Congressional candidates are gearing up for primaries on Tuesday that will play a key role in November’s battle for the Senate, while others determine whether …
Congressional candidates are gearing up for primaries on Tuesday that will play a key role in November’s battle for the Senate, while others determine whether some House Democrats are too progressive or not progressive enough. In Michigan, first-term lawmaker Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D), a member of the so-called squad, is looking to defend her seat against a strong challenge from former Rep. Brenda Jones (D-Mich.), who defeated Tlaib in a special election two years ago. In Kansas, Republicans are trying to prevent former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach from running under the party’s banner in November’s Senate race, instead throwing their support behind Rep. Roger Marshall (R). Three other key contests will help gauge the sentiment of each party’s voters as November draws near. Here are the five races to watch. Tlaib fights to fend off challenge from former congresswoman Tlaib faces off against Jones in hopes of defending her seat in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. This will be the third time Tlaib and Jones have gone head to head in the past two years. Jones defeated Tlaib in the race to replace the late Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D) in 2018, even though Tlaib outspent her. Jones served in Congress for just over a month before Tlaib defeated her in a six-way primary for a new two-year term. Tlaib is the front-runner in Tuesday’s primary, leading Jones 52 percent to 24 percent in a Target-Insight survey released last month. She also has a massive fundraising advantage, raising $777,000 during the second quarter, bringing her fundraising total to $2.9 million. Jones raised $98,000 during the same period, bringing her total to just $140,000. But some experts say Jones still has a shot. The former congresswoman defeated Tlaib two years ago despite being outraised. Additionally, Jones beat Tlaib with mail-in voters. If Jones were to garner more absentee voters this time around, it could be a huge advantage given the coronavirus pandemic.
