By the end of this week, almost 30 states will have completed their 2022 primary elections, according to FiveThirtyEight. Here are five states to watch as votes roll in on Tuesday: Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah.
Utah
The Deseret News’ Kyle Dunphey states that the Republican primary races are of importance, due to the fact that they largely determine the overall winners in “deep red Utah.”
For U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, is being challenged by Becky Edwards and Ally Isom. One of these three will face Independent Evan McMullin, backed by the Utah Democratic Party, in November.
Lee has received backlash, according to Axios, due to text messages he sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about challenging the 2020 presidential election results.
Despite the controversy, a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows that 67% of voters plan to vote for Lee on Tuesday.
Colorado
For the first time, some Colorado Democratic voters are registering as Republican or unaffiliated in hopes of driving out GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, according to The New York Times.
Democrats in the state fear Boebert, a candidate who supports former President Donald Trump, embodies extremism and authoritarianism, the Times states. Instead, they are planning to vote for her Republican opponent, Don Coram.
Illinois
NPR calls the Illinois gubernatorial race a battle between billionaires, with some of the country’s richest people running for office.
The Democratic incumbent, Gov. JB Pritzker, is being challenged by Democrat Beverly Miles. On the Republican side, six candidates are pulling for the nomination: Darren Bailey, Richard Irvin, Gary Rabine, Paul Schimpf, Max Solomon and Jesse Sullivan, according to Ballotpedia.
In the seventh district, President Joe Biden has endorsed Rep. Danny Davis, who has been serving in the district since 1997, according to NBC Chicago. He is facing a challenge from candidates Kina Collins and Denarvis Mendenhall.
New York
New York has a unique election year with two primary elections — one in June and one in August. This decision was made by a judge due to a lawsuit and redistricting, Fox 5 New York reports.
Tuesday’s race will be for state Assembly seats, statewide officers, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller and the U.S. Senate. August’s election will be for congressional and state Senate seats, Fox says.
The New York Times states that incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has taken a more lax approach to campaigning this year, with only five official events in the last month and a lack of on-foot canvassing within the streets of the state. Some worry that this could cost the incumbent her position.
Running against Hochul are Democrats Thomas Suozzi and Jumaane D. Williams. The Republican candidates in the race are Rob Astorino, Andrew H. Giuliani, Harry Wilson and Lee M. Zeldin, according to NYCvotes.gov.
Oklahoma
Incumbent Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, is seeking reelection, according to OUDaily. He is being challenged by three other Republicans: Mark Sherwood, a doctor and former SWAT officer, Joel Kintsel, director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, and Moira McCabe, an anti-abortion stay-at-home mother.
Joy Hofmeister switched parties from Republican to Democrat when she announced her run for governor. She said there is “much work to do” in regards to gun safety and education, OUDaily reports. The other Democratic candidate running for governor is former state Sen. Connie Johnson.
Ervin Stone Yen, the independent gubernatorial candidate, also left the Republican Party when he decided to run. Natalie Bruno is the only Libertarian candidate and is known to speak out against vaccine and mask mandates.