There are 99 days left to the midterms of 2022, and, races across the United States continue to heat up. Many races have been influenced by endorsements of former President Donald Trump (and many Democratic candidates have made the news by their resistance to garner an endorsement from President Joe Biden). On August 2, 2022, five states will host primary elections: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington state.
The primaries held in Arizona and Michigan are garnering national attention. In Arizona, just days after the Biden Administration quietly approved funding to finish some gaps in the border wall in Yuma, Arizona, incumbent Senator Mark Kelly seeks to win a full term in his current seat. Kelly won a special election in 2020. The former astronaut is the only Democratic candidate, so the primary on August 2 will provide Kelly with a Republican opponent.
In Michigan, embattled incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) is seeking a second term, but there are five Republican candidates who are looking to challenger Whitmer in November. Whitmer is running unopposed in the primary.
Governor Whitmer made headlines in 2020 when she imposed what many Michiganites considered overly harsh COVID-19 restrictions on citizens of the state. Last year, there was an alleged kidnapping attempt involving the governor. While Whitmer is not one of the most controversial governors in America, she is considered one of the more progressive state leaders.
Kansas’ primary is special. In addition to a traditional primary, the citizens of Kansas will have an opportunity to vote to amend the state’s constitution regarding abortion. The vote will specify if Kansas citizens want language added to the state law that would make abortion a constitutional right, at least at the state level.
The Kansas vote will be the first time that any abortion vote has been put on a ballot since the Supreme Court handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic.
Missouri is holding primary elections for both of its Senate seats as well as its seats (Districts 4 and 7) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) is retiring, so his seat is up for grabs. Most prognosticators believe that Blunt’s seat will end up remaining a Republican one. Both Districts 4 and 7 are also thought to be “safe” GOP seats.
Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat is one that is being heavily watched by the public. President Trump has endorsed Blake Masters for this post. Masters once worked for Peter Thiel, one of the founders of PayPal (and a tech billionaire). Masters has been considered a “mini Trump,” and his campaign slogan reads, “Together, we will make America Safe, Prosperous, and Free again.”
Other notable candidate’s in the Missouri race include current U.S. Representative Vicky Hartzler, whom many are portraying as a RINO. Other GOP candidates include former Missouri governor Eric Greitens, who resigned from his position amid a sexual assault allegation and accusations of campaign finance impropriety. Current Attorney General Eric Schmitt is also running.
There are three Democratic candidates running in the hopes of garnering Senator Blunt’s seat.
Washington state is also holding both Republican and Democratic primaries on Tuesday. One Senate seat involves current Senator Patty Murry and a Republican candidate Tiffany Smiley among other primary contenders. Prognosticators say that this seat is likely to remain a Democratic one.
There are three other House districts with hotly contested primary races in Washington. They include the House 3 district, House 4 district, and the House 8 district. In the House 3 district, incumbent Jamie Herrera Beutler is looking to keep the seat for a seventh term. In House 4 district, the Democratic incumbent is being challenged by a Trump-endorsed challenger, Joe Kent. Beutler has two Democratic challengers for his seat as well.
In Washington’s Eighth House district, the incumbent is seeking a third term in her current seat, but she faces ten other primary candidates on Tuesday.
