Themes of the Aug. 2 primaries: Abortion, Democratic infighting and a whole lot of Donald Trump
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WASHINGTON – Donald Trump vs. non-Trump Republicans.
Democratic infighting and interference in GOP primaries.
These are among the chief issues in primaries Tuesday that will help decide which party wins control of Congress and governors' offices in November. Five states host primaries: Michigan, Arizona, Missouri, Kansas and Washington.
"There will be a lot of Trump on the ballot," said Henry Olsen, a polling analyst and senior fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
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A review of contests, state-by-state:
Michigan: Democrats help a Trump candidate – and fight each other
Two themes have run throughout the election year: congressional Democrats opposing each other because of redistricting and Democratic organizations helping Trump-endorsed candidates, presuming they would be easier to beat in the fall.
Rep. Peter Meijer, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump after the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, faces Trump-backed primary challenger John Gibbs, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development – and the recipient of Democratic help.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee funded an ad that attacks Gibbs as too conservative, which could increase his appeal to Trump voters in the GOP primary race with Meijer.
Hoping that Trump-backed candidates are easier to beat in general elections in the fall, Democrats tried similar tricks in Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
In another race in Michigan, two Democratic incumbents run against each other in a newly created U.S. House district: Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens.
The race underscores the friction between liberals and more moderate Democrats. Levin brought in former far-left presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to campaign for him.
One issue that could make a difference: Israel. Stevens received millions in support from the United Democracy Project, a political action committee created by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
GOP duels in Arizona:Kari Lake, Blake Masters and Mark Finchem surge toward victory. Democrats cheer
Arizona: Trump vs. Pence, again
The Republican gubernatorial primary could be seen as a proxy battle between Trump and Pence, the former running mates who might oppose each other for the 2024 presidential nomination.
Trump backs Kari Lake, a former news anchor, who agrees with Trump's false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and vowed to change state election laws if elected.
Pence backs Karrin Taylor Robson, a more traditional Republican who said Lake supported President Barack Obama and denounced Trump before he became president.
The ex-president and ex-vice president also went against each other in Georgia in May. Pence backed incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp, who easily defeated Trump-supported challenger David Perdue.
The Arizona Republican Senate primary features Trump backer Blake Masters, a venture capitalist who echoes Trump's conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
Democrats expect Masters would be the easiest candidate to beat in a race with incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly.
Arizona is a crucial race in the fight for control of the Senate, split 50-50 between the parties. Democrats control the chamber because of a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a state legislative race, Trump supporters work to defeat Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified before the special congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection and sharply disputed the former president's repeated claims of a stolen election in Arizona.
More: State election officials tell Jan. 6 committee of pressure, threats from Trump and allies
Missouri: A Show Me State showdown
Running in the Republican Senate primary is former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in 2018 amid allegations of sexual assault and campaign fundraising issues.
Pursuing the Trump vote, Greitens ran ads in which he held a shotgun and urged voters to take out "Republicans In Name Only," or, as he put it, go "RINO hunting."
He is also an underdog. Greitens started falling in pre-primary polls after his ex-wife issued a statement detailing allegations of domestic abuse, which he denied.
Surveys give the Republican lead to a more traditional candidate, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler is another Republican seeking to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Roy Blunt.
Trump waited until Monday evening to make an endorsement in the Missouri Senate race – sort of. In a written statement, the ex-president said he is confident Missouri voters can "make up their own minds," and "I am therefore proud to announce that ERIC has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"
He did not say whether that meant Eric Schmitt or Eric Greitens.
The winner of the GOP Senate Republican primary will be favored over whoever emerges from a crowded Democratic field.
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Kansas: Abortion
Candidate elections look pretty pro forma, but the Sunflower State primary features a referendum that will test the salience of an intensely revived issue: abortion.
Kansans will vote on whether to change the state constitution and allow the Legislature to outlaw abortions. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe vs. Wade, the decision in 1973 that established abortion as a constitutional right.
Democrats count on the elimination of the constitutional right to an abortion to energize their political base and produce victories. Republicans who long sought to end Roe vs. Wade expect the prospect of state-by-state legislation to ban abortions will do the same for their voters.
Washington: The Trump revenge tour
Trump's yearlong effort to defeat House Republicans who voted to impeach him over Jan. 6 faces two tests.
Two House incumbents – Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse – face pro-Trump challengers.
Beutler's opponents include former Green Beret Joe Kent, who has Trump's endorsement.
Among Newhouse's opponents is Loren Culp, a former police chief who has Trump's support.
Secretaries of state
This year's primaries include races for secretaries of state, a position that's taken on added importance since the officials supervise elections.
In Arizona, Trump endorsed Mark Finchem, who attended "Stop The Steal" rallies protesting the 2020 election and called for decertifying the results in Arizona. Another Republican candidate, state Rep. Shawnna Bolick, introduced a bill that would give the Legislature the power to overturn elections.
Two candidates in Wisconsin – Justin Schmidtka and Jay Schroeder – called to decertify or rescind state electors from the election of 2020.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aug. 2 primaries: Abortion, Democratic infighting, and Donald Trump
