Aug. 14 primary results: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut

close

Video

Midterm matchups decided in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont

Peter Doocy reports on the primary results in key gubernatorial races.

Four states held primaries on Tuesday as Democrats hope to make a push in November's midterm elections to regain control in Washington.

Wisconsin

Gubernatorial primary results:

Republican Gov. Scott Walker handedly defeated sole GOP challenger Robert Meyer, earning 91.59 percent of the votes compared to Meyer’s 8.41 percent in Tuesday’s primary.

On the Democratic side, 66-year-old cancer survivor and state superintendent Tony Evers defeated nine other candidates with 41.75 percent of votes.

Walker, seeking his 3rd term, will square off with Evers come November.

GOP Primary – Scott Walker        Votes: 417,654       Vote Percentage: 91.59 %

Dem Primary – Tony Evers           Votes: 224,544       Vote Percentage: 41.75 %

U.S. Senate primary results:

Leah Vukmir, a Wisconsin state senator and close ally to Gov. Scott Walker, defeated former marine Kevin Nicholson, earning 49.04 percent of the votes.

The 60-year-old retired nurse will face Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

GOP Primary - Leah Vukmir         Votes: 217,023        Vote Percentage: 49.04 %

Dem Primary – Tammy Baldwin    UNCONTESTED

U.S. House of Representatives

Randy Bryce, a union worker known as “Iron Stache,” won the Democratic party’s primary on Tuesday to replace a seat held by Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan for 20 years. He defeated challenger Cathy Meyers with 59.58 percent of the vote.

Bryan Steil, a former Ryan aide, defeated five other challengers with 51.58 percent of the vote to earn the GOP bid as Republicans hope to keep the long-held seat red come November.

GOP Primary – Bryan Steil            Votes: 30,883     Vote Percentage: 51.58 %

Dem Primary – Randy Bryce        Votes: 36,397     Vote Percentage: 59.58 %

Minnesota

Gubernatorial primary results:

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson defeated former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a surprising upset Tuesday to secure the GOP’s nomination in the state’s primary race for governor.

Johnson, who was considered an underdog in Tuesday’s primary, will now face Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, who secured the bid on the Democratic side, in the midterm elections in the Fall.

GOP Primary - Jeff Johnson         Votes: 167,790      Vote Percentage: 52.59%

Dem Primary - Tim Walz               Votes: 242,092      Vote Percentage: 41.68%

U.S. Senate primary results:

Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who succeeded Sen. Al Franken after he resigned last year following a series of sexual misconduct allegations, easily defeated a former Republican ethics attorney-turned top critic of President Donald Trump to advance to the fall election.

State Sen. Karin Housley secured the GOP nomination and will face Smith in the midterms.

Dem Primary - Tina Smith       Votes: 431,369           Vote Percentage: 76.04%

GOP Primary - Karin Housley   Votes: 185, 382        Vote Percentage: 61.99%

In Minnesota’s other U.S. Senate Race, incumbent Amy Klobuchar cruised to victory beating out four Democrats to square off with the GOP's endorsed candidate, state Rep. Jim Newberger, in November.

Dem Primary - Amy Klobuchar   Votes: 554,480   Vote Percentage: 95.69%

GOP Primary - Jim Newberger   Votes: 200,360   Vote Percentage: 69.51%

U.S. House of Representatives

Somali-American legislator Ilhan Omar won the Democratic Party’s nomination a congressional race in Minnesota’s 5th District, and could become the first Somali-American elected to Congress if she wins in November.

Omar will face Jennifer Zielinski, who earned the GOP’s nomination.

Minnesota had a handful of congressional primaries on Tuesday:

District 1: Dem Primary - Dan Feehan     Votes: 39,253     Vote Percentage 83.1%

GOP Primary -   Jim Hagedorn Votes: 25,502    Vote Percentage: 60.2%

District 2: Dem Primary - Angie Craig     UNCONTESTED

GOP Primary – Jason Lewis    UNCONTESTED

District 3: Dem Primary - Dean Phillips    Votes: 56,697     Vote Percentage: 81.6%

GOP Primary - Erik Paulsen    UNCONTESTED

District 4: Dem Primary - Betty McCollum (i)    Votes: 86,834         Vote Percentage: 91%

GOP Primary – Greg Ryan    UNCONTESTED

District 5: Dem Primary - Ilhan Omar              Votes: 65,238             Vote Percentage: 48.2%

GOP Primary - Jennifer Zielinski     Votes: 8,680                Vote Percentage: 56.5%

Vermont

Gubernatorial primary results:

Christine Hallquist made history Tuesday night, becoming the first transgender candidate from a major political party to be nominated for governor after defeating several Democratic challengers in Vermont’s primary.

On the Republican side, incumbent Phil Scott defeated a challenge from Springfield businessman Keith Stern in his quest to win a second term.

Hallquist, who faces a tough battle in the Fall Midterms against Scott as he is more popular with Democrats than members of his own party in the solidly liberal state, would become the nation's first transgender governor if elected.

Dem Primary - Hallquist, Christine    Votes: 27,558       Vote Percentage: 48.26 %

GOP Primary - Scott, Phil    Votes: 24,206         Vote Percentage: 67.54 %

U.S. Senate primary results:

Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders cruised to victory on Tuesday to win Vermont's Democratic Senate primary, however, he is expected to turn down the nomination as he has done in previous campaigns.

The race for the Republican nomination was too close to call as of early Wednesday morning, with Brooke Paige -- who also ran for the Republican nomination in the state’s U.S. House seat primary race as well as several statewide offices -- holding a narrow lead over Lawrence Zupan.

Dem Primary - Sanders, Bernie (i)             Votes: 63,474     Vote Percentage: 94.41 %

GOP Primary - Paige, Brooke                     Votes: 9,806       Vote Percentage: 39.62 %

  Zupan, Lawrence               Votes: 9,370       Vote Percentage: 37.86 %

U.S. House of Representatives

Perennial candidate Brooke Paige secured the Republican nomination Tuesday in the Vermont primary for the U.S. House, and will face Democratic nominee Peter Welch, who is seeking re-election.

GOP Primary - Paige, Brooke      Votes: 14,705     Vote Percentage: 63.43 %

Dem Primary -   Welch, Peter (i)                  Votes: 55,892    Vote Percentage: 84.14 %

Connecticut

Gubernatorial primary results:

Bob Stefanowski, who dubbed himself Bob the Rebuilder, delivered a stunning upset in the Republican primary for governor in Connecticut on Tuesday by defeating the party’s endorsed candidate, veteran Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

The former GE executive also beat out a handful of other GOP challengers to face off with wealthy businessman, Democrat Ned Lamont, who secured the nomination on the Democratic side, in November.

GOP Primary – Bob Stefanowski     Votes: 41,957                Vote Percentage: 29.4%

Dems Primary - Ned Lamont            Votes: 171,658            Vote Percentage: 81.2%

U.S. Senate primary results:

Christopher S. Murphy was uncontested in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary race in Connecticut to win the Democratic nomination, and will face Matthew Corey, who won the primary on the Republican side, in the Fall.

GOP Primary - Matthew Corey         Votes: 99,639                 Vote Percentage: 76.5%

Dems Primary - Christopher S. Murphy     UNCONTESTED

U.S. House of Representatives

Jahana Hayes, a onetime teen mother who became a celebrated teacher, won the Democratic nomination in a handful of congressional primaries in Connecticut on Tuesday.

The National Teacher of the Year award recipient from President Barack Obama in 2016 will now face Republican Manny Santos, a former mayor of Meriden, in the November midterm election to see who replaces the seat currently held by Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who didn't seek re-election following backlash over her mishandling of a sexual harassment case in her office.

The other congressional primaries in Connecticut on Tuesday include:

District 1: Dems Primary - John B. Larson (incumbent)     UNCONTESTED

GOP Primary - Jennifer Nye    UNCONTESTED

District 2: Dems Primary - Joe Courtney (incumbent)   UNCONTESTED

GOP Primary - Danny Postemski   UNCONTESTED

District 3: Dems Primary - Rosa DeLauro (incumbent)   UNCONTESTED

GOP Primary - Angel Cadena   UNCONTESTED

District 4: Dems Primary - Jim Himes (incumbent)    UNCONTESTED

GOP Primary - Harry Arora     UNCONTESTED

District 5: Dems Primary - Jahana Hayes    Votes: 24,339       Vote Percentage: 62.2%

    GOP Primary - Manny Santos     Votes: 16,219      Vote Percentage: 51.7%

The Associated Press contributed to this report.