OnPolitics: 4 takeaways from Tuesday's pivotal 2024 primaries
Hey OnPolitics readers! Vice President Kamala Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve as her running mate on Tuesday, but that wasn't the only critical 2024 moment of the day. States from Missouri to Michigan and Washington also held pivotal primary races that could set the stage for November.
Progressive Democrats were handed their second major defeat of the year when Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., lost her St. Louis primary, Paste BN's Karissa Waddick and Marina Pitofsky reported. A handful of other House and Senate primaries in Michigan and Washington paved the way for heated matchups that could determine the balance of power in the nation's capital next year.
❌ Cori Bush loss marks blow for the "Squad": A second-term representative, Bush lost her primary Tuesday to St. Louis prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell. It was a race largely defined by Bush's criticism of the Israeli government’s handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza and the way lawmakers have split on the conflict.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
❓Will a Republican who voted to impeach Trump avoid defeat?: Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and still remains in Congress, is still in the running in a nonpartisan primary contest despite challenges from Trump-backed candidates.
✅Michigan’s swing Senate race is set: When Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the third-ranking party official in the Senate, announced her retirement last year, the GOP saw it as an opportunity to pick up another seat in the closely divided chamber. Michigan's Senate race is expected to be among the most competitive this year – with the Cook Political Report rating it as a toss-up between Republican and Democrats.
Democratic Rep. Elise Slotkin, a former intelligence official and acting assistant secretary in the Defense Department who currently represents Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, will face off against her fellow House member Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, a former law enforcement officer who represents Michigan’s 8th District.
Read more: Cori Bush loses race, Michigan showdown is set: 4 takeaways from Tuesday's pivotal 2024 primaries
Stay in the know on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter