What Went Down In The June 7 Primaries

It’s still early, but we’re starting to get some results from the California Senate races for the seat’s current, truncated term and the next full one. In both, Sen. Alex Padilla is leading his challengers. According to The New York Times, which has 9 percent of precincts reporting, Padilla leads with roughly 50 percent of the vote. His nearest challenger, Republican Mark Meuser, currently sits in second at 16 percent. The special election to finish out Padilla’s truncated term shows much of the same: With 9 percent of precincts reporting, Padilla currently leads with 51 percent of the vote compared to Meuser’s 24 percent.

ABC News reports that attorney Monica Tranel is projected to win the Democratic primary in Montana’s 1st District. She’s currently leading 2020 Senate candidate Cora Neumann, 66 percent to 27 percent, with about half the vote counted. It’s a new district based in the state’s western half, and it includes some territory favorable to Democrats, like Missoula. But it still leans Republican overall, making it a tough climb for Tranel, who lost a narrow race for the state’s Public Service Commission in 2020.

Alex, California’s 37th District is a fun one because it’s an instance of two candidates — in this case, Kamlager and Lee — facing each other for a second time, but for a different office. Last year, Kamlager demolished Lee, 69 percent to 13 percent, to win her state Senate seat.