Primaries Test Redistricting, Trump Influence as Florida and Alaska Vote

Voters in four states head to the polls Tuesday in primaries that will help define the political landscape ahead of the November midterms. The contests in Florida, Alaska, Wyoming and California come as Republican-led redistricting has redrawn congressional maps and as internal Democratic battles between the establishment and progressive wings intensify.

In Florida, the race to succeed term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis has drawn national attention. Republican Representative Byron Donalds, a Trump-backed rising star, is seeking to become the state's first Black governor. A win would place him alongside other Black Republican gubernatorial nominees this cycle, including Michigan's John James and Minnesota's Lisa Demuth. On the Democratic side, the party's nominee will emerge from a field that includes David Crowley, who recently won a narrow primary in Wisconsin, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, running in Georgia. The eventual Democratic nominee will likely face David Jolly, a former Republican turned independent turned Democrat.

The state's redrawn congressional map has created several awkward matchups. In South Florida, veteran Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz faces a challenge from former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in a district that is nearly majority Black. Wasserman Schultz, a former national party chair, is the only white candidate in a field of five, a dynamic that has raised questions about representation and fueled tensions within the party.

The race to fill Donalds' House seat features a crowded and colorful field, including two former members of Congress seeking comebacks after scandal-plagued exits: Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York, who was pardoned by Trump after a prison sentence. Other candidates have run for office in different states, and one, John Strand, served prison time for his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault.

The Democratic primary for the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio pits progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon against retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, who testified against Trump during his first impeachment. The winner will likely face interim Senator Ashley Moody, a Republican appointed by DeSantis.

In Alaska, the Senate race features incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan facing another candidate with the same name, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher whom Republicans have dismissed as a sham candidate. Also in the race is former Representative Mary Peltola, who would become the first Alaska Native senator if elected. The state's open primary system sends the top four finishers to a ranked-choice general election.

Wyoming, where Republicans outnumber Democrats seven to one, has open races for governor, Senate and House for the first time in over three decades. Senator Cynthia Lummis is retiring after one term, and Representative Harriet Hageman, who defeated Liz Cheney in 2022, is running to replace her. Nine Republicans are competing for Hageman's House seat.

In California's Bay Area, voters are choosing a successor to Representative Eric Swalwell, who resigned amid sexual assault allegations. The race has drawn significant outside spending from pro-Israel groups, a dynamic that backfired in a recent Michigan Democratic primary where Abdul El-Sayed won despite heavy opposition spending.