Here are ten races to watch this primary day:
NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY: The race between former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has been playing out as a general election face-off for months since Brown moved to the state late last year, but Brown actually has to win his primary today first. WHY IT MATTERS: He’s up against former New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith (yes, he’s not the only former senator in the running!) and former New Hampshire state Sen. Jim Rubens. Brown is heavily favored and now that we are hours away, the expectations game is playing out in this general election battle that could determine control of the Senate. New Hampshire’s Union-Leader reported Monday that Brown’s campaign believes he can beat Shaheen in November even if he only wins today with a plurality of the vote. The New Hampshire Democratic Party put out its own release that it is expecting Brown to win by a “massive margin” and calling “anything short of an overwhelming win … an embarrassment.” Brown’s primary lead and endorsements from Granite State Sen. Kelly Ayotte and even Mitt Romney has made him the focus since he entered the race, but that hasn’t deterred Smith, who has a 30-year political resume, with several non-traditional stops along the way. Smith served in both the House and Senate, and waged an unsuccessful presidential bid that included leaving the party for a short time. He moved to Florida soon after his 2002 Senate re-election loss and mounted two bids for the GOP Senate nomination from the Sunshine State in 2004 and 2010, both unsuccessfully. Now that he’s back in New Hampshire, Smith is running as the “true conservative” in the race, but it’s not only the fact that he left the GOP that has undermined his claim to that title: In 2004, just before Election Day, he endorsed John Kerry over George W. Bush. Either way, he said this is the likely end to his 30-year political resume. Rubens has also positioned himself to the right of Brown, but in their final debate last week he said unequivocally that he believes global warming exists and is caused by man, a belief he says makes him the only Republican Senate candidate in the country willing to openly share that view.
NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY: The only Democratic female governor is in New Hampshire and Maggie Hassan only faces token opposition today, but the Republican fight to take her on is an interesting one. Walt Havenstein, a former Marine and president of BAE Systems has vastly outspent his 32-year-old opponent Andrew Hemingway, a tea partier and former aide to Newt Gingrich in 2012, overseeing his efforts in the Granite State. WHY IT MATTERS: Despite how tight the race remains, Havenstein, 64, has not only outspent his young challenger, pouring in $1.5 million of his own money, but he also has the backing of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who is also the chairman of the Republican Governors’ Association. It was a rare foray for Christie into a primary, one that got a lot of attention and speculation this was more about 2016 than 2014. The race remains tight between the Havenstein and Hemingway and they are appealing to different parts of the party. Hemingway to the more conservative electorate and Havenstein, who is pro-abortion rights, is running more of a moderate campaign trying to paint himself as the only candidate who can beat Hassan. State polls show Hassan leading both possible challengers.
MASSACHUSETTS GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY: With incumbent Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick opting against seeking a third term, this is an open race with high-profile candidates on both sides of the aisle, which, despite blue Massachusetts, could lead to a competitive general election. WHY IT MATTERS: On the Democratic side, the Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, backed by Emily’s List, has come in first against her two opponents in state polls. She famously lost in 2010 to Scott Brown in the Massachusetts Senate race in the seat that opened up after Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death. (Brown then lost to Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and now is running for the Senate again in New Hampshire. See above). Coakley faces off against Donald Berwick, a former Obama administration health care official, and Steve Grossman, the Massachusetts state treasurer, who was endorsed by the state party, as well as the Boston Globe. He has been touting the endorsements as the primary approached. On the Republican side, Charlie Baker, who won the Republican nomination in 2010, is the former state Secretary of Finance and Administration and the former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. He is up against Mark Fisher, a businessman aligned with the tea party. Baker is favored, but Fisher is trying to awaken the more conservative members of the party in the Bay State that he believes may be upset at the more moderate GOP in the state. Baker has a more moderate approach, trying to appeal to voters in both parties ahead of the November election. The Democratic and Republican winners will be up against three independent candidates in November.
RHODE ISLAND GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY: Gov. Lincoln Chafee is not seeking a second term so there is an open race for Rhode Island’s top office. WHY IT MATTERS: The Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s governor is a tight battle pitting state general treasurer Gina Raimondo against Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Clay Pell, the 32-year-old grandson of Claiborne Pell, the late senator who represented Rhode Island for 36 years and for whom the Pell Grant is named. The former Coast Guard attorney is also married to former Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, also a draw on the campaign trail. Raimondo has led in the most recent polls, but has remained tight with Taveras through most of the primary, with many undecided voters. If Raimondo — backed by Emily’s List — wins today and goes on to win in November she would be Rhode Island’s first female governor. Public-sector unions aren’t supportive of Raimondo since she reformed the state’s pension plan cutting benefits, but unions have split their support between Taveras and Pell. Spending between the three has been sky high with spending in the Democratic primary alone topping $10 million. Taveras, who has appealed to Latino and middle-class voters, has hit Raimondo for her support from Wall Street donors. The unions supporting Pell and Taveras could help with their get-out-the-vote operations while Raimondo has been appealing to more independents and moderates who could boost her today. Pell has trailed in polls despite spending $3.4 million of his own money, but may be able to get support from voters who remember his grandfather. His opponents have portrayed him as a wealthy rookie unable to hold down a job. The winner will face either Cranston Mayor Allan Fung or businessman Ken Block who are facing off for the Republican nomination. Fung has been endorsed by Mitt Romney while Block has been endorsed by John Robitaille, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor. Fung and Block have spent considerably less than their Democratic rivals. Fung has questioned Block’s conservative credentials since Block voted for the president twice. Fung ran into some trouble in August when it was revealed he shot a campaign ad touting Rhode Island’s as “open for business,” but from an Ohio diner. The lack of polling makes this a complete toss-up. Rhode Island is a blue state and a Democrat is favored to win, but Rhode Island hasn’t elected a Democrat as governor since 1992.
NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PRIMARY: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a Democratic challenge from liberal Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout. Teachout claims Cuomo is too far to the right for New York, despite victories like the legalization of same-sex marriage and the passing of one of the strictest gun control bills in the country, achievements he has pointed to. WHY IT MATTERS: There has been no polling, but Cuomo is heavily favored to win. The race that has gotten more attention is actually the second name on both tickets, the race for lieutenant governor where there is more of a possibility for an upset. Cuomo’s pick is Kathy Hochul, a former one-term congresswoman from a conservative district outside Buffalo who is up against Teachout’s choice Tim Wu, a Columbia Law School professor. Hillary Clinton released a robo-call last week backing the ticket, but in the call she primarily focused boosting the little-known Hochul. Hochul has been stressing her progressive stances, but Wu has hit her for her own gun control and environmental records. Hochul is most well-known for winning a special election in one of the state’s most conservative districts in 2011, but she lost her re-election one year later. The biggest controversy hanging over the race is the Moreland Commission, the anti-corruption panel Cuomo dissolved after it began looking at organizations close to the governor. It prompted a federal investigation after it was revealed in the New York Times. The winning ticket will face Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in November.
MORE: Coverage of state and local election news
