A woman wears a T-shirt, falsely claiming that former US President Donald Trump won the 2020 election after a presentation to the Surrey County Council of Commissioners by several people aimed at questioning the integrity of the election, urging the commission to replace existing ballot paper machines, in Dobson, North Carolina, USA, May 16, 2022. REUTERS / Jonathan Drake
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PHILADELPHIA, May 17 (Reuters) – Voters in Pennsylvania and North Carolina will choose nominations in critical contests for the Senate and U.S. governors on Tuesday, providing another test of former President Donald Trump’s influence over Republican voters ahead of the midterm elections.
The current Republican governor of Idaho is also facing a Trump-backed rival, while Trump’s ally Madison Kothorn, a first-term Republican congressman who has sparked controversy, hopes to avert a major challenge in North Carolina. Read more
President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats are struggling to maintain a slim majority in the House of Representatives and Senate in the Nov. 8 congressional election. Democrats in Pennsylvania and North Carolina are trying to win Senate seats that are currently held by Republicans.
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The primary election for Republican senator in Pennsylvania has turned into an unpredictable three-way battle in recent days after conservative political commentator Katie Barnett broke out in a dispute against two better-funded rivals: Trump-approved television wellness celebrity Mehmet Oz and hedge fund CEO David McCormick.
Barnett’s rise has worried some Republicans in the establishment that the right-wing activist may be too conservative for general election voters who are electing a successor to retired Sen. Pat Toomey.
A weekend poll conducted by Trafalgar Group, a Republican firm, found that Oz led Barnette by 28.5% to 26.8%, within the margin of error, and McCormick trailed by 21.6%.
In the Democratic primary, progressive Vice Governor John Fetterman, who is finishing his major campaign from hospital after suffering a stroke last week, faces US centrist Connor Lamb.
The final results may not be known tonight. Government officials said voters had requested 908,000 absentee or mail ballots, and state law did not allow them to be processed until election day.
In North Carolina, Trump-approved Congressman Ted Bud is leading former Gov. Pat McCrory as he fights for the success of retired Sen. Richard Burr. Cherry Beasley, the first black woman to serve as chief judge of the North Carolina Supreme Court, is expected to win the Democratic nomination.
More than 580,000 voters have already voted in person or by mail, almost twice as many as four years ago, according to data provided by the state election commission. These voters returned a little more democracy than the Republican ballots.
Trump backed more than 150 candidates as he sought to consolidate his status as king of his party, although his election did not always prevail. His support helped author JD Vance win the Ohio Senate primary, but his preferred candidate lost the race for governor of Nebraska last week. Read more
Republicans are in a good position to regain control of the House, which could allow them to thwart Biden’s legislative agenda. Democrats have a better chance of retaining control of the Senate, which is currently split 50-50 between the parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the decisive vote. Read more
FEAR OF HEALTH
The tattooed and goat Feterman, 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall, who has a penchant for hoods and liberal positions, has proven to be a good fundraiser on social media. On Tuesday, his campaign released a photo showing him voting for an absentee ballot from the hospital. Read more
Fear for his health added another wrinkle to the race in Pennsylvania. Feterman revealed Sunday that he had suffered a stroke two days earlier. He said he was recovering and had not suffered cognitive impairment. Read more
Studies show that Feterman is leading Lamb, whose moderate policies make him a better candidate in the general election, according to many party insiders.
Barnett, who is aiming to become the first black US senator in Pennsylvania, called her rivals conservative. She was reportedly photographed marching to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, along with members of the far-right Proud Boys, shortly before a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the building in a failed attempt to cancel his 2020 election. loss.
Barnett’s campaign told NBC that it did not participate in or approve the destruction of property and had nothing to do with the Proud Boys.
Last week, Trump backed U.S. Sen. Doug Mastriano, who spearheaded the Republican gubernatorial primary in Pennsylvania and attended the Capitol on the day of the uprising.
Mastriano also said he would pursue an abortion ban across the country. Abortion has become a hot issue in the race after an expired draft opinion showed that the Supreme Court was ready to overturn Rowe v. Wade, the 1973 decision to legalize abortion across the country.
Some Pennsylvania Republicans see Mastriano, like Barnett, as too extreme to win a general election.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the leader of the Democratic primary, has vowed to defend abortion rights. Shapiro said on Tuesday that he was isolating himself at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
In North Carolina, Cowthorne, 26, the youngest member of the House, faces a challenge from Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards. Cowthorne set some of his own party against him with a series of embarrassing episodes, including a claim that lawmakers invited him to a cocaine orgy, two attempts to bring a gun to a plane and an old video that appears to show Cawthorn’s goal spinning against someone.
In Idaho, incumbent Republican Gov. Brad Little faces Trump-backed main contender Janice McGitchin, the state’s vice governor.
Primary elections are also being held in Kentucky and Oregon.
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Report by Jarrett Renshaw in Philadelphia, Joseph Ax in New York and Andy Sullivan in Washington; Edited by Scott Malone, Will Dunham and Rosalba O’Brien
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
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