Six-State Primary Day Puts Democratic Party's Internal Fault Lines on Display
Primaries in six US states test the Democratic Party's direction, with key races in Minnesota and Wisconsin pitting progressives against centrists.
Voters across six U.S. states — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin — headed to the polls on Tuesday in primary elections that are sharpening the Democratic Party's internal debate over its political strategy.
The most closely watched contests are in the upper Midwest, where progressive candidates are challenging the party's established wing. In Minnesota, the Democratic U.S. Senate primary pits centrist Representative Angie Craig against progressive Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, offering a direct test of the party's ideological direction in a key battleground state.
Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary features a similar dynamic. Democratic socialist Francesca Hong is mounting an insurgent campaign against David Crowley, who re-entered the race with Governor Tony Evers' endorsement after a series of late shakeups. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez dropped out last month amid a campaign finance scandal, and former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes exited less than two weeks before the primary following questions about inappropriate behavior.
The progressive push comes on the heels of a significant victory last week in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens in a costly Senate primary. That result has energized the left but has also raised concerns among party leaders that a sharp turn leftward could complicate general election prospects in competitive states like Michigan and Wisconsin.
On the Republican side, Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, leads a crowded gubernatorial primary in Minnesota with the endorsement of President Donald Trump. In Wisconsin, Representative Tom Tiffany holds Trump's endorsement in the GOP gubernatorial primary and faces nominal opposition. A Trump-backed candidate, Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking the Republican nomination in a U.S. House race for Duffy's former district.
South Carolina Republicans are holding a special primary to fill the late Senator Lindsey Graham's spot on the November ballot. The race has drawn top party figures, including two congressmen and a former governor, but Trump has endorsed Graham's sister, Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother's term.
Connecticut is holding special primaries in four congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court permitted the state to revise its congressional maps. The state voided the results of its May primaries and rescheduled them using the new boundaries. Turnout is expected to be low, following a 23% turnout in May and 10.7% in the June runoff. Six Republicans are competing in the redrawn 2nd District, with the winner set to face Democratic Representative Shomari Figures in November.
In Connecticut's gubernatorial race, Governor Ned Lamont, 71, faces a primary challenge from state Representative Josh Elliott, 42, who is running to his left. Lamont, one of two Democratic governors who attended Trump's inauguration, has drawn criticism from more liberal Democrats for his selective approach to opposing the president.
Polling places in Connecticut opened at 7 a.m. EDT and close at 7 p.m. In South Carolina, the special primary coincides with the first day of school in some areas, prompting changes to typical polling locations.