In Missouri, scandal-ridden former Governor Eric Greitens tries to return to politics. A packed race of Republican candidates for governor of Michigan includes a man charged in the attack on Capitol Hill. In Arizona, a prominent figure in the QAnon conspiracy theory is running for federal legislator.
These are some of the most high-profile contests in Tuesday’s primary elections in Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, Washington and Kansas. Take a look below.
ARIZONA
All of the candidates endorsed by Donald Trump in Arizona have one thing in common: They have spread the falsehood that the former president won the 2020 election.
In the gubernatorial race, Trump has thrown his support behind former news anchor Kari Lake, who has said she would not have certified the results in Arizona in the 2020 election.
Lake is up against businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who has the backing of former Vice President Mike Pence and outgoing Governor Doug Ducey.
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a strong supporter of the 2020 election, is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for governor.
In the Republican primary for a Senate seat, Trump has declared for tech investor Blake Masters against the current senator, Democrat Mark Kelly.
Masters, whose campaign has been financed by billionaire Peter Thiel, has called for reducing legal immigration and has propagated the false “great replacement” theory, according to which Democrats want to bring foreigners to the United States to replace the native population.
MICHIGAN
The Republican primary in the election for governor was chaotic from the start, as five participants were disqualified after it was revealed that they did not submit enough valid signatures to register their candidacy.
Of the remaining candidates, several have controversial records that could hurt them in the general election against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Real estate businessman Ryan Kelley has been accused of haranguing the mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Businessman Kevin Rinke was sued in the 1990s for sexual harassment and racial discrimination, charges he denies. Chiropractor Garrett Soldano sold fake COVID-19 remedies. Trump-backed businesswoman Tudor Dixon has acted in low-budget horror movies, one of which includes footage of a zombie biting a man’s genitals off.
All Republican candidates have spread the falsehood that there was fraud in the 2020 election.
MISSOURI
Former Governor Greitens is trying to revive himself politically after resigning in 2018 by admitting an extramarital affair and being accused of violating electoral rules. He is running Tuesday in the Republican primary for the Senate seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
Greitens, Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Rep. Vicky Hartzler are the favorites in a crowded field of 21 Republican candidates that also includes Rep. Billy Long and Mark McCloskey, a lawyer who pointed a rifle at an anti-racism rally.
Trump has not declared in favor of any candidate, although he has ruled out Hartzler.
On the Democratic side, the race is between Lucas Kunce, a Marine Corps veteran and self-proclaimed populist, and Trudy Busch Valentine, an heiress to the Busch beer fortune who has largely financed her campaign with her own money.
WASHINGTON
Two House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump are competing in the primaries against rivals backed by the former president.
Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, who has served in Congress since 2011, says she voted for impeachment because “she had an obligation to defend the Constitution.” Trump has come out on behalf of Joe Kent, a former Green Beret and cable talk show host who promotes the falsehood that Trump won the 2020 election.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, who has served in Congress since 2015, says he voted to impeach Trump because Trump incited the crowd on Jan. 6 and did nothing to stop the assault on Capitol Hill. He has as a rival Loren Culp, a former police commander who has the support of Trump.
KANSAS
In Kansas, a referendum will be held to decide on an amendment to the state Constitution to allow the Legislature to restrict or ban abortion. It will be the first referendum by a state on the issue of abortion since the national Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June.
Republican Kris Kobach is running for attorney general despite losses in previous campaigns for governor and senator.
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