See how Kansas’ new congressional map shifts voting power in Kansas City
If this Republican congressman wins in Michigan, it could be with the help of Democratic voters
From CNN’s Eric Bradner
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.”
Kansas’ primary election includes a ballot measure on abortion rights. Here’s what you need to know about it
From CNN’s Ethan Cohen and Melissa Holzberg DePalo
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.
The proposed amendment states: “Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion.” In other words, a “yes” vote would remove the right to abortion from the state constitution, while a “no” vote would maintain it.
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.
Here’s a look at Arizona’s new congressional map
From CNN’s Janie Boschma, Renée Rigdon, Byron Manley and Ethan Cohen
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.
These 2 candidates voted to impeach Trump. Voters in Washington state will decide whether that matters.
From CNN’s Dan Merica
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.
“If the vote was held a month (after the impeachment decision), they probably would have lost,” said one Washington Republican operative. “But given 9% inflation, given the high gas prices we saw, if you are talking with conservative voters, they may be more concerned with the current situation in the country than they are 16 or 18 months ago.”
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.
This 25-year-old congressional candidate is one of the first Gen Zers to run for federal office
From CNN’s Rachel Janfaza
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.
“I come from the school shooting generation. I had to practice school shooter drills before I even knew how to read,” said Reed, who traveled to Washington, DC, in June to lobby members of Congress in favor of gun violence prevention after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“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.
Arizona county beefs up police presence at polls
From CNN’s Kyung Lah and Kim Berryman
As voters head to the polls for Arizona’s primary, plainclothes officers and visible deputies will be present because of fiery political rhetoric that has alarmed law enforcement.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department has a “more robust” presence in force, according to Sheriff Paul Penzone.
Penzone canceled all personal time off for his department’s approximately 750 deputies this week due to the election. It is a first-time election week move by the sheriff, according to the department. Penzone said that while plainclothes deputies have surveyed polling sites in previous elections, this primary marks a heightened law enforcement profile for the department.
“There is nothing overwhelming that’s provoked this,” said Penzone at a press conference two weeks ahead of the primary. But citing an uptick in political violence across the nation, the sheriff said he was taking a proactive move on staffing for the protection of the public and his deputies already on duty today. He also called out Arizona politicians for their pre-Election Day rhetoric.
“We hear what is irresponsible vitriol from different people who can be in different forms of leadership. Some are candidates, some are elected officials,” said Penzone. “Words matter. And when you say things that cause people to believe that they can’t trust in a system that is trustworthy, then people act emotionally and emotions lead to bad judgment and bad behavior.”
Penzone was the sheriff in November 2020 when hundreds of armed, self-described “Stop the Steal” protesters surrounded the Maricopa County Elections Department as election workers counted ballots.
“There will be zero tolerance and we will protect democracy and make sure people can vote safely,” Penzone said.
Key things to know about the Michigan primary election
From CNN’s Ethan Cohen, Melissa Holzberg DePalo, Clara Grudberg and Nicholas Anastacio
The biggest primary in Michigan will be for governor, with a crowded Republican field vying to face off against incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
In the state’s 3rd Congressional District, Republican Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted for former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment, is facing a primary challenger backed by Trump.
Trump has also endorsed high-profile election denying candidates for Michigan secretary of state and attorney general. However, there won’t be primaries in those races because those nominations are decided by party conventions.
Here are the key races to watch:
- GOP governor: After a signature forgery scandal caused several major candidates to miss the ballot, Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary field is made up of mostly political outsiders. Trump endorsed political commentator Tudor Dixon on Friday. Dixon also touts the backing of groups like the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Susan B. Anthony List. She’s also received an endorsement and financial backing from former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ family. Businessman Kevin Rinke, who owned a chain of car dealerships, has poured millions of dollars into his campaign and proposes eliminating the state’s income tax. He’s also attacked Dixon over her support from DeVos, describing the former education secretary as a “anti-MAGA turncoat.” Rinke faced attacks from Dixon’s allies and other rivals over 90s era lawsuits over sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace. While none of the major candidates are distancing themselves from Trump, some are even further outside the mainstream. Ryan Kelley, a real estate broker, was arrested by the FBI on misdemeanor charges for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Kelley pleaded not guilty and claims he was only engaged in “First Amendment activity.” Chiropractor Garrett Soldano gained a following from protesting pandemic restrictions and has called the 2020 election “an absolute disaster.”
- GOP 3rd Congressional District: As one of the 10 Republican representatives who voted to impeach former President Trump after Jan. 6, Rep. Peter Meijer is facing a steep primary challenge from Trump-endorsed candidate John Gibbs. Meijer’s impeachment vote has been a major attack point for Gibbs, who served as an official in the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration. In a recent television roundtable, Gibbs repeated the lie that the outcome of the 2020 election was “mathematically anomalous.”
- Democratic 11th Congressional District: Redistricting led to an incumbent v. incumbent face off in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District between Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens. Both representatives were elected to their seats in 2018, but Levin won almost 60% of the vote in a race to replace his father in the 9th district, while Stevens flipped the 11th district while winning only about 52%. Levin is generally considered the more progressive candidate in the race, but the Stevens campaign has tried to downplay the ideological differences between the two.
Poll times: Michigan is mostly in the Eastern Time Zone, with some counties on the Upper Peninsula in the Central Time Zone. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.
Voter eligibility: Michigan voters do not register with a political party and can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary when selecting their ballot. Voters are required to show photo ID at their polling place, or sign an affidavit attesting they are not in possession of an ID.
See how redistricting is changing voter demographics in Michigan.
See how Kansas’ new congressional map shifts voting power in Kansas City
From CNN’s Janie Boschma, Renée Rigdon, Byron Manley and Ethan Cohen
The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the Republican-drawn map that had been blocked by a lower court over partisan gerrymandering and diluting minority voting strength.
The new congressional map splits Wyandotte County — home to Kansas City — into two congressional districts for the first time in several decades. The change likely makes it more difficult for Kansas’ only Democratic member of Congress, Rep. Sharice Davids, to win reelection in the 3rd Congressional District, which previously included all of Kansas City.
Kansas will continue to have four House seats. In all four, White residents represent the majority.
See the state’s new map:
CNN’s Melissa DePalo, Eleanor Stubbs and Christopher Hickey contributed to this report.
Michigan candidates who have promoted false 2020 election claims say they trust today’s results
From CNN’s Sara Murray and Jeff Simon
Garrett Soldano – one of the candidates battling in Michigan’s Republican primary for governor – is still falsely claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen. But when it comes to the race today, Soldano said he trusts the results.
“I’ll accept them,” he said in an interview with CNN over the weekend after a campaign stop at Pete’s Place restaurant in Taylor, Mich. Soldano said when voters ask him whether he thinks the 2022 election could be stolen, he tells them “no”.
“We have helped recruit thousands of licensed election inspectors and poll waters for people to get involved this election,” Soldano said. “And I feel very strongly that the 2022 election will be secure because of our movement and we the people getting involved.”
Tudor Dixon, who has bandied back and forth on whether she believes former President Trump won Michigan in 2020 — a state Trump lost by more than 154,000 votes — also said she has faith in the results of today’s primary.
“Now we have a lot of boots on the ground on our side, so I feel like we’re going to have a secure election,” Dixon said. “But we have to make sure we have secure elections going forward.”
Ralph Rebandt, a pastor who’s running for the nomination, has claimed there was widespread fraud in 2020 even though fraud claims have been widely debunked. He told CNN he feels better about 2022, though.
“I have more confidence in this election than the 2020 election,” Rebandt said. “Attention has been drawn and measures put in place to make it harder to commit voter fraud.”
Candidate Kevin Rinke, who has said there were “irregularities” in 2020, didn’t directly answer whether he has confidence in today’s results but professed his faith in the voters.
“We trust the voters of Michigan will decide who wins today’s primary,” Rinke said, but added that Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer should have done more to strengthen election security. “I am the only one in the race who has called for an election integrity unit to ensure the voters of Michigan have confidence in our elections.”
A spokesperson for Ryan Kelley, another GOP candidate who has spread falsehoods about 2020, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Correction: An earlier headline on this post misstated the state where these candidates are running. It is Michigan.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/primary-election-results-arizona-michigan-missouri-2022/index.html
