Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary, seen as test of Trump's clout, may go to a recount: LIVE UPDATES
The razor-thin Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary may be headed for a recount, as Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick are within tenths of a percent point in election night returns.
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NEWTOWN, PA – The razor-thin race between Pennsylvania Senate GOP frontrunners Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick may be headed for a recount as the candidates sit just tenths of a percentage point apart in election night returns as of early Wednesday morning.
The automatic recount threshold in Pennsylvania is 0.5%. That means depending on where any still-outstanding ballots fall, voters could be waiting days more to find out who will face Democrat nominee Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in the open-seat race that's crucial to control of the U.S. Senate.
"So we're not going to have a result tonight. When all the votes are tallied, I am confident we will win," Oz told supporters at his election night party.
"We are going to win this campaign," McCormick said. "Right now we have tens of thousands of mail-in ballots that have not been counted... unfortunately we're not going to have resolution tonight. But we can see the path ahead, we can see victory ahead."
To read more from Fox News' Tyler Olson and Paul Steinhauser, click here.
Pennsylvania Senate GOP frontrunners Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick each predicted victory Tuesday amid a razor-thin race between the pair that may be headed for an automatic recount.
"So we're not going to have a result tonight. When all the votes are tallied, I am confident we will win," Oz told supporters at his election night party.
"We are going to win this campaign," McCormick. "Right now we have tens of thousands of mail-in ballots that have not be counted... unfortunately we're not going to have resolution tonight. But we can see the path ahead, we can see victory ahead."
Oz, a Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor, and McCormick, a former hedge fund manager, were within tenths of a percentage point in election night returns Tuesday.
The winner of the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary will face Democrat nominee John Fetterman in November.
The Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary could be headed for a recount Tuesday as former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick and Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz are within just tenths of a percentage point in the election night results.
Pennsylvania law requires an automatic recount for statewide races that are within .5% of the total vote -- meaning Pennsylvania voters may need to wait a little longer to find out their Republican Senate nominee.
The eventual GOP primary winner will face Democrat Senate nominee Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who won his race despite suffering a stroke last week.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tuesday congratulated North Carolina 11th Congressional District nominee Chuck Edwards on his primary victory over Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., after the senator endorsed Edwards over the controversial congressman.
"Republicans chose Chuck Edwards tonight because he is the embodiment of Mountain values who will fight for them every single day in Congress with honor and integrity," Tillis said. "I have no doubt he will win in November and I can't wait to work together on behalf of Western North Carolina and hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for its failed policies."
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., called to concede his House GOP primary to state legislator Chuck Edwards Tuesday night as Edwards held a narrow lead with nearly all votes counted in North Carolina's 11th Congressional District.
Edwards said Cawthorn conceded in remarks to supporters at his election night party, according to Fox News Austin Westfall.
"This is simply incredible. Against all odds, we fought hard to win this election and provide clear conservative leadership for the mountains. I am so grateful for the support I received and am forever indebted to the hardworking people of this district who made this victory possible," Edwards said in a statement.
"Now, we will harness this energy, come together as a party, and keep this seat in Republican hands in November," Edwards added. "My campaign has been about staying true to mountain values and delivering real results for Western North Carolina, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
Fox News' Marisa Schultz confirmed with Cawthorn's campaign that he did indeed call to concede to Edwards.
Edwards, who is a state senator, was endorsed by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and backed by parts of the GOP establishment against the 26-year-old firebrand.
State legislator Doug Mastriano will win the Republican primary in Pennsylvania's governor's race, the Associated Press projected Tuesday.
Mastriano, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, worried some Pennsylvania Republicans who thought he may have a hard time winning in November due to his embrace of efforts to relitigate the 2020 election.
Some Republicans sought to coalesce around Mastriano's primary opponent, Lou Barletta. But Mastriano prevailed, in yet another example of Trump's firm grip on the GOP -- just a few weeks after Trump powered Ohio GOP Senate nominee JD Vance to victory.
FILE - U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks to the crowd before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally, April 9, 2022, in Selma, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File) (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
Via Fox News' Marisa Schultz:
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., late Tuesday was still projecting a win in his primary contest, while acknowledging it’s “closer than I thought it would be.”
Shortly after 9 p.m. Cawthorn was trailing state Sen. Chuck Edwards, whose legislative district includes the 11th Congressional seat. Cawthorn’s team expected Edwards to have a better start with the absentee voters, but projected Cawthorn would close the gap as more votes were tallied.
“We've got high hopes that we will win,” Cawthorn told Fox News Digital. “I don't believe that this will go to a runoff.”
“We know that Cawthorn voters are day-of voters,” Cawthorn added.
The 26-year-old freshman who faced a series of negative headlines said the reason the race was so tight is because his party worked to oust him.
“The biggest thing is probably just the coordinated strike that's really been carried out by members of my own party,” Cawthorn said. “I believe that there's a war going on between which version of conservatism and Republicanism is going to move forward.”
He credited former President Donald Trump for standing by him as he faced the “coordinated strike from members of my own party colluding with the media.”
“When he has your back, he has your back to the end,” Cawthorn said of Trump.
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Kathy Barnette danced the Macarena with supporters at her lively election night party, according to Fox News' Alexandria Hoff.
Barnette is in a too-close-to-call race with Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormik in a race that could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
The crowd at Barnette's party later moved on to dancing the Cotton Eye Joe.
Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., was greeted with cheers by supporters at his election night party in Bermuda Run Tuesday, after the Associated Press projected that he will be the state's GOP Senate nominee in November.
Budd easily beat former GOP Gov. Pat McCrory, owing in part to an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Budd will take on Democrat nominee Cheri Beasley in November.
Watch above via Fox News Digital's Matt Leach.
Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Tuesday took the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nomination despite a stroke last week, as three major GOP candidates battle it out in a too-close-to-call primary ahead of a midterm race that's key to the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
Fetterman won over moderate Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa., in a victory for progressives in the Keystone State.
To read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Tyler Olson, click here.
NEWTOWN, PA – The polls have closed in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Democratic and Republican primary voters are choosing their party’s nominees for governor, and for the U.S. Senate in a race that could decide whether the GOP wins back the chamber’s majority in November’s midterm elections.
While former President Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot on Tuesday, his continued firm grip over the GOP is on the line in the Republican Senate showdown, following his endorsement and full court press of support the past week and a half for Mehmet Oz, one of the front-runners in the primary race.
Also grabbing national attention is the likelihood that state Sen. Doug Mastriano — a strong supporter of Trump’s repeated attempts the past year and a half to relitigate his 2020 election loss, who was endorsed by the former president just three days ago — may win the GOP gubernatorial nomination. That could potentially cause the GOP major headaches in the general election.
To read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser, click here.
Polls closed for primary voters in Pennsylvania at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Voters in the Keystone State are deciding a crucial Senate Republican primary that's become a three-way race between former hedge fund manager Dave McCormack, Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, and conservative commentator Kathy Barnette.
Many in the GOP establishment, including Trump, sought to slow Barnette's late rise in the polls. The winner of that race will likely face Democrat frontrunner and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in November.
In other major Pennsylvania races, voters are also deciding the state's GOP gubernatorial primary, which includes Trump-endorsed Doug Mastriano; the Democratic gubernatorial primary, which is expected to be won by Attorney General Josh Shaprio; and a Democratic House primary between "Squad"-backed Summer Lee and attorney Steve Irwin.
Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is projected by the Associated Press to win the North Carolina Republican Senate primary, after an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Budd aims to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr.
Budd will face Democrat Cheri Beasley in the general election, who the Associated Press also projects to win her primary.
Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said backing from former President Trump has been a "huge" factor in his bid to become the next senator from North Carolina.
Budd earned Trump's endorsement last summer for the open seat and in recent weeks the congressman surged to front-runner status in the contentious primary showdown that also includes former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker.
"I think it was huge," Budd told Fox News Digital Tuesday of Trump's endorsement. "But it really helps especially when you work hard like we've done. We've stayed focused. We've worked hard. Stay humble and go out and ask people for their prayers, their support and their vote."
To read more from Fox News' Matt Leach and Marisa Schultz, click here.
FILE - U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., speaks to the crowd before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally, April 9, 2022, in Selma, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File) (AP Photo/Chris Seward, File)
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the youngest member of Congress, is trying to fend off credible GOP challengers Tuesday who say the 26-year-old has brought too much negative attention to his North Carolina district.
Once hailed as a rising star in the party who can counter the progressive Squad with an America First message, Cawthorn ending up facing a difficult re-election, with certain GOP congressional leaders losing faith in him following a string of questionable actions.
Cawthorn maintained his support from former President Trump, who urged supporters in a last minute message on his Truth Social site to not give up on the young congressman: "Recently, he made some foolish mistakes, which I don’t believe he’ll make again," Trump posted this week. "Let’s give Madison a second chance!"
To read more from Fox News' Marisa Schultz, click here.
Polls closed for voters in North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
In what may be the highest-profile House race of the night, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., aims to hold onto his seat against a crowded field of primary challengers. Cawthorn, a lightning-rod member of Congress upset GOP leadership on multiple occasions and drew fire from the GOP establishment.
One of Cawthorn's challengers, Chuck Edwards, is endorsed by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is retiring. To fill his seat, former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C. The other major candidate in that GOP primary is former Gov. Pat McCrory.
The North Carolina Senate race is one of several major tests of Trump's endorsement power in the month of May.
Final polls closed at 7 p.m. ET for Kentucky primary voters Tuesday.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is up for reelection and the leader to win the GOP primary for his seat. Former state lawmaker Charles Booker is the Democrat frontrunner to challenge Paul.
The general election race between those two men was crystallized Tuesday night when the Associated Press called their races shortly after 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, progressive state lawmakers Morgan McGarvey and Attica Scott are in a Democrat primary to replace retiring Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., the state's only Democrat in its congressional delegation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pennsylvania Democratic Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman will undergo a procedure to have a pacemaker implanted after he suffered from a stroke last Friday.
"John Fetterman is about to undergo a standard procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator," Fetterman's campaign said Tuesday. "It should be a short procedure that will help protect his heart and address the underlying cause of his stroke, atrial fibrillation (A-fib), by regulating his heart rate and rhythm."
To read more from Fox News' Kyle Morris, click here
BRYN ATHYN, PA – Thanks to a full court press by former President Donald Trump on his behalf, Mehmet Oz is confident he’ll win Pennsylvania’s crowded, divisive, and extremely expensive Republican Senate primary.
"I feel very confident. The light has come out. It’s shining on us," the cardiac surgeon, author, well-known celebrity physician, and first-time candidate told Fox News after voting Tuesday morning in this small and affluent community in Philadelphia’s northern suburbs. "I’m in a very good spot. The polls have been supportive."
But Trump’s support for Oz did prevent veteran and conservative commentator Kathy Barnette’s from soaring the past month in public opinion surveys — including a Fox News poll — making the Republican primary a three-way face-off.
Barnette, who voted at a polling station just a couple of miles from where Oz cast his ballot, told reporters she’s "confident" and "I’m so excited we get to make history by the grace of God."
To read more from Fox News Paul Steinhauser, click here
Ray D’Agostino, the commissioner in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, told Fox News that his county is experiencing some issues with mail-in ballots.
The county noticed noticed Tuesday morning, when counting mail-in ballots, that there was a “significant number” of ballots with the incorrect election identification number. This means these ballots could not be scanned.
They have received a total of 21,000 mail-in votes and cannot give me an approximate number for how many are incorrect, other than saying it’s a “significant number." The next steps will be to have teams of 2-3 people who will read aloud the marked names on a ballot while someone marks those names on a new ballot with a correct election identification number. Then that new ballot will be scanned.
This issue will make counting take longer than scanning as normal. The county used the same vendor as last cycle, which was agreed upon by both parties. The county received test ballots ahead of this without issue. “This was not supposed to happen," they told Fox News.
U.S. Representative Kurt Schrader, D-OR, faces a tough primary challenge on Tuesday. (Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Tuesday's primaries in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Oregon mark the end of several fierce intraparty battles for House nominations ahead of this November's midterm elections.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Summer Lee, a far-left progressive, is looking to take retiring Rep. Mike Doyle’s, D-Penn., vacating seat. Lee, a "Squad"-backed democratic socialist, is facing down Steve Irwin, an attorney and activist in western Pennsylvania who supports a single-payer healthcare system but has differentiated himself from Lee on account of his strong pro-Israel stance.
Oregon is seeing a similar battle play out between Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and his challenger Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
The cowboy congressman received a potential primary boon through his endorsement by President Biden, who threw his hat behind the Oregon Democrat in light of his vote against the president’s $1.9 trillion spending bill.
Republicans aren’t free from a potential primary shake-up, either.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., is facing a primary blitz ahead of his first re-election bid that has seen a PAC linked to Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., throw hundreds of thousands of dollars against the freshman congressman.
To read more from Fox News' Houston Keene, click here.
Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz listens as former President Donald Trump calls into Oz's primary eve rally in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on May 16, 2022. (Fox News )
Former President Donald Trump, put in a last-minute pitch in for Mehmet Oz, the Senate candidate he endorsed in Pennsylvania’s crowded, combative, and extremely expensive GOP Senate race.
"This is Donald Trump urging you to vote for Dr. Oz on Tuesday," the former president said in an automated call on behalf of Oz on the eve of Tuesday's primary in the key battleground state.
And Trump called into the cardiac surgeon, author and well-known celebrity physician’s final campaign event and accompanying tele-rally ahead of the primary, stressing that Oz is "never, ever going to let you down. He's a strong guy, smart gentleman…he's going to be a great senator."
Trump isn't on the ballot, but the strength of his grip over the GOP is being tested in Pennsylvania and a handful of other states holding primaries on Tuesday.
To read more from Fox News' Paul Steinhauser, click here.
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