat has created a crowded Republican primary which features controversial former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens resigned from the governorship in 2018 after allegations that he blackmailed and sexually assaulted his former hairdresser. During his run for Senate, additional scandals have emerged, including abuse allegations from his ex-wife and criticism for a video that featured violent themes towards “RINOs” — which means “Republicans in name only.”

Some Missouri Republicans have openly opposed Greitens’ bid, amid concerns that he could make what should be a safe Republican seat more competitive. Among those opponents is Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, who has called for him to drop out of the race and endorsed Rep. Vicky Hartzler. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is another frontrunner and has been backed by Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee and billionaire Peter Thiel.

Missouri Republicans had been waiting for Trump to make an endorsement in the race, but when he finally did on Monday, he just came out for “Eric,” leading to both Greitens and Schmitt claiming Trump’s support. He previously told voters to “forget” Hartzler. While Schmitt, Greitens and Hartzler are the leading candidates, the race is crowded and also includes Rep. Billy Long, Mark McCloskey, a St. Louis resident who made national news after he and his wife pointed guns at protestors walking past their home in 2020, and state Sen. Dave Schatz.

The winner will face the Democratic nominee, likely either Marine veteran Lucas Kunce or beer heiress Trudy Busch Valentine. Former Jan. 6 committee investigator John Wood also joined the race as an Independent after a super PAC headed by former Republican Sen. John Danforth began openly searching to an alternative to the field.

Voter eligibility: Missouri doesn’t have party registration, so voters can vote in either primary. The state’s voting rules will be different in November, thanks to a new law. The law creates a two week no excuse in-person early voting period and requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls, among other changes. 

Poll times: Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What to bring to vote: Voters need to present ID when voting in-person on Election Day. Acceptable forms of voter ID can include things like an ID issued by the state of Missouri or federal government, ID issued by a local election authority, ID from a Missouri university, college, vocational or technical school, or a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains the name and address of the voter.

If a voter does not present a suitable ID, they can fill out a provisional ballot, which will be counted if they return with an acceptable form of ID or if election officials determine the signature matches the voting record.

Read about how redistricting has changed voting demographic in the state.

Efforts by Democratic campaigns, committees and outside groups to tilt the playing field in their favor by supporting extremist Republican primary candidates are sparking backlash as other Democrats warn the tactic risks putting conspiracy theorists and election deniers in office.  

The latest flashpoint in the debate came last week when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee began running ads touting GOP candidate John Gibbs, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, over Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the former President after Jan. 6, 2021.

“I believe Democrats should focus on helping Democrats win,” said Rebecca Katz, a longtime Democratic strategist who is now advising John Fetterman’s Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. “In this year of all years, why make that gamble in a Republican primary? It just seems like their priorities are out of whack.”

While meddling like this is far from exclusive to Democrats — Republicans have a long history of using different means to influence Democratic primaries — the disconnect has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Elected Democrats have been especially vocal, worrying that their party is playing a dangerous — and at times, disingenuous — game.

“I am not thrilled, for sure,” said Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat. “This does undermine our message about keeping campaigns as ethical, honest and transparent as possible.”

Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, was even more aggrieved: “I’m disgusted that hard-earned money intended to support Democrats is being used to boost Trump-endorsed candidates, particularly the far-right opponent of one of the most honorable Republicans in Congress, @RepMeijer.”

And California Rep. Jimmy Gomez said the spending against Meijer and others “sends the wrong message” because the Democratic Party “shouldn’t be associated with any of these election deniers.”

Democrats involved in those efforts defended their actions, arguing that even if the attempt is risky, it is worth it to protect Democratic majorities in 2022.

JB Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, said that while their effort in Colorado did not lead to Hanks being the nominee, “we worked to weaken both their campaigns” and forced O’Dea to “burn through cash,” “embrace Trump” and saddled him with baggage ahead of the general election.

David Turner, strategist for the Democratic Governors Association, said the group is simply “educating the public on the MAGA extremism, and cowardice, of today’s Republican party,” something he argued was “essential to ensuring all citizens have the facts.”

Read more.

The Michigan Republican Party has canceled an election night party in Lansing after a series of threats, party spokesman Gustavo Portela said.

A female staffer was threatened this morning by someone who said they wanted to burn down the Michigan GOP’s Lansing headquarters, Portela said.

“Obviously, it prompted us to cancel the event this evening,” he said, adding that there will be additional security for a unity luncheon Wednesday that’s expected to feature the Republican ticket.

Portela said the Michigan Republican Party had received various threats via mail throughout the week. 

“We received multiple threats about attacks to the building and staff,” he said. “We never considered them to be as serious as the one this morning.”

Republican primary voters heading to the polls today say they feel the weight of their vote in 2022.

Terry Shephard, who said he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq over his 30 year career in the US Marines, voted against the Trump-endorsed candidates in both the gubernatorial and US Senate contests.

“I think the Republican Party is going the wrong way in history,” Shephard said, heading into his polling place in Scottsdale. He said the recent Senate vote on burn pits legislation and the abortion restrictions backed by Republicans disappointed him. He also dismissed former President Donald Trump’s endorsements in the Arizona GOP primary.

Shephard voted for Karrin Taylor Robson to be the Republican nominee for governor, saying he didn’t trust Trump-backed Kari Lake’s conservative credentials.

But Republican voter Ty Nuessle, who came to the same Scottsdale polling place, did vote for two of Trump’s endorsed candidates — Lake and US Senate candidate Blake Masters. While the former President has some sway with Nuessle, he didn’t vote for all of Trump’s picks in Arizona.

Nuessle’s top issue as he voted was immigration, and he said Lake’s pledge to build a continuous wall along the Arizona border with Mexico drew him to her. “I like her grit,” he said.

Nuessle said he hopes his party stops relitigating the 2020 election. He said Arizona Republicans need to move on for the sake of their own turnout.

Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer, a freshman lawmaker who was among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump last year, is attempting to survive a 3rd District primary challenge Tuesday from John Gibbs, who has the endorsement of the former President.  

If Meijer does win, it could be with the help of some Democratic voters. 

T.J. Korcal, a 27-year-old human resources worker in Grandville, said after casting his ballot at a library in Grandville, just southwest of Grand Rapids, that he is a Democrat but voted in Michigan’s open Republican primary so he could support the incumbent.  

“He wasn’t endorsed by Trump,” Korcal said of Meijer. He said the congressman’s vote to impeach Trump was a reason he backed him. 

Korcal said he was “not a huge fan” of national Democrats airing television ads supporting Gibbs and believes doing so could backfire in November. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent more than $300,000 on ads boosting Gibbs in a redrawn battleground district that President Joe Biden would have carried by about 9 points.

However, some Republicans, still angry about Meijer’s vote to impeach Trump following the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol, were eager to see the congressman ousted. 

Rob, a 60-year-old delivery worker who said he did not want to give his last name for privacy reasons, told CNN he voted for Gibbs in part because of Trump’s endorsement. 

“Absolutely, that was a big part of it,” Rob said, before adding of Meijer: “He’s been pretty liberal with a lot of his votes.”

The highest profile race on Kansas’ primary election ballot on Tuesday will be a measure on abortion rights.  

It’s the first popular vote on abortion since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Voters will cast ballots on whether the right should be explicitly excluded from the state’s constitution. The vote comes after a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling found the state constitution does protect the right to an abortion.

Supporters of the amendment have labeled the measure the “Value Them Both” amendment, and it’s been backed by national anti-abortion groups. While the amendment’s passage wouldn’t outlaw abortion in the state, it would allow the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to do so.

Other key races: Kansas will also hold primaries for Senate and governor. Additionally, former Kansas Secretary of State and 2020 Senate candidate Kris Kobach returns to the ballot in the Republican Attorney General contest. 

Poll times: Kansas is mostly in the Central Time Zone, except for some western counties that are on Mountain Time. Polls generally open at 7 a.m. local time and close at 7 p.m. local time.

Voter eligibility: Kansas primaries are only open to registered party members, but unaffiliated voters can affiliate with a party at the polls. Any voter can vote on the constitutional amendment. Voters will need to provide a form of ID to cast their ballot.

See how Kansas’ new congressional map shifts power.

Arizona’s redistricting commission drew a new map that’s expected to benefit Republicans but maintains two competitive districts in the Grand Canyon State.

Arizona will continue to have nine seats in the House. The new map adds a White-majority district, for a total of seven. There will continue to be two Hispanic-majority districts.

See the new map here:

CNN’s Melissa DePalo, Eleanor Stubbs and Christopher Hickey contributed to this report.

Two of Tuesday’s primaries in Washington state represent a key question for the Republican Party: 18 months removed from Donald Trump’s second impeachment, has the GOP anger at party lawmakers who backed the effort subsided?

Primary voters will answer that question for Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, two of the 10 House Republicans who joined Democrats to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. In the months since their votes, both have paid the price at home. They have been criticized by their state party, censured by local leaders and challenged by handfuls of Republican challengers.

But heading into Tuesday, Republicans in Washington state acknowledge that there is considerable uncertainty in both primaries, leading many in the state to believe it is possible — if not likely — that they could survive.

Herrera Beutler is facing off against a series of opponents who have attacked her for the impeachment vote, including author Heidi St. John, state Rep. Vicki Kraft and retired special forces officer Joe Kent, whom Trump has backed.

Newhouse, likewise, faces a series of Republicans who have hammered him for his vote, including former NASCAR driver Jerrod Sessler, state Rep. Brad Klippert and vocal election denier Loren Culp, who has been endorsed by Trump.

A spokesperson for Herrera Beutler and Newhouse did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment for this story.

There is little public polling in either race, leaving many in the dark about what could happen. Adding to the uncertainty in both races is the fact that redistricting has shifted both districts slightly and Washington state’s open nonpartisan primary system that allows people to vote for any candidate, regardless of affiliation. The top two vote-getters in the primary move on to the general election, regardless of party.

Read more here.

Ray Reed, a 25-year-old Democrat on the ballot in Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District today, is one of the first members of Generation Z to run for Congress.  

If elected, Reed said he would bring his perspective as a young American to Congress, adding that one of the reasons he ran for federal office is because of gun violence in America. 

“The theme of Gen Z is that we don’t wait around for folks to fix the problems. I think the campaign itself is very Gen Z because we’re just stepping up to run for Congress, and we’ve got a bunch of scrappy 20-year-olds that put this campaign together, and here we are at the finish line of the primary,” he said.

Reed said that in his “heavily suburban district,” gun control has been an issue at the forefront of his campaign and that even though he’s “not elected yet,” he felt a responsibility to advocate for his community and generation. 

Reed is running for the Democratic nomination in the district currently held by Republican Rep. Ann Wagner. He faces Democratic state Rep. Trish Gunby in Tuesday’s primary. 

In addition to prioritizing gun violence prevention methods, Reed said he has centered on issues such as student loan forgiveness, reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights. 

Asked about challenges he faced while campaigning, Reed said one obstacle was “going up against the big money and the machine.” 

“But the way you beat money is with the movement, so that’s why we went around to a bunch of high schools and colleges just talking to kids about voter registration and voter education, just trying to build our army of young people in this campaign. Just giving my generation a voice,” he said.

“If I don’t do anything else, I will commit my life to making sure that young people especially are involved in our civic process,” he added.