Aug. 14 primary results: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut
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Four states held primaries on Tuesday as Democrats hope to make a push in November's midterm elections to regain control in Washington.
Gubernatorial primary results:
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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.
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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:
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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 %
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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.
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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 %
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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.
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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%
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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.
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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.
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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
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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:
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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
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GOP Primary – Jason Lewis UNCONTESTED
District 3: Dem Primary - Dean Phillips Votes: 56,697 Vote Percentage: 81.6%
GOP Primary - Erik Paulsen UNCONTESTED
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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%
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GOP Primary - Jennifer Zielinski Votes: 8,680 Vote Percentage: 56.5%
Gubernatorial primary results:
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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.
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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:
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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 %
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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
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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.