New York, Utah and Colorado 2024 primaries: What's at stake in Tuesday's elections
A guide to the key races, including a bitter Democratic primary battle, the fight for Mitt Romney's seat and Lauren Boebert's district-hopping gambit.
Voters in New York, Utah and Colorado will head to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in statewide primaries with national implications.
Here is a brief guide to several of Tuesday’s key matchups as well as a primer on what’s at stake in the fall.
A bitter Democratic primary in New York
In New York, all eyes are on the acrimonious Democratic primary battle between incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer, his centrist challenger, to represent the state’s 16th Congressional District.
At a rally over the weekend, Bowman was joined by two of the country’s most prominent progressives: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District and is not facing a primary challenge. Latimer, a Westchester County executive, has been endorsed by Hillary Clinton.
One of the key issues roiling the race has been the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Bowman was among the first prominent Democrats to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, angering pro-Israel groups that have poured millions of dollars into Latimer’s campaign.
Read more from Politico: AOC, Sanders and other progressives rally for Bowman. Will it be enough?
The race to replace Romney in Utah
In Utah, there are four key races to watch, including one that will likely decide the successor to retiring GOP Sen. Mitt Romney:
Gubernatorial: Republican Gov. Spencer Cox is an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump who is being challenged by Phil Lyman, a right-wing election denier. Trump has not formally endorsed Lyman, and Cox is widely expected to easily win Tuesday’s primary.
Senate: Since Democrats haven’t won a Senate seat in Utah since 1970, Tuesday’s Republican primary will likely decide who will replace Romney. The leading candidates include Rep. John Curtis, an environmentalist who, like Romney, is a moderate conservative; former state House Speaker Brad Wilson, a Trump backer; and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who was endorsed by the former president.
House: In Utah’s Second Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy, who has been endorsed by Trump, is facing a challenge from combat veteran Colby Jenkins, who is being backed by several prominent Trump supporters, including Vivek Ramaswamy and Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. In the open race to represent Utah’s Third Congressional District, state Sen. Mike Kennedy, a Trump supporter who is skeptical of U.S. financial support for Ukraine, is being challenged by Case Lawrence, a self-described “trampoline park entrepreneur.”
Go in-depth via AP: In the race to replace Sen. Romney, Utah weighs a Trump loyalist and a climate-focused congressman
Boebert’s district switcheroo
In Colorado, there are two House races to watch after Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert decided to switch congressional districts following her near-loss to Democrat Adam Frisch in 2022.
In the state’s Third Congressional District — the one Boebert abandoned — former state Rep. Ron Hanks, a Trump supporter who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is taking on Jeff Hurd, who was described by Politico as a “business-friendly attorney.” The winner will likely face Frisch, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the fall. In recent weeks, Colorado Democrats have aired campaign ads in the hopes of elevating Hanks, who they view as the weaker candidate.
In the state’s Fourth Congressional District, Boebert — who was endorsed by Trump — is favored to win the open primary for the seat that was vacated by Rep. Ken Buck, who retired in March.
But there is also a special election Tuesday to replace Buck for the remainder of his term. Boebert is not running in that race. Greg Lopez, a former mayor of Parker, Colo., and an outspoken election denier, is. Lopez is expected to win against Trisha Calvarese, his Democratic challenger. But Lopez has already said he is not running in the fall, clearing Boebert’s path for another term in Congress.
Read more from The Hill: Colorado Democrats elevate divisive GOP candidate in race for Boebert seat
Cover thumbnail photos: Ted Shaffrey/AP
