What Went Down During The May 17 Primary Elections

We’ve been tracking how women fare in the 2022 primaries, and tonight there are a couple potential “firsts” on the ballot.

Depending on how its Republican primary goes, Idaho might elect its first-ever female governor. Incumbent Gov. Brad Little is facing a primary challenge from his right — the state’s lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin. McGeachin made national headlines last year when Little left the state and, as acting governor, McGeachin issued executive orders rescinding mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccine requirements. (Little later repealed the orders.) Although by most accounts Little is a staunch conservative, it is McGeachin who won Trump’s endorsement.

Still, ousting an incumbent remains a tall order, and a poll conducted last month by Zoldak Research for the Idaho Dispatch found Little ahead of McGeachin by 31 percentage points. But regardless of who wins the Republican primary tonight, McGeachin or Little will likely go on to easily win the general election. Idaho is a deep-red state, and even though it has seen an influx of new residents over the past several years, there is little evidence that the new residents are any less conservative than the current ones.

Here’s a look at all the female candidates running in GOP primaries:

Over in North Carolina, 35 percent of the Democratic primary candidates are women. There are several who have a good chance of winning the nomination and a seat in November, too, such as former state Sen. Erica Smith in the 1st District and either state Sen. Valerie Foushee or Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam in the 4th District. Both of these races are competitive primaries for open seats that feature a more establishment Democrat and a more progressive Democratic. (I am also tracking progressives’ success today, so these two races are high on my radar!)

In the 1st District, Smith has the backing of progressive groups Sunrise Movement and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, but she will need to get by Air Force veteran and former mayor Don Davis, who has the support from retiring Rep. G.K. Butterfield. The race in North Carolina’s 4th District, meanwhile, not only features two women but also pits a more establishment Democrat (Foushee) against a progressive (Allam) (in addition to a former “American Idol,” Clay Aiken). Allam has the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sunrise Movement, while Foushee has been endorsed by EMILY’s List.

Speaking of EMILY’s List, the pro-choice PAC with a mission to back female candidates early, the group has endorsed five non-incumbent Democratic women in today’s contests — Foushee, Cheri Beasley in North Carolina’s Senate race, Summer Lee in Pennsylvania’s 12th District, Val Hoyle in Oregon’s 4th District and Tina Kotek for the governor’s race in Oregon. I’ll be tracking these candidates, and more, throughout the night. Here is the full rundown of women running in Democratic races: