The Latest: Mississippi Dems choose Baria in Senate runoff
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on primaries and runoffs in seven states (all times local):
9:35 p.m.
Mississippi Democrats have nominated state Rep. David Baria to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, lining up behind a party stalwart as they reject a bid by a newcomer.
Baria is a Bay St. Louis attorney. He beat venture capitalist Howard Sherman of Meridian in Tuesday's runoff.
Many Democratic politicians backed Baria, the state House minority leader, arguing that Sherman was an unknown quantity. The husband of actress Sela Ward, Sherman voted as a Republican in California and donated to Wicker. Sherman said that was an effort to prevent a tea party conservative from winning office.
Baria says he has the experience to make the uphill campaign against Wicker and be a productive senator.
The Reform Party's Shawn O'Hara of Hattiesburg and Libertarian Danny Bedwell of Columbus also are running in November.
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9:30 p.m.
State Treasurer Walker Stapleton has won the Republican primary for Colorado governor.
Stapleton secured the nomination Tuesday against businessmen Victor Mitchell, Doug Robinson and Greg Lopez.
Stapleton led a field that collectively vowed to defend any attempt to tamper with Colorado's constitutional Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, which leaves it to voters to approve tax hikes. He also aligned himself with President Donald Trump on immigration, health care and the federal tax plan.
Stapleton has aired an ad in which he states, "I'll stand with Donald Trump to get illegal aliens who commit crimes deported." In the ad, Stapleton blames Congress for an immigration policy that separates children from their parents along the border.
State law prohibits Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper from serving a third consecutive term.
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9:25 p.m.
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin has won the Democratic nomination for his bid to earn a third term, beating Chelsea Manning and six others.
The popular and well-funded incumbent easily took victory in Tuesday's crowded primary.
Cardin's best-known rival was Manning, the convicted leaker of U.S. government secrets. She ran an unorthodox, grassroots campaign that failed to resonate with many voters.
Outside Manning's involvement, the contest attracted such little attention that there were no debates, few candidate forums and hardly any polling.
Cardin has name recognition within the state. He served 20 years in the U.S. House before becoming a senator in 2006. In his last primary, he easily defeated eight challengers.
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9:15 p.m.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination for a first full term in office, after President Donald Trump publicly embraced him at a rally and followed up with a tweet encouraging voters.
McMaster defeated Greenville businessman John Warren in Tuesday's primary runoff.
McMaster became governor when Nikki Haley left the office in 2017 to join the Trump administration as U.N. ambassador. As lieutenant governor, McMaster was the first statewide elected official in the country to back Trump's candidacy.
The runoff pitting McMaster against Warren threatened to embarrass the White House if the governor fell short. Trump has a mixed track record when going all-in for candidates.
McMaster was unsuccessful in his previous bid for the governorship in 2010, losing a four-way GOP primary to Haley.
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9 p.m.
Polls have now closed in New York and Colorado on a night when seven states are holding primary or runoff elections.
Polls closed in New York and Colorado at 9 p.m. Tuesday. Polls have already closed in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Maryland but remain open in Utah.
New York City's only Republican congressman will try to hold off a fierce challenge in the state's primary election from a former congressman trying to make a political comeback after serving prison time for tax fraud. The fight between U.S. Rep. Daniel Donovan and former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm is the most closely watched race in New York congressional primaries.
In Colorado, the contest to succeed Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper tops the primary. He is prevented by term limit laws from running again.
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8 p.m.
Polls have closed in Oklahoma, Mississippi and Maryland on a night of primary or runoff elections.
Polls closed in those states at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Polls closed an hour earlier in South Carolina, while polls close later Tuesday in Colorado, New York and Utah.
In Maryland, the outcome of races might be delayed because of an issue with voter registration that election officials said could affect as many as 80,000 voters. Those voters tried to change information through the Motor Vehicle Administration, but the MVA didn't transmit the information to election officials.
In Mississippi, Democratic voters are picking a nominee to challenge an incumbent Republican senator, and Republicans are choosing a congressional nominee for an open seat.
Oklahoma's gubernatorial race is at the top of the primary election ballot in that state.
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7 p.m.
Polls have closed in South Carolina as seven states across the nation hold primary or runoff elections.
Polls closed in South Carolina at 7 p.m. for Tuesday's runoff. Primary elections are also unfolding in Colorado, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma and Utah, while a runoff was being held in Mississippi.
President Donald Trump has put his name on the line in several races, especially in South Carolina, where he implored voters at a rally Monday to support incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster over newcomer John Warren. The winner faces Democrat James Smith in November.
Voters in one U.S. House District in South Carolina are also set to pick the replacement for U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy. Former state Sen. Lee Bright takes on state Sen. William Timmons for the Republican nomination in Gowdy's 4th Congressional District.
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2:15 p.m.
Maryland residents are voting in a primary amid some confusion created by a major voter-registration snafu.
But election officials say they haven't received any reports of problems thus far in Tuesday's elections.
A computer error at the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration failed to send changes some voters made in address and party affiliation to the state elections board.
As a result, as many as 80,000 voters could be forced to cast provisional ballots that won't be counted until next week.
Officials say the problem affects information that was entered either on the administration's website or at self-serve kiosks.
State elections deputy administrator Nikki Charlson says she hasn't heard of any problems related to the issue.
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7 a.m.
Voters in seven states are voting in primary or runoff elections Tuesday. They're facing decisions on everything from whether to return a convicted felon to Congress to whether marijuana laws should be loosened.
Primary elections are unfolding in Colorado, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma and Utah. South Carolina and Mississippi are holding runoffs.
President Trump has put his name on the line in several races, especially in South Carolina, where he implored voters Monday to support incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster. In New York, Rep. Daniel Donovan hopes to avoid becoming the third House Republican to lose a primary this year. His rival is former Rep. Michael Grimm, who went to federal prison for tax evasion.
And in Utah, Mitt Romney is the favorite to win the GOP nomination for Senate.
