The Latest: Whitehouse wins Democratic US Senate race in RI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Latest on primary election day in Rhode Island (all times local):
8:20 p.m.
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has beaten back a Democratic primary challenge in his bid for a third term.
Whitehouse defeated Patricia Fontes in Wednesday's primary election.
The 62-year-old Whitehouse is a leading voice in the Senate pushing to do more to address climate change. He has also been critical of President Donald Trump on a number of issues, including by pushing to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
The 81-year-old Fontes is a retired educator and peace and environmental activist. She has said Whitehouse's votes in the Senate "facilitate continual war," including his vote against a resolution to pull American troops from Yemen.
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8 p.m.
Polls have closed in Rhode Island, and U.S. Rep. James Langevin and his Republican opponent have sailed through unopposed.
Langevin is seeking a 10th term to represent the 2nd Congressional District in western Rhode Island. He did not face a Democratic challenger in Wednesday's primary.
He'll face Republican businessman Salvatore Caiozzo in November. Caiozzo, also unopposed, ran for the seat in 2016 as an independent, finishing last.
Langevin says his top priority has been fighting to put Rhode Islanders back to work by standing up for small businesses and taxpayers and building a strong new foundation for the American economy. The state's workforce was hit hard by the recession and a decades-long manufacturing decline.
Langevin is a former Rhode Island secretary of state who was first elected to Congress in 2000. He's a senior member of the influential House Armed Services Committee.
Voters also were selecting nominees for the 1st Congressional District, U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and some key mayoral races.
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11:50 a.m.
Voters are going to the polls to select nominees for Rhode Island governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, lieutenant governor and some key mayoral races.
The Providence Journal reports some started early Wednesday in Providence at a local elementary school.
Asha Misra told the newspaper she voted for Gov. Gina Raimondo because she believes the incumbent puts the state's needs ahead of her own ambitions. Raimondo faces former Secretary of State Matt Brown in the Democratic race.
Tara Nummedal and her husband, Seth Rockman, voted for Brown. Nummedal said she believes Brown's policies for women are better than his opponent's.
One race to watch is the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, which pits incumbent Dan McKee against self-described progressive state lawmaker Aaron Regunberg (RAY'-gun-berg).
Polls close at 8 p.m.
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11:55 p.m.
Rhode Island's Democratic governor faces a spirited but poorly funded challenge in the primary, while the mayor of the state's second-largest city is seeking the GOP nomination for another shot at the governor's seat in November. First, he has to defeat a state lawmaker making her first gubernatorial run.
Voters in Rhode Island on Wednesday are also selecting nominees for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, lieutenant governor and some key mayoral races.
Gov. Gina Raimondo faces former Secretary of State Matt Brown in the Democratic race. The winner is expected to go on to face either Cranston Mayor Allan Fung or House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan.
One race to watch is the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, which pits incumbent Dan McKee against self-described progressive state lawmaker Aaron Regunberg (RAY'-gun-berg).
Polls close at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
