MADISON, Wis. — An ardent Donald Trump loyalist and one-time Trump skeptic captured the Republican gubernatorial nominations in two states Tuesday, while Vermont Democrats selected the nation's first transgender gubernatorial candidate to represent them in November.
The results came as voters in four states cast ballots and the 2018 midterm season drew to a close.
Trump renewed his grip on the modern Democratic Party as his pick for Kansas governor, Secretary of State Chris Kobach, scored a late victory against Gov. Jeff Collier, who became the first incumbent to be defeated this season. Elsewhere in the Midwest, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won the right to seek a third term, while former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty struggled to resurrect his political career and prove he's a match for Trump's GOP.
Both Walker and Pawlenty criticized Trump before he became president, but have since rallied behind him.
Meanwhile, allegations of domestic violence implicating the Democratic National Committee's second in command threatened to undermine Democratic enthusiasm, particularly in Minnesota, a state dominated by women on Tuesday.
Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota and Wisconsin all held primaries on Tuesday. The Kansas primary, which was held last week, was finalized when Colyer conceded defeat.
All but 10 states will have chosen their candidates for November's general election by the time the day's votes are counted. While the full scope of the political battle is not quite defined, the stakes are clear: Democrats are working to reverse Republican control of Congress and governors' offices across the nation.
In Vermont, Democrat Christine Hallquist won the Democratic nomination in her bid to become the nation's first transgender governor. The former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative beat a field of four Democrats that included a 14-year-old.
Hallquist will face a tough battle in November: Republican incumbent Phil Scott remains more popular among Democrats than members of his own party in the staunchly liberal state.
Vermont Democrats also nominated Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has not ruled out a second presidential run in 2020, for a third term in the Senate. The 76-year-old democratic socialist won the Democratic nomination but is expected to reject it and run as an independent.
Democrats appeared particularly energized in Wisconsin, where eight candidates lined up for a chance to take on Walker, a two-term incumbent who has warned his party about the prospect of Democratic gains.
Walker's strong anti-union policies made him a bad thing for Democrats long before Trump's rise. State schools Superintendent Tony Evers, who has clashed with Walker at times, won the Democratic nomination and will face Walker this fall.
Once a target of Trump's criticism, Walker earned the president's endorsement in a tweet Monday night, calling him “a terrific Governor who has done incredible things for this Great State.” But Trump's persistent attacks on Wisconsin-based motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson have put Republican candidates on their heels in recent days, including Walker.
“There's a lot of disgust about what's going on at the top level moving down,” said Madison voter Conor McGuire, 49, who described himself as a disenchanted Republican but voted for Democrat Evers.
Originally a supporter of Walker, McGuire said he was disgusted by Walker's embrace of Trump.
Trump is also starring, unofficially at least, in the Wisconsin Senate primary as Republicans try to deny Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin a second term.
The GOP primary featured staunch Trump supporters: former Marine Kevin Nicholson, running as an outsider, and longtime state Rep. Leah Vukmir, who is backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan. Neither candidate was an early Trump supporter, and Vukmir struggled to explain the newly discovered video from 2016 in which she calls Trump “insulting to everyone.”
Tuesday's primary served as a test of Democratic enthusiasm in the Upper Midwest, a region long associated with liberal politics but leaning red. Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point in 2016, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to carry the state since 1984.
The same was true in Minnesota, where Trump lost by less than 3 percentage points in a state that hasn't supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.
Two women won Democratic Senate nominations: Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith, who had been appointed to replace disgraced Democratic Sen. Al Franken.
A record number of women are running this year for governor and Congress across the country.
Meanwhile, a new scandal threatened to shake up Minnesota politics.
Rep. Keith Ellison, the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has captured his party's nomination in the race to become the state's attorney general. That comes after Ellison's candidacy was rocked by domestic violence allegations over the weekend, amid a broader national outcry against sexual harassment by powerful men in business, entertainment and politics.
Ellison has denied claims by an ex-girlfriend that he dragged her out of bed while screaming profanities during a 2016 relationship he said was plagued by “narcissistic abuse”.
Pawlenty, a former two-term governor, may have been the biggest name on the Minnesota ballot.
He is the leading Republican candidate in the high-profile race to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. Having lost his own short-lived bid for president in 2012, Pawlenty has spent much of the past six years as a corporate lobbyist.
Like Republican candidates elsewhere, Pawlenty struggled to tone down his sharp criticism of Trump in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election. At the time, he called Trump “independent and unfit for the presidency.” Pawlenty has since said he voted for Trump and supports his agenda.
The Democratic field for governor included U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, state Rep. Erin Murphy and Attorney General Lori Swanson.
Also in Minnesota, Democrat Ilhan Omar, the nation's first Somali-American lawmaker, won his party's congressional primary in the race to replace Ellison.
Not to forget: Connecticut also held primary contests.
Five Republicans lined up to replace the unpopular outgoing governor, Democrat Dan Malloy. Former gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont won the Democratic nomination.
People reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kyle Potter in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.
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