Election night results: Biden and Trump sweep five states, and congressional showdowns set in three

Voters in six states headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes in a slew of races up and down the ballot.

Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio cast their votes in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, while Florida only held a GOP primary after the Democratic one was canceled.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump surpassed the delegate thresholds to become their parties’ presumptive nominees on March 12 and were not blocked from victory in any of Tuesday’s primary contests.

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Most of the night’s excitement came from races down the ballot, as several Senate and House primary races took place that will shape the playing field come November as both parties try to wrestle control of both chambers. California’s special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was one to watch as Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong failed to secure more than 50% to fend off a runoff election to fill McCarthy’s seat for the remainder of his term.

Results

Ohio

The Buckeye State held both its Republican and Democratic primary elections. Biden won his primary with 87% support with 98% of the votes counted. The Associated Press called the race seven minutes after polls closed at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Trump won Ohio’s Republican primary with 79.2% support with 98% of the votes counted, with theAssociated Presscalling the race14minutes after the polls closed. Ohio, once considered a swing state, has gone to Trump twice in the last two presidential elections and is largely considered a safe red state heading into 2024.

Trump-backed Bernie Moreno won Ohio’s Senate GOP primary race, beating state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose for the opportunity to take on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in November. The Associated Press called the race for Moreno at 8:35 p.m. Eastern time, with Moreno holding 50.5% support with 98% of the votes counted.

Ohio’s Senate race is considered one of the most competitive contests of 2024 as Brown seeks to win another term and help Democrats hold on to their slim majority in the Senate.

Former state Sen. Kevin Coughlin defeated Hudson City Councilor Chris Banweg on Tuesday in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District GOP primary, with the Associated Press calling the race at 8:53 p.m. Eastern time with Coughlin holding 65% of votes with 98% of the votes counted. Coughlin will face incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) in November.

State Rep. Derek Merrin won the Republican primary in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, beating Steve Lankenau and Craig Riedel. J.R. Majewski exited the race earlier this month. The Associated Press called the race for Merrin at 9:43 p.m. Eastern time. Merrin won with 52.5% out of 98% of the votes counted.

Florida

Trump won Florida’s Republican primary, with theAssociated Presscalling the racein Trump’s favor at 8 p.m. Eastern time.Florida is Trump’s home state and the site of his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Trump had 81.2% of the vote with 98% of the votes counted, with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley garnering 13.9%. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), once thought to be Trump’s biggest threat to securing the GOP nomination for a third time and whodropped his bidin January, got 3.7%.

Florida’s Democratic primary was canceled, as Biden was the only candidate nominated, awarding all 224 of the party’s delegates to the president.

Delegates at stake: 125 for Republicans

Most polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern time, with the rest closing at 8 p.m.

Illinois

Biden won Illinois’s Democratic primary, with the Associated Press calling the race for Biden at 8:11 p.m. Eastern time. Biden won 91.3% with 86% of the votes counted. Trump won the state’s GOP primary, holding 80.7% out of 93% of the votes counted. The Associated Press called the race at 8:15 p.m. Eastern time.

Trump’s appearance on the ballot comes after the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that states, including Illinois,could not remove him from their ballots using the 14th Amendment.

Republican Darren Bailey, who was challenging Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) for Illinois’s 12th Congressional District, conceded the race Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press.

Bailey, who had the support of firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and House Freedom Caucus member Mary Miller (R-IL), was part of a growing number of Republican candidates challenging incumbents from their own party. The Associated Press called the race for Bost on Wednesday at 10:14 a.m. Eastern time with Bost holding 51.4% to Bailey’s 48.6% with 98% of votes counted.

Registered voters could participate in either party’s primary.

Delegates at stake: 147 for Democrats, 64 for Republicans

Polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Kansas

Both Biden and Trump won their primary races in Kansas. Biden won with 83.8% with 99% of the votes counted, with the Associated Press calling the race at 9 p.m. Eastern time, when polls closed.

One of Biden’s biggest challenges of the night, the “none of the names shown” option on the ballot, secured 10.3% of the vote. Protest votes against Biden have followed the president throughout the 2024 primary cycle as he faces criticism over his support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

Trump won Kansas’s Republican primary at 75.5% with 99% of the votes counted, with theAssociated Presscalling the race at 9 p.m. Eastern time, just as the last polls closed. Kansas is a reliably safe red state heading into 2024. The state hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since 1964.

The “none of the names shown” option also appeared on the Republican primary ballot. Registered voters could only participate in their own party’s contest, but independents could participate in either election.

Delegates at stake: 33 for Democrats, 39 for Republicans

Most polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern time, with the last polls closing at 9 p.m.

Arizona

Biden won Arizona’s Democratic primary by a landslide, with the Associated Press calling the race for him at 11:02 p.m. Eastern time. Biden held 89.5% of the vote with 80% of the votes counted.

A protest vote campaign against Biden that urged voters to vote for author Marianne Williamson, as there was not an “uncommitted” option on the ballot, got 3.5% of the vote.

Trump also won his primary race, with the Associated Press calling the race for him at 11:02 p.m. Eastern time, holding 77.9% of the vote with 80% of the votes counted. Haley secured 18.6% of the vote, earning more than 106,000 votes in the primary race.

Biden beat Trump in Arizona by only 10,457 votes in 2020.

Delegates at stake: 72 for Democrats, 43 for Republicans

First polls closed at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

California

The Golden State’s only race on Tuesday was the special election to fill McCarthy’s seat in California’s 20th Congressional District that was left open after he left Congress last December.

Fong and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, both Republicans, will compete in the May 21 runoff election to fill McCarthy’s former seat for the remainder of his term. Fong secured 42.1% of votes compared to Boudreaux’s 24% with 98% of the votes counted, according to theAssociated Press.

Democrat Marisa Wood finished in third place with 21.3%. A separate primary for a full term beginning in January 2025 was held on March 5. In that primary, Fong received the most votes and will face Boudreaux in November.

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California’s 20th Congressional District is reliably red.

Polls closed at 11 p.m. Eastern time.

Election night results: Biden and Trump sweep five states, and congressional showdowns set in three - Washington Examiner (2024)