The dust hasn’t yet settled on last week’s primaries — several important contests, including congressional primaries, have not yet been called — and it’s apparently time to once again shift our focus to another round of notable and consequential contests. Let’s take them in alphabetical order.
In Maine, the expectation months ago was that there’d be a crowded GOP field eager to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, but the opposite has happened: Controversial former Gov. Paul LePage, who vowed to leave Maine for Florida after his second term ended, is running unopposed for the GOP nomination as he seeks a third term.
Also notable in the Pine Tree State is the race in the 2nd congressional district, where incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, one of Congress’ more conservative Democrats, will face off against the winner of tomorrow’s Republican primary, where former two-term Rep. Bruce Poliquin is expected to prevail.
In Nevada, there are several races worth watching tomorrow, up and down the ballot. In the Silver State’s gubernatorial race, for example, Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak is seen as potentially vulnerable, and there’s a crowded Republican primary field. The top two contenders appear to be Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Reno attorney Joey Gilbert, the latter of whom was outside the Capitol on Jan. 6. Former Sen. Dean Heller, on the comeback trail following his 2018 defeat, is also in the mix.
Similarly, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is generally considered one of the cycle’s most vulnerable incumbents, and several would-be GOP challengers are running. Polls suggest former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who’s become a little too fond of election conspiracy theories, is the Republican frontrunner, though he’s facing a tougher-than-expected fight against retired Army Capt. Sam Brown.
There are also some competitive congressional primaries tomorrow, including in Nevada’s 4th district, where Assemblywoman Annie Black, who was in Washington, D.C., for Jan. 6, is among the contenders.
Also keep an eye on Nevada’s secretary of state race, where term limits are forcing out a respected incumbent, and where former Assemblyman Jim Marchant is a prominent Trump-backed GOP contender who’s invested a fair amount of time peddling nonsense about the 2020 race. Marchant’s campaign website, for example, condemns Nevada’s existing system of elections as “fraudulent,” reality notwithstanding.
Further down the ballot, there’s a crowded Republican primary field in the Nevada state Treasurer’s race, and Michele Fiore, whose far-right antics often generate national attention, is among the contenders.
In North Dakota, Sen. John Hoeven is generally seen as a safe bet for third term, though he’s a facing Republican primary rival — oil worker Riley Kuntz — who’s argued that the conservative incumbent just isn’t far enough to the right.
Also keep an eye on the GOP’s secretary of state primary, where longtime incumbent Al Jaeger is retiring, and the party has rallied behind state Rep. Michael Howe. He’s facing Marvin Lepp, who’s publicly said he’s “not sure“ about the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.









