WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) – The Latest on primaries in Missouri, Kansas, Michigan and Washington state and a congressional special election in Ohio (all times local): 2…
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) – The Latest on primaries in Missouri, Kansas, Michigan and Washington state and a congressional special election in Ohio (all times local):
2:15 a.m.
Former Michigan state lawmkaer Rashida Tlaib has won the Democratic nomination to run unopposed for a House seat, setting her up to become the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.
No Republicans or third-party candidates ran in Tuesday’s District 13 primary race, meaning Tlaib is set to win the seat in November’s election. She would take the spot held since 1965 by John Conyers, who stepped down in December citing health reasons amid charges of sexual harassment.
A special primary race to serve the last two months of Conyers’ term is still too close to call. Tlaib and Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones are neck and neck. The winner of that race will also run unopposed in November’s election.
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1:50 a.m.
A white Missouri county prosecutor who gained national attention in his handling of the investigation of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown has lost a primary challenge to a black Ferguson councilman.
That’s according to unofficial results from St. Louis County.
Wesley Bell’s win over St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch in the Democratic primary on Tuesday means he’s all but certain to become prosecutor; no Republicans were on the ballot. McCulloch was seeking an eighth term.
Bell is a 43-year-old attorney and former municipal judge and prosecutor. He was elected councilman in 2015 as protests continued to rage over Brown’s death.
Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, died Aug. 9,2014, in a street confrontation with white officer Darren Wilson, who wasn’t charged.
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1:40 a.m.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Gov. Jeff Colyer are awaiting results from the state’s most populous county to determine which one wins the Republican nomination for governor.
Kobach and Colyer were virtually tied atop a seven-candidate field early Wednesday.
Most outstanding results were from Johnson County in the Kansas City suburbs. It has nearly 23 percent of the state’s voters.
Kansas has no mandatory recount, but the trailing candidate can request one.
The race was a test of whether President Donald Trump’s late endorsement can push his ally Kobach to victory. Kobach has advised the White House and served as vice chairman of a now-disbanded presidential commission on election fraud.
Colyer became governor in January, succeeding Sam Brownback.
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1:20 a.m.
The winner in Ohio’s high-profile special election for a U. S. House seat may not be known for weeks.
That’s according to the Ohio secretary of state’s office, which says state law doesn’t permit election officials to begin counting provisional and outstanding absentee ballots until the 11th day after the election, Aug. 18.
There are 3,435 provision ballots and 5,048 outstanding absentee ballots.
The process is complex. Four appointed members of each board of elections – two Republicans and two Democrats – determine which provisional ballots are eligible in a public meeting. County officials have until Aug. 24 to finish their work.
Then, if the margin between Republican Troy Balderson and Democrat Danny O’Connor is less than one-half of 1 percent, an automatic recount is triggered.
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12:30 a.m.
A Washington state representative who resigned his chairmanship following allegations of inappropriate conduct is in third place in early primary returns.
Democratic Rep. David Sawyer on Tuesday trailed Democrat Melanie Morgan and Republican Terry Harder. Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party.
Sawyer represents a district that includes parts of Tacoma.
In June, Sawyer resigned as the chairman of the House Commerce and Gaming Committee a day after an outside investigation found he violated the chamber’s policies on harassment, decorum and ethics.
Sawyer apologized and said in an email at the time that it was « clear that I messed up and that it’s time for me to acknowledge some personal mistakes. »
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12:25 a.m.
A Kansas official says long lines at polling places delayed election results in the state’s most populous county as Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach were locked in a tight race for the Republican nomination for governor.
State elections director Bryan Caskey said Tuesday night that some polling places in Johnson County in the suburbs of Kansas City remained open until about 8 p.m. to accommodate people who were in line to vote when polls officially closed at 7 p.m.
He says that led local officials to delay reporting their first results, from votes cast in advance.
Johnson County has nearly 408,000 registered voters, or almost 23 percent of the state’s total of 1.8 million.
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11:45 p.m.
A black Ferguson city councilman leads longtime St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch in a contest some see as a referendum on McCulloch’s handling of the investigation into Michael Brown’s death.
With the vote counted from nearly 90 percent of precincts, the county reported Wesley Bell leading the 67-year-old McCulloch by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. No Republicans are running for prosecutor.
McCulloch, who is white, is seeking an eighth term.
Bell is a 43-year-old attorney and former municipal judge and prosecutor. He was elected councilman in 2015 as protests raged over Brown’s death.
Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, died Aug. 9,2014, in a street confrontation with white officer Darren Wilson. A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Wilson, who later resigned. Some critics accused McCulloch of skewing the investigation in favor of the officer.
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11:40 p.m.
Democrat Danny O’Connor is trying to rally his supporters as he’s locked in a close race with Republican Troy Balderson in Ohio’s congressional special election.
O’Connor says, « We’re not stopping now. »
The candidates were locked in a razor-thin contest Tuesday night. There were at least 3,367 provisional ballots left to be reviewed. That’s enough for O’Connor to potentially pick up enough votes to force a recount.
The Associated Press does not declare winners in races subject to an automatic recount.
Balderson, meanwhile, was celebrating, saying he’s ready to get to work in Congress. He says, « America is on the right path and we’re going to keep it going that way. »
The winner takes the seat previously held by Republican Pat Tiberi, who resigned in January to take another job.
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11:35 p.m.
President Donald Trump is already taking credit for helping elect his favored candidate in a special House election in Ohio, though the race is too close to call.
In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump declared « a great victory » for Republican Troy Balderson over Democrat Danny O’Connor.
While Balderson has a slight lead, the race is close enough that there could be a mandatory recount. There are also at least 3,367 provisional ballots left to be reviewed.
Trump says Balderson had been far behind in early voting before he hosted a rally for the candidate Saturday night in the suburban Columbus district. The president says that after his speech « there was a big turn for the better. »
Trump offered another prediction – that Balderson will « win BIG » in November’s general election.
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11:30 p.m.
Republican Susan Hutchison has gained a top-two finish in Washington state’s primary to advance to the November general election.
The former television newscaster and GOP state party chairwoman was finishing second in the voting in Tuesday’s contest. Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote-getters go on to November, regardless of party.
Hutchison is the former state Republican Party chairwoman.
She is making a longshot bid to oust the Democratic incumbent, Sen. Maria Cantwell, who is seeking a fourth term.
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11:25 p.m.
Sen. Maria Cantwell has advanced to the November ballot in Washington’s primary election.
The Democrat seeking her fourth term easily outpaced all other candidates. Under Washington’s primary system, the top two vote-getters go on to November, regardless of party.
Cantwell is Washington’s junior senator and the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Cantwell will likely face Republican Susan Hutchison in November. Hutchison is the former state Republican Party chairwoman.
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11:20 p.m.
The last special election of the year for the U. S. House is too close to call.
With election officials in Ohio done counting Tuesday night, Republican Troy Balderson has a slight lead over Democrat Danny O’Connor in the special election in the state’s 12th Congressional District.
But there are at least 3,367 provisional ballots left to be reviewed. That’s enough for O’Connor to potentially pick up enough votes to force a mandatory recount.
The Associated Press does not declare winners in races that go to an automatic recount.
The race in suburban Columbus was one of the most-watched contests in Tuesday’s primaries as O’Connor tried to pick up a seat long held by Republicans.
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11 p.m.
The deadline has passed for turning in primary ballots in Washington, a vote-by-mail state.
The contest getting the most attention is a U. S. House seat Democrats hope to capture in November for the first time since the district east of Seattle was created in 1980.
Voters began receiving their state primary ballots in the mail weeks ago, and Tuesday was the last day to get them in or postmarked for mail delivery. In some of the more competitive races, results may not be known for days as most counties will update vote counts only once a day.
In Washington’s 8th District, Republican U. S. Rep. Dave Reichert is retiring after more than a decade.
Republican Dino Rossi, a former state senator, is expected to advance along with one of three Democrats.
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10:40 p.m.
Missouri voters have rejected a right-to-work law banning mandatory union fees in workplace contracts.
The vote Tuesday marked a major victory for unions, which poured millions of dollars into a campaign to defeat Proposition A.
