How to follow Tuesday’s primary election results

By CNN Newsource

Published June 28, 2022 11:01 AM

By Rachel Janfaza, Ethan Cohen, Melissa Holzberg DePalo, Clara Grudberg and Nicholas Anastacio, CNN

It’s primary election day in Illinois, Colorado, New York, Oklahoma and Utah. There are also primary runoffs in Mississippi and South Carolina, and a special election to fill an open US House seat in Nebraska.

Among the key races Tuesday are a pair of incumbent vs. incumbent primaries in Illinois and two House Republican primary runoffs in Mississippi that feature incumbents in danger of losing renomination.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzer is favored to win the Democratic primary in his bid for a second term. Also seeking a second term is US Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. A crowded field of Republicans are competing to take them on.

Two House incumbents from Illinois will not be returning to Congress next year, a consequence of the state hosting two member-vs.-member primaries after the Prairie State lost a seat in redistricting. In the Chicago-area 6th Congressional District, Reps. Sean Casten and Marie Newman are facing off for the Democratic nomination, while in the 15th District downstate, Reps. Rodney Davis and Mary Miller are competing for the GOP nod.

In Colorado, there are competitive Republican primaries to take on top statewide-elected Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and US Sen. Michael Bennet in November.

There is a particular focus on the GOP primary for secretary of state, which features Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after an investigation into an election security breach in her office and is barred from overseeing elections in her county. Peters faces two other opponents in the race to take on Griswold: Pam Anderson, a former Jefferson County clerk who has received endorsements from current and former elected officials, including three former secretaries of state, and Mike O’Donnell, who founded a nonprofit small-business lending firm.

Two Republicans are challenging Polis: university regent Heidi Ganahl, the only Republican in elected statewide office in Colorado, and former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, who has said he believes former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Republicans seeking the party nod to take on Bennet include state Rep. Ron Hanks and businessman Joe O’Dea.

In Mississippi, Republican Reps. Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo were forced into runoffs after neither took a majority of the vote in the first round on June 7. In the 3rd District, Guest faces Navy veteran Michael Cassidy, who has focused throughout the campaign on the incumbent’s vote to establish an independent commission to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. In the 4th District, Palazzo, who is under a congressional ethics investigation over allegations of misuse of campaign funds, will take on Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell.

New York’s redistricting process pushed the state’s congressional and state Senate primaries to August, but New Yorkers will cast ballots Tuesday to decide the nominees in statewide and state Assembly elections, as well as for some local offices. The state’s senior US senator, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is unopposed for the Democratic nod and favored to win a fifth term in November.

Also in the Empire State, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a full term after being elevated to the top job when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned last year. She’s facing US Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in the primary. On the Republican side, US Rep. Lee Zeldin headlines a field that includes Andrew Giuliani, former Trump White House aide and the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Westchester County executive Rob Astorino.

In Oklahoma, both of the state’s US Senate seats are on the ballot this year — GOP Sen. James Lankford is running for a second full term and there’s also a special election for the seat Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe is vacating after the end of the year.

Inhofe has endorsed Luke Holland, his former chief of staff, in the GOP primary for his seat. Other candidates include US Rep. Markwayne Mullin, former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon and former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who was the subject of various ethics investigations during his tenure under Trump, leading to his resignation in July 2018. Former US Rep. Kendra Horn is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt is favored to win renomination for a second term Tuesday over a handful of primary challengers. Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, who switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat last fall to challenge Stitt, faces former state Sen. Connie Johnson for the Democratic nomination.

In Utah, US Sen. Mike Lee is favored to win his primary as he bids for a third term. Utah Democrats won’t have any federal primaries Tuesday and don’t have a Senate candidate at all but instead have gotten behind independent Evan McMullin.

In Nebraska’s 1st District, Republican Mike Flood and Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks, both state senators, are facing off in the special election for the seat left vacant by the resignation of GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who was convicted of making false statements and lying to authorities during an investigation of illegal campaign contributions. The two will also meet in November’s general election for the full term. Unusually, this special election will be conducted under the district’s new boundaries following redistricting after the 2020 census. Trump would have carried the seat by 11 points in 2020, leaving Flood as the favorite Tuesday.

How to follow CNN’s Election Coverage?

You can follow along with results on CNN.com and with our live updates. CNN’s decision desk will be monitoring results and will make projections accordingly.

What time do polls close?

In South Carolina, polls close at 7 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots must be received by poll close on election day.

In Illinois, polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots can be received by July 12 if they’re postmarked on or before election day.

In Mississippi, polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots can be received by July 6 if postmarked by election day.

In Oklahoma, polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots are due by hand by close of business June 27 or by mail by close of polls on election day.

In Colorado, polls close at 9 p.m. ET. All registered voters are mailed a ballot. Ballots must be received by close of polls on election day.

In Nebraska, polls close at 9 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots must be returned by close of polls on election day.

In New York, polls close at 9 p.m. ET. Mail-in ballots can be received by July 5 if postmarked by election day.

In Utah, polls close at 10 p.m. ET. All registered voters receive a mail-in ballot. Ballots must be postmarked by June 27.

Election resources

CNN has numerous election-related resources available to readers:

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