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Oz and McCormick are locked in a tight race in the high-stakes Pennsylvania GOP primary that could shape Senate control

The race to replace retired GOP Senator Pat Toomey had been dominated by millions of dollars of negative publicity, mostly between Oz, the celebrity doctor backed by former President Donald Trump, and McCormick, a former hedge fund executive , and their allies.
In the final days before Tuesday’s primary, political commentator Kathy Barnette appeared poised for a late rise as she attempted to claim the ‘Make America Great Again’ label, attempting to channel concerns about the conservative bona fides of Oz among Trump supporters. But early Wednesday, Barnette was trailing in third place.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke last week that kept him in hospital for the final days of the primary, will win the Democratic nod in the Senate, CNN reported Tuesday. His win over moderate Rep. Conor Lamb is a victory for progressive Democrats in a race that represents the party’s best chance of overturning a seat this fall.

It seemed like a mixed night for the former president, who became preoccupied with trying to choose the winners of midterm contests ahead of a possible White House bid in 2024. One of the candidates he backed in an 11th-hour endorsement — Pennsylvania Republican Doug Mastriano, who defended his campaign lies, will win the gubernatorial nod in Keystone State, CNN predicted.

But one of Trump’s congressional cronies, North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, was ousted after a fierce campaign to unseat him by some of his fellow Republican Tar Heels – proving Trump is no lifeline. rescue sufficient to save the most controversial candidates. .
In Idaho, incumbent GOP Governor Brad Little will be re-elected, CNN projects, fending off an unusual challenge from his lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin, which Trump had endorsed.

Holocaust denier wins Pennsylvania governor’s primary

In a state that played a pivotal role in the 2020 election, Mastriano is seeking a position that would allow him to influence state voters in the 2024 presidential race. He will face Democrat Josh Shapiro , the current state attorney general, in November.

In a taste of the murderous race to come, Shapiro immediately issued a statement on Tuesday evening calling Mastriano a “dangerous extremist who wants to take away our freedoms”, accusing the Republican of seeking to “restrict voting and spread theories of the conspiracy”.

According to state campaign finance records.
Immediately after the uprising, Mastriano condemned the violence in a video posted to Facebook, but video and images from the event show him near the Capitol, raising questions about his involvement.

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Mastriano rejected the “extreme” label, arguing that Democrats’ Covid-19 public health measures were extreme.

“On day one, all warrants are gone. On day one, every shot for job requirements is gone,” he said to cheers. “There is a move here that will shock the state in November.”

Madison Cawthorn loses

Cawthorn, the controversial Trump-backed freshman congressman, conceded his North Carolina primary to state Sen. Chuck Edwards on Tuesday night, according to Cawthorn’s spokesperson.

Cawthorn’s concession marked an incredibly rapid downfall for a young conservative who was once seen as a potential GOP star after replacing Mark Meadows, who left Congress to become Trump’s chief of staff.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis had backed Edwards, telling CNN it was the first time in his career that he had opposed a sitting Republican.

Edwards confirmed the call for remarks to supporters on Tuesday night.

“I received a call from Congressman Cawthorn a few minutes ago. As I expected, he introduced himself in a very elegant and humble manner and offered his support for our campaign in every way. possible for us to use it.”

In the North Carolina Senate race, Representative Ted Budd will win the GOP nomination to replace incumbent North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, according to CNN on Tuesday.
Trump endorsed Budd nearly a year ago, but his candidacy took a long time to take off and he struggled to break away from former Gov. Pat McCrory and Rep. Mark Walker in the primary. The Club for Growth’s political action committee’s heavy spending ultimately spurred the conservative congressman, who backed the vote to reject election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania in January 2021.

Democrat Cheri Beasley, who was the first black woman to lead North Carolina’s Supreme Court as chief justice, will be the party’s Senate candidate in the state, CNN predicted on Tuesday. Her main rivals had dropped out of the primary before Tuesday.

A test for Biden too

Further west, Democrats are closely watching a House primary in Oregon’s newly drawn 5th congressional district, where Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader fends off a challenge to his left from Jamie McLeod- Skinner, which received a relatively modest boost from progressive outside groups, led by the Working Families Party.
Schrader, who was President Joe Biden’s first congressional endorsement in 2022, angered some of his fellow Democrats by voting against the US bailout, Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package and a measure from the President’s Build Back Better program to allow the government to negotiate the price of pharmaceutical drugs, which would significantly reduce prices.

Schrader pushed for an alternative provision and ultimately voted for the full bill, but not before joining a group of nine moderates in an effort to disassociate him from the bipartisan infrastructure bill – a tactical step that ultimately helped condemn Build Back Better, Biden’s nominee signing legislation – in the Senate.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misinterpreted the potential historical significance of Barnette winning the Pennsylvania Senate seat. She would become the first black Republican woman elected to the Senate.

Greg Krieg contributed to this story.

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