Live coverage: Aug. 18 primaries in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming

by Daily Kos Elections for Daily Kos Elections

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 at 4:56:48pm PDT

DURHAM, N.C - NOVEMBER 8: A voting line trails outside of a precinct as voters wait to get in on November 8, 2016 in Durham, North Carolina. Precincts are expected to be crowded across the battleground state. Citizens of the United States will choose between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as they pick their choice for the next president of the United States. (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

Primaries conclude tonight in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming, and we’re liveblogging the results below.

Resources: Key races guide | Cheat-sheet

Results: Alaska | Florida | Wyoming

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:02:34 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

As we head into hour #2 of tonight’s festivities, the race of the night has to to be the Republican primary in FL-19 to replace Rep. Francis Rooney in Lee and Collier Counties.

The top three candidates are within 0.7% of one another. The current leader is State House Majority Leader Dane Eagle, who leads fellow state legislator Byron Donalds by, at last check, 48 votes out of more than 84,000 cast. Self-funder Casey Askar is not far behind, trailing Eagle by 565 votes. What’s more: another self-funder, William Figlesthaler, isn’t far behind the leaders, trailing the leader by just 1.8% of the vote.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:14:07 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-05 (D): The Associated Press has called the Democratic primary here for incumbent Al Lawson, but it was with just 56% of the vote.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:23:54 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

State Attorneys: Florida is also holding local elections today, and with so much attention this year on criminal justice, let’s take a look at where those races stand:

Miami-Dade County: Incumbent Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who had been criticized by many for her lenience towards officers accused of misconduct, and challenged by a former ACLU director, is leading comfortably in her bid for re-election.
Broward County: Harold Pryor, who would be the first African-American to hold this particular office, holds a 22-18 lead over Joe Kimok, who benefitted from help from George Soros.
Osceola/Orange County: Progressive Monique Worrell is out to a 42-32 lead over Belvin Perry, a name you might recognize from the Casey Anthony trial (where he was the presiding judge). In this race, Worrell was the beneficiary of the Soros-backed effort.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:26:48 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-19 (R): A big chunk of Collier County just came in, and that put state legislator Byron Donalds into his most comfortable lead of the night over fellow state Rep. Dane Eagle. The margin is now 719 votes, and with Lee County fully reporting, it looks more likely than ever that this “friends-and-neighbors” contest will fall to Donalds.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:30:33 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-15: Our lone trailing incumbent is STILL down as the night wears on, but might have a slight cause for home. Lakeland city commissioner Scott Franklin still leads Rep. Ross Spano by a 51-49 margin. BUT...all of Franklin’s home county (Polk) has reported. So whatever remains should, on paper, favor Spano.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:35:22 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-13 (R): Now this is a pretty embarrassing shot at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The AP has called this primary for Anna Luna, an Air Force vet who campaigned as a Trumpian outsider. She rather easily defeated Amanda Makki by a 36-29 margin. Makki was a former Hill staffer endorsed by McCarthy.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:40:49 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-03 (R): It’s been a while since we checked in on this fairly red patch of turf, carried 56-40 by Donald Trump in 2016. In the battle to replace far-right Rep. Ted Yoho, his former staffer Kat Cammack continues to hold a modest lead. But it’s looking like a firm advantage, because the clown car is saving her. She leads with just 25% of the vote, but there are three other candidates earning between 14-20% of the vote. Makes it hard to fathom how someone can get a run and make up those 4300 votes that Cammack currently has banked for a lead.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:46:46 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

Miami-Dade Mayor: As current mayor Carlos Giminez continues to lead (somewhat underwhelmingly) in his bid to be the Republican nominee for Congress, there is a primary tonight to determine his successor. Right now, the top two candidates who will go on to a runoff present an opportunity for Democrats to gain this nominally nonpartisan office. Right now, as has been the case for most of the night, the top two are Democrat Daniella Levine Cava and Republican Esteban Bovo. Former Democratic Mayor Alex Penelas is currently running third, but seems for the moment to be unlikely to challenge for the top two.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 12:47:45 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-26 (R): Speak of the devil. Though the margin was far from a landslide, the AP calls the Republican primary here for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez. He will now head to November, where he will challenge Democratic freshman Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:02:44 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-15: No AP calls here, but we are at 100% reporting in this central Florida district, and it appears that we have another incumbent getting turfed. Lakeland city commissioner Scott Franklin held his own in Lake and Hillsborough Counties, dominated in his home county (Polk), and appears to have scored a 51-49 win over Rep. Ross Spano. Should Franklin fade any outstanding VBMs or uncounted early votes (no word on how many, if any, of these votes are sitting out there), he is likely to face Democratic TV anchor Alan Cohn, who holds a 41-33 lead over state Rep. Adam Hattersley.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:13:54 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-03 (R): The AP has called the Republican primary for one-time Yoho staffer Kat Cammack. Interestingly, this is somewhat of a rebuke for Yoho, who kept a very awkward arms-length from his former staffer. Yoho’s son Tyler went a step further, endorsing one of Cammack’s primary challengers and tossing some verbal grenades at her in the process. Cammack’s Democratic opponent is, as yet, undecided, as the battle between Adam Christensen and Tom Wells is separated by just a few hundred votes.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:20:12 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-HD-14 (D): This is immensely good news. The AP has called the Democratic primary here for Angie Dixon, who has easily dispatched two-term pro-Trump Democratic state Rep. Kimberly Daniels. The primary win would be tantamount to election in this 65-33 Clinton district, but even more so in 2020, given that Dixon’s only challenger in November is a write-in candidate.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:22:03 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-15 (R): Local political writer Peter Schorsch is reporting on Twitter that freshman Republican Rep. Ross Spano has called Lakeland city commissioner Scott Franklin to concede.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:23:52 AM +00:00 · Steve Singiser

FL-15 (D): On the Democratic side, former local TV newsman Alan Cohn has declared victory, which seems like a safe proclamation given his modest-but-real edge over state Rep. Adam Hattersley.

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 · 1:35:25 AM +00:00 · David Nir

The liveblog continues here.