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As primary season is winding down – the midterms are just over two months away – Florida, New York and Oklahoma. However, it is the primaries in New York and Florida that are garnering the most attention. In New York, incumbent Democrats Carolyn Maloney and Jarrod (Jerry) Nadler are vying for a newly-redrawn district; one of the two will find themselves no longer in politics after this primary. In Florida, two Democrats are sparring to determine who will face Governor Ron DeSantis in November.

Also in Florida, incumbent Republicans are facing primaries; Congressman Matt Gaetz could be primaried out of his seat, and Senator Marco Rubio is also seeing primary challenges.

A Democratic strategist in New York decried the date chosen for the state primary; he said on camera to Fox News reporters that the decision could lead to low voter turnout.

The Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida involves two experienced politicians. Nikki Fried is the current Agricultural Commissioner, while Charlie Crist is a Senator who changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat. Various polls show either of the Democratic candidates leading today, so that particular race could be considered a toss-up.

Crist has attempted to portray Fried as a Democrat with ties to Republican lobbyists and business groups. Crist’s decision to run for the governorship left his Senate seat open; in Florida’s 13th District, multiple Republican candidates are running to secure that position. One of them, Anna Paulina Luna, has won a Trump endorsement.

New York sees long-time Democratic colleagues vying for a single Congressional seat after districts in the state were redrawn. Nadler and Maloney are competing for a seat in the new 12th District for the state. Maloney has recently come under fire for saying “off the record” that President Joe Biden would not run for president in 2024. Maloney had previously said during a televised debate that Biden shouldn’t run. She would later offer an on-air apology in which she said that Joe Biden “deserved to run” and that she would support him should he make that choice.

Jerry Nadler has the endorsement of both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and The New York Times. Ironically, when Maloney was doing the interview and asked about Joe Biden’s chances in a 2024 run, she was speaking to the editorial board of the NYT staff. Within a week, the newspaper had announced it was endorsing Nadler.

Both Nadler and Maloney have served the state of New York as members of the U.S. House of Representatives since the 1990s; both Nadler and Maloney are in their mid-70s. Both are facing a third opponent, Suraj Patel. Patel is running on a campaign for generational change and doing more than the “status quo.”

Currently, polls have Nadler winning the primary with Maloney in second place and Patel coming in third.

New York is also holding a special election for the 19th Congressional District; this contest pits Patrick Ryan versus Marc Molinaro.

Ryan, a Democrat, is currently the Ulster County Executive. He has campaigned on a promise to protect abortion access. Molinaro’s campaign platform focuses on increased energy prices, rising crime rates, and inflation. Both Ryan and Molinaro would be seen as fresh faces in Congress; Ryan is 32 years of age, while Molinaro is 46.

Other elections to watch in New York are considered “bellwether” elections. Particularly, in the newly drawn 16th District of the state, challenger Vedat Gashi – a moderate Democrat – is taking on a “Squad” endorsed incumbent, Jamaal Bowman. Political pundits believe that the newly redrawn district could favor Gashi and his moderate views.

Lower Manhattan and parts of the Brooklyn borough are now a part of the 10th Congressional District, and another decisive primary is being held here. More than twelve candidates are vying to garner the Democratic nomination for the November general election.