California State Assemblyman Vince Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux won the special election primary race to fill former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's 20th congressional district seat.
Mr. Fong, who was endorsed by Mr. McCarthy and former President Donald Trump, received 42 percent of the vote. Mr. Boudreaux scored 24 percent.
Democrat Marisa Wood ranked third in the primary with 21 percent.
Eileen O’Neill Burke, a retired judge, is narrowly leading her opponent, Clayton Harris III, in the Cook County State’s Attorney race. With 85 percent of the votes in, she was up by a little more than 2 percent.
Addressing supporters on the evening of March 19, she said, “We will let the democratic process play out” as the tight contest continues.
“We will be patient,” she said.
Polls have closed in California's special primary election in CD-20 in a race to fill the remainder of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's term.
Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Illinois’s 4th District readily defeated Chicago Ald. Ray Lopez, defending his seat during a night that also saw a victory for incumbent Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.).
The Associated Press called the race at 7:52 p.m. local time. With 58 percent of the vote counted, as of about two hours later, he had 69.1 percent of the total to 30.9 percent for Mr. Lopez.
Mr. Garcia has raised large sums from the Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and other Democratic mainstays. Mr. Lopez has gained a reputation as a law-and-order Democrat, appearing on Fox News and in similar media oriented toward conservative audiences.
Judge Joe McGraw has defeated Scott Crowl in the GOP’s primary for the 17th District of Illinois, potentially setting up an interesting showdown in the upcoming general election this fall in a competitive Midwestern district.
Judge McGraw will be facing the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Eric Sorensen, who went unchallenged in his primary.
The Associated Press called the GOP race at 10:14 p.m. ET.
Ohio state Sen. Michael Rulli won the GOP primary in the special election and general election to succeed Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who left Congress in January to become the president of Youngstown State University. He defeated state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus and Dr. Rick Tsai.
He will face businessman and U.S. Air Force veteran Michael Kripchak in the June 11 special election and in November.
Mr. Rulli is all but guaranteed to succeed Mr. Johnson as the district is solidly Republican.
Minutes after the Associated Press called the Ohio GOP Senate primary for entrepreneur Bernie Moreno, the Colombia-born businessman who gained his wealth as a luxury car dealer and blockchain technology firm founder received a phone call from former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Moreno received the coveted Trump endorsement last December..
When state Sen. Matt Dolan, who President Trump called “a weak RINO (Republican In Name Only) surged in the polls after backing from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, President Trump spoke at a rally for Mr. Moreno last weekend in suburban Dayton.
Ohio state Rep. Derek Merrin won the GOP primary in Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, according to the AP.
He will take on 21-term Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who has been in the House since 1983 and is the longest-serving female member of Congress ever.
Mr. Merrin, who was endorsed at the last minute by former President Donald Trump, defeated former state Rep. Craig Riedel and real estate owner and former mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, Steve Lankenau.
Danny K. Davis, the incumbent in the very Democratic 7th District of Illinois, has won his Democratic primary as of 9:05 p.m. ET, according to the Associated Press.
He praised incumbent President Joe Biden and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in a victory speech.
“It’s great to win here in Illinois, but we’ve also got to win in Wisconsin–we’ve got to win in Michigan,” he said, predicting his party would “take the House back” and that he would be elevated to the chair of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Businessman and U.S. Air Force veteran Michael Kripchak defeated cannabis entrepreneur Rylan Finze in the Democrat primary to succeed former Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who left Congress in January to become the president of Youngstown State University.
Mr. Kripchak will be the Democrat nominee in both the June 11 special election and in November.
However, he has virtually no chance as the district is solidly Republican.
The crowd roared at entrepreneur Bernie Moreno’s watch party and the requisite Kool & The Gang’s Celebration and other upbeat music followed when the Associated Press called the race.
The mood was quiet in the early stages as the race was neck-to-neck with state Sen. Matt Dolan.
Mr. Moreno is expected to deliver his victory speech soon.
Former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin has won the GOP primary in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, projects the AP, defeating U.S. Marine veteran and businessman Chris Banweg and imaging technician Richard Morckel, who also ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2016 and 2020.
Mr. Banweg was endorsed by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), while Mr. Coughlin was backed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)—a split of staunch Trump supporters.
In an interview with The Epoch Times on March 19, Mr. Coughlin said he has the electability factor to unseat incumbent Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Ohio).
AP calls Illinois's 6th District Democratic primary for incumbent Sean Casten at 7:43 p.m Central Time. He was facing a challenge from Charles Hughes and Mahnoor Ahmad against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Trump-endorsed entrepreneur Bernie Moreno has defeated State Sen. Matt Dolan, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to win the Ohio Senate GOP primary to take on Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, AP projects.
AP called the race at 8:35 p.m. ET.
Supporters of Senate primary candidates Bernie Moreno, Matt Dolan, and Frank LaRose were gathering at watch parties to wait for results.
The Epoch Times Is covering Mr. Moreno’s event in Westlake, a Cleveland suburb.
State Sen. Dolan’s gathering is a half-hour away in Independence, while Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's watch party is in Columbus.
Polls in the Land of Lincoln closed at 7 p.m. Central Time. Results of primaries and referenda throughout the state, including closely watched contests for Cook County State’s Attorney and the “Bring Chicago Home” referendum, were beginning to come in.
Meanwhile, on the West Side of Chicago, an election night celebration for incumbent Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) was just getting started.
Mr. Davis is facing a challenge from several candidates, including Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and Kina Collins, a community activist.
Polls in Ohio closed at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The March 19 primaries in Chicago didn’t engender as much excitement in national media as previous primaries, in large part because Republicans and Democrats have more or less settled on their respective nominees.
The latest voter turnout data show low participation in the contest, though participation has trended up as the workday comes to a close.
As of 5 p.m., the Windy City had seen just 16.94 percent voter turnout.
Former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, cast their ballots in Florida's Republican primary on Tuesday.
When asked by a reporter if the former first lady plans to join her husband on the 2024 election campaign trail, Ms. Trump responded: "Stay tuned."
Ms. Trump has not appeared at recent rallies, victory speeches, or during court appearances. She did appear at her husband’s presidential campaign launch in November 2022.
Derek Myers, the America First candidate for Ohio's second congressional primary race, confirmed that a statement conceding the election was sent out in error.
Mr. Myers, a Republican vying for the GOP nomination against 10 other candidates, had conceded the primary and congratulated the "Congressman-Elect" despite the fact there were still hours to go until the polls closed.
But the campaign made a mistake and hit the "send now" button rather than the "draft" button, according to a fresh announcement.
Derek Myers, an America First candidate, conceded defeat in Ohio's second congressional district race for the Republican nomination. Eleven candidates were seeking the GOP nod after Rep. Brad Wenstrup announced intentions to retire.
Despite the voting process still ongoing, Mr. Myers offered his congratulations to the “Congressman-Elect” at a private watch party in Chillicothe, where he was surrounded by 100 of his closest friends and supporters.
"Tonight did not go as we had hoped, but as we know, this race is decided in the primary. I want to give my congratulations to the Congressman-Elect," Mr. Myers said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to uniting behind him and working with him to get President Trump reelected to the White House and evicting Joe Biden."
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, state Sen. Matt Dolan, and entrepreneur Bernie Moreno have been at odds with each other for several months in their quest to win the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate primary. The three men share a common theme; however, and that is to “retire Sherrod Brown.”
Mr. Brown, a Democrat, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2007 in a deep red state that President Donald Trump won by eight points in 2016 and 2020.
National and Ohio Republicans believe Mr. Brown is vulnerable because he has frequently supported the policies of President Joe Biden at a time when the president has low approval ratings amid the southern border crisis, a sluggish economy, and questions about his physical and mental fitness to serve.
A number of enthusiastic Democrats were among the Chicago voters who spoke with The Epoch Times outside a library polling place in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.
One was Milagros Sanjurjo, who was accompanied by her granddaughter and impromptu translator, Ruth Escobar. Like many in the neighborhood, she’s originally from Puerto Rico. Ms. Sanjurjo said she’d been living in the neighborhood for two decades.
Not unlike Malcolm Crawford, a voter from the Austin neighborhood who spoke with The Epoch Times, she stressed her allegiance to Democrats. She emphasized her appreciation for President Joe Biden.
Kevin Coughlin, who is running in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, told The Epoch Times on March 19 that he has the electability factor to unseat incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), a freshman congresswoman.
Madison Gilbert, a Republican, lost to Ms. Sykes in 2022 as she got 47.3 percent of the vote and Ms. Sykes got 52.7 percent. Mr. Coughlin cited Ms. Gilbert’s inexperience, having never previously run for office, as well as a lack of name recognition and relationship with the district’s voters as reasons for her loss.
In contrast, Mr. Coughlin said he has the brand in the district, having represented the area in the Ohio State Senate. Previously, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives. His career in the state legislature spanned 13 years.
Ohio Secretary of State and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Frank LaRose, and his wife Lauren LaRose, cast their vote in the GOP Senate primary Tuesday morning at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbus.
Mr. LaRose is not only conducting last-day campaigning for his quest to win the Republican primary and then unseat Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in the general election, but as Secretary of State, he is spearheading management of election day tasks.
A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. LaRose would be the first Green Beret to serve in the Senate if he is elected.
The big story at the Sankofa Cultural Center in Austin, Chicago was the arrival of Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.). The longtime incumbent swung by to vote and hobnob with volunteers and constituents. The media obliged by getting some footage.
Malcolm Crawford told The Epoch Times he voted “straight ticket.” That meant supporting Mr. Davis over his challengers, who include Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and community organizer Kina Collins, who has a strong base of support in black Chicago.
“It would be great to have a congressman to come in and bring more resources so we can open up more businesses in the black community,” Mr. Crawford said, describing the stretch of Chicago Ave. from Austin Blvd. to Cicero Blvd. as “Soul City.” He said he had put up various Black Liberation flags in the area.
J.D. Vance remembers the feeling like it was yesterday. Now in the second year of his freshman term as an Ohio Republican U.S. Senator, Mr. Vance woke up on primary election day 2022 uncertain about whether his campaign would reach an abrupt halt or continue into the general election.
Bolstered by a late endorsement by former President Donald Trump before the GOP primary that year, Mr. Vance defeated a crowded field of candidates and then decisively topped Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in the general election.
On March 19, Mr. Vance joined Bernie Moreno at the Cuyahoga County Republican Party headquarters where Mr. Moreno thanked campaign staffers and volunteers. Like Mr. Vance, Mr. Moreno hopes that backing from President Trump will help propel him to victory in the primary and onto the ultimate objective—“retiring” longtime Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Mike stood outside Whittier Elementary School, one of the polling locations in the swing area of Lucas County in Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, in cold and windy conditions, holding clipboards of petitions to collect signatures to get an initiative on the general election ballot that would challenge what he lamented is a gerrymandered map that favors Republicans—though he criticized Democrats too for engaging in gerrymandering.
He said that gerrymandering allows politicians to “cheat their way back into office by rewriting districts where their supporters are.”
Mike called for the districts to be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.
It’s not only Election Day, but it is also a school day at Whittier Elementary School.
Children line the hallways as boys and girls are in separate lines outside the gym, where voting is taking place with what appears to be low voter turnout. The poll workers declined to speak to The Epoch Times.
Hayden Ferguson is weary from the rigors of traveling the state working for a high-profile U.S. Senate campaign, but he admits that adrenaline is fueling him on Primary Election Day.
Just 21, the southwest Ohio native and resident is a regional field organizer for Bernie Moreno’s campaign. Mr. Moreno is an entrepreneur who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump and conservative allies including Sen. J.D. Vance.
Mr. Ferguson spoke to The Epoch Times while a group of campaign staffers and volunteers awaited the arrival of Mr. Moreno and Mr. Vance at the Cuyahoga County Republican Party headquarters.
The incumbent Democratic representative from Illinois's 7th District voted as part of a race that has seen him face Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and community activist Kina Collins.
A steady stream of voters has entered Shoreland Elementary School on Election Day. Dozens of people cast their ballot before 11 a.m.—a decent mix of Democrats and Republicans in what is a district mainly consisting of independents and a relatively even split of Democrats and Republicans.
The next public tally of voters will be posted at 4 p.m. ET.
The Epoch Times took a photo of these receipts with voters’ names and party affiliation but did so from a distance to respect voters’ privacy.
After voting at Shoreland Elementary School, Crystal, a Democrat voter, said she cast her ballot for incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio).
She said that Ms. Kaptur has done well for veterans in addition to other issues.
Healthcare and security are the top issues for her, the latter of which has been a concern of mainly the GOP.
On a dark and frigid morning before daybreak, state Senator and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan greeted voters outside Chagrin Falls High School.
A Cleveland suburb, Chagrin Falls is where Mr. Dolan lives, and after a long campaign that has included visits to all of Ohio's 88 counties, he was happy to open primary election day in his hometown.
Some people, including Mr. Dolan’s opponent, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, have said that voter turnout could be low because President Donald Trump has already clinched the Republican Party nomination.
Lucas County could determine if the GOP can finally flip the state’s Ohio Ninth Congressional District, whose seat is occupied by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), the longest-serving congresswoman ever.
This county is broken down almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans with most voters as independents.
Therefore, independents will likely swing this election—a point made by one of the candidates, Steve Lankenau.
- In Ohio, voters cast their ballots for several congressional primaries, including in the Senate and the 2nd, 6th, 9th, and 13th districts. Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. ET.
- In Illinois, primaries for House races, including 7th and 12 congressional districts, are being held. Polls closed at 8 p.m. ET.
It is 31 degrees in Toledo and cold in the state in general as voters go to the polls.
Whether the weather will significantly impact voter turnout is to be determined, but conditions last night included a snowstorm and icy roads.
Ohio Secretary of State and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Frank LaRose returned to his hometown of Copley outside of Akron for an Election eve rally at the farm where he worked as a teenager.
Mr. LaRose told a crowd of supporters that included his mom and brother that he bailed hay and performed other tasks at Bender’s Farm from the time he was 13 all the way to the night before he departed for Army basic training.
A wood frame on one side of a door in the barn where the March 18 rally was held included hand-carved etchings marking the height of kids who worked there over the years. “Rambo” can be seen near the top of the wood frame. That was Mr. LaRose's nickname.
While former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have each secured enough delegates to be named their party’s presumptive nominees for the 2024 presidential election, there are several key races to watch in the March 19 primary elections, one of which might affect which party controls the Senate next year.
Ohio
The first state up is Ohio, where polls will close at 7:30 p.m. ET with races in the Senate and the 2nd, 6th, 9th, and 13th congressional districts.
CHICAGO/CLEVELAND—Ohio and Illinois voters could determine the makeup of Congress next year as they head to the polls on March 19.
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), who has been in Congress for 27 years, shared a few words with The Epoch Times about the criticism he’s taken over his age.
“Poppycock,” the 82-year-old said. “I do more in one week than any of my opponents could do in six months.”
Ohio’s 9th Congressional District could be key in deciding who will control the House of Representatives next year.
Voters will cast their ballot in the district—which stretches from liberal Toledo to conservative Fremont, the home of former President Rutherford B. Hayes—on March 19.
The GOP candidates looking to take on 21-term Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) are real estate owner and former mayor of Napoleon, Ohio, Steve Lankenau; state Rep. Derek Merrin; and former state Rep. Craig Riedel.
Ohio’s 13th Congressional District could be key in deciding who will control the House of Representatives next year.
Looking to take on freshman congresswoman Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio) are U.S. Marine veteran and businessman Chris Banweg, former state Sen. Kevin Coughlin, and imaging technician Richard Morckel, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2016 and 2020.
Mr. Banweg has been endorsed by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Mr. Coughlin has been backed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)—a split of staunch Trump supporters.
At the bottom of their March 19 primary ballots, Chicago primary voters will see a referendum for which their votes will count—but nearly didn’t.
Ballot Question 1, also known as “Bring Chicago Home,” would cut the tax rate for real estate transactions of less than $1 million by 20 percent, to $3 from $3.75 per $500. But it would raise the transfer tax for the value of transactions greater than $1 million in a graduated way.
Specifically, the price for the portion of transactions between $1 million and $1.5 million would increase by 166.67 percent to $10 per $500. The price for any portion above $1.5 million would rise by 300 percent. That’s an increase to $15 from $3.75 per $500.
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