Tuesday's Republican primary runoff may be the end of Sen. Thad Cochran's long career.
Tuesday is our last primary night
for a while but we're going out with a bang. We have primaries in Colorado, Maryland, New York, and Oklahoma, as well as a major primary runoff in Mississippi (Utah will also hold its primary and South Carolina will have a runoff, but there isn't much to watch in either state). Below is our guide for what to watch arranged by poll closing times. We'll be liveblogging the results at
Daily Kos Elections starting at 8 PM ET Tuesday, when polls start to close.
Maryland: Polls close at 8 PM ET.
• MD-Gov (D & R): Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley is termed out, and both parties have contested primaries to succeed him. It originally looked like Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown could face a tough challenge in the Democratic primary from Attorney General Doug Gansler. Gansler has raised a credible amount of money, but very little else has gone well for him. Gansler earned some very bad national headlines in October after it emerged that he attended a house party full of drunk high school kids, including his son, and did nothing to stop it. Gansler's other stumbles have not made his job any easier.
While Gansler has hit Brown over his role in the state's bumpy Obamacare rollout, it doesn't seem to be enough. Two recent polls give Brown a commanding lead and it would be a major surprise if he fails to win handily. Del. Heather Mizeur is also in the race and has been doing her best to position herself as an alternative to Brown and Gansler. However, it looks like she's run out of time.
The Republicans have a tough task if they want to take the governorship in this very blue state. The polls indicate that former state cabinet official Larry Hogan has a clear lead over his main rivals, Harford County Executive David Craig and businessman Charles Lollar. There are plenty of undecideds but Hogan looks like the man to beat.
Head over the fold for more races to watch on Tuesday.
Mississippi: Polls close at 8 PM ET.
• MS-Sen (R): For the first time in decades, Sen. Thad Cochran is the underdog heading into an election. In the June 3 primary, Cochran came in slightly behind tea partying state Sen. Chris McDaniel. Because neither candidate won a majority, the two were forced into a runoff. McDaniel and his well-funded allies have continued to use Cochran's long career against him, accusing the senator of not being conservative enough in the Senate. Cochran has worked to portray himself as too vital for Mississippi to lose, while attempting to depict McDaniel as too offensive to be a senator. However, what polling there is mostly shows McDaniel in the lead by varying margins.
The dynamics of the runoff should also favor McDaniel: Turnout is likely to be lower than it was in the first round, with more conservative voters likely to make up a larger share of the vote. Cochran isn't giving up and the first round was close enough that a surprise is possible, but it looks like McDaniel is the frontrunner. The winner will face former Democratic Rep. Travis Childers, who may have an outside shot in November against McDaniel.
Oklahoma: Polls close at 8 PM ET. Note that in any races where no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held August 26.
• OK-Sen-B (R): Republican Sen. Tom Coburn is retiring early due to health reasons, and a special election is taking place to fill the final two years of his term. Seven Republicans are running, but the main two contenders look like Rep. James Lankford and former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon. Both candidates and their allies have worked hard to portray themselves as the true conservative in the race while casting doubt on their opponent's ideological bona fides. Lankford is a much more establishment-flavored candidate while Shannon has extensive support from outside tea party groups. However, Lankford also has important ties to religious conservatives.
Lankford leads in what polling there is, but he does not appear to be close to the 50 percent plus one vote he would need to avoid a runoff. The sheer amount of candidates may prevent either Lankford or Shannon from winning outright: Former state Sen. Randy Brogdon is the longest of long-shots but he may have enough support to force a runoff. Still, with little polling and many undecideds, this race looks unpredictable.
• OK-05 (R): Six Republicans are running to succeed Lankford in this conservative Oklahoma City-area seat. However, state Corporation Commissioner Patrice Douglas and wealthy state Rep. Mike Turner have spent far more than any of their opponents and look likely to advance to a runoff. Also running are former state Rep. Shane Jett; state Sen. Clark Jolley; former state Sen. Steve Russell; and minister Harvey Sparks.
Colorado: Polls close at 9 PM ET.
• CO-Gov (R): Four Republicans are competing to take on Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper. There is very little polling here, but the frontrunners look like former Reps. Bob Beauprez and Tom Tancredo. Both former congressmen have a losing gubernatorial bid under their belt: Beauprez lost to Democrat Bill Ritter 57-40 in 2006, while Tancredo ran as an independent in 2010 due to a very strange set of circumstances.
Democrats are hoping that Tancredo will prevail: While Beauprez has his own flaws, Tancredo is seen as much more extreme and an easier target in the general. A Democratic group has been running ads attempting to paint Tancredo as the more conservative candidate in order to help him win his primary. Beauprez and his allies have tried to use this to their advantage in order to argue that Beauprez is the guy that Democrats fear. Also running are Secretary of State Scott Gessler and former state Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp. With so little polling it's possible Gessler could sneak through, though he doesn't seem to have the name recognition or resources of either Beauprez or Tancredo.
• CO-04 (R): Republican Rep. Cory Gardner is leaving his safely red eastern Colorado seat to run for the U.S. Senate, and four Republicans are trying to take his place. Former Weld County DA and 2010 Senate nominee Ken Buck switched races with Gardner and initially looked like the frontrunner. However, state Sen. Scott Renfroe has used his personal funds to outspend Buck and he looks like Buck's main foe.
Steve Laffey, a former mayor of Cranston (Rhode Island) who ran for the Senate in the Ocean State in 2006, is also in. Laffey has used his personal funds to outspend everyone else, but without a clear base in the district he may have a tough time catching on. Weld County Commissioner Barbara Kirkmeyer rounds out the field but she has raised and spent very little.
• CO-05 (R): Four-term Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn faced a tough primary challenge in 2012 against a self-funding candidate, and his 62-38 victory was not particularly overwhelming. This time Lamborn faces a familiar foe in retired Air Force Major General Bentley Rayburn. The two faced off in 2006 and 2008, with Rayburn coming in third both times.
Neither candidate has spent much, with Lamborn outspending Rayburn $105,000 to $52,000 in the lead-up to the primary. While Rayburn does not look like a particularly serious challenge, Lamborn's 2012 race (as well as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's shocking defeat two weeks ago) gives the incumbent reason to at least take this contest seriously.
New York: Polls close at 9 PM ET. Note that only Federal primaries will be held on Tuesday: Primaries for state level offices like governor and state legislature will be held September 9. Because what's an unnecessary extra election day between friends?
To help you follow along with the Empire State's Congressional races, we've included this interactive map below. You can find our interactive Congressional maps for all 50 states here.
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NY-01 (R): Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop looks vulnerable in his very swingy eastern Long Island district, and two Republicans are trying to take him on. Wealthy attorney George Demos is making his third bid for this seat, but he burned his share of bridges during his last two runs: One Republican
memorably called Demos "as welcome in CD 1 as head lice." Most of the party establishment is behind state Sen. Lee Zeldin, who has experience winning in
blue territory.
Demos has outspent Zeldin $945,000 to $393,000, but Zeldin and his allies are working hard to paint Demos as insufficiently conservative. In response, Demos is rolling out former Gov. George Pataki and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to defend him. Either candidate will likely give Bishop a challenging race, though the incumbent has proven to be a tough target.
• NY-04 (D): Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is retiring from her Democratic-leaning western Long Island seat. The Democratic establishment quickly consolidated behind Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. Nassau County legislative Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams is challenging Rice in the primary, but he faces long odds. Rice has outspent Abrahams $469,000 to $98,000, and it would be a massive surprise if she fell short. The winner will be favored against former Republican county legislator Bruce Blakeman in this 56-43 Obama seat.
• NY-13 (D): Longtime Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel has not had an easy few years. His financial dealings earned him a censure from the House in 2010, and redistricting and changing demographics have left him more vulnerable at home. Rangel narrowly defeated state Sen. Adriano Espaillat in the 2012 primary 44-42, and Espaillat is seeking a rematch.
Rangel is running for one final term but many former allies are backing Espaillat instead of waiting for the congressman to leave. Rangel sparked controversy at a recent debate when he asked what his opponent has done other than "say he's a Dominican." Making things even more difficult for Rangel is the presence of minister Michael Walrond on the ballot: While Walrond is very unlikely to win, he could take enough of Rangel's African-American base to cost the incumbent.
However, all is not lost for Rangel. He has outspent Espaillat $396,000 to $246,000, and he retains the backing of former President Bill Clinton. A Siena College poll gave Rangel a hefty 47-34 lead, indicating that he's favored to win one more time. There are no other public polls to confirm this, and Siena does not have the best track record, so we'll need to wait until election night to see how this unfolds.
• NY-21 (R): Democratic Rep. Bill Owens is leaving behind this Upstate swing district, and two Republicans are facing off to succeed him. Attorney Matt Doheny narrowly lost to Owens in 2010 and 2012 and is hoping that his third time will be a charm. Standing in his way is former Bush Administration staffer Elise Stefanik.
While Stefanik has been outspent, she is receiving extensive support from American Crossroads, a well-funded group run by fellow Bush White House alumni Karl Rove. For the first time Crossroads has attacked a fellow Republican, hitting Doheny as insufficiently conservative and as a two-time loser. Doheny is firing back, portraying Stefanik as a carpetbagger. The winner will face Democrat Aaron Woolf, a documentary filmmaker.
• NY-22 (R): Sophomore Republican Rep. Richard Hanna is one of the few moderates left in his caucus. Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney is running against Hanna from the right, hoping that his apostasies will be too much for voters.
Hanna has wasted little time in portraying himself as the true conservative in the race, and he has received air support from American Unity, a group dedicated to elected pro-same-sex marriage Republicans. Tenney has spent far less than Hanna and she has not received any real help from outside conservative groups. Tenney may be able to pull off an upset, but it looks like Hanna and his allies are several steps ahead of her.
If Tenney does win on Tuesday, this will set up a very unusual general election. Hanna will be on the ballot in November on the Independence Party line, and with no Democrat running could can conceivably run as the de facto Democrat. Romney only narrowly won this district and Hanna is very wealthy, and he could make this an interesting match.
Other races:
Congress: A special election will be held in Florida's 19th Congressional District to replace disgraced former Rep. Trey Radel. Not much drama is expected: Romney won this seat 61-39, and Republican businessman Curtis Clawson is the heavy favorite.
Other statewide races: Maryland will have a competitive Democratic primary for attorney general. The candidates are Del. Jon Cardin (the nephew of Sen. Ben Cardin); state Sen. Brian Frosh; and Del. Aisha Braveboy. Team Blue has held this seat for nearly a century and is heavily favored to keep it in November.
In Oklahoma, state Superintendent of public education Janet Barresi faces two fellow Republicans in her primary, with four Democrats also competing. There's also a Republican race for state Corporate Commissioner.
In South Carolina, two familiar names are facing off in the Republican runoff for lieutenant governor. Mike Campbell is the son of former Gov. Carroll Campbell, while Henry McMaster is a former attorney general and 2010 gubernatorial candidate. In the other Republican runoff, the once low-key contest for state Super Nintendo superindependent of education has also taken a turn for the bizarre. Sally Atwater, the widow of the infamous political operative Lee Atwater, made national news for a very strange interview. A lawsuit also alleges that Atwater shoved a special needs child. She faces former state Rep. Molly Spearman on Tuesday.