By Lucretia Hughes Klucken
WASHINGTON — Voters in Florida, Alaska and Wyoming selected candidates for governor, Congress and the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, producing several expected victories, more than one major upset and clear signs of the political battles heading toward November.
Florida delivered the night’s most dramatic results.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds won the Republican nomination for governor, while Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon stunned the political establishment by defeating retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
In Wyoming, Rep. Harriet Hageman won the Republican nomination for Senate, but President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for governor suffered a surprise defeat.
Alaska’s unusual top-four primary advanced Republican and Democratic candidates to November, setting up competitive races under the state’s ranked-choice voting system.
The results demonstrated that Trump’s endorsement remains powerful but is not invincible. They also showed growing divisions inside the Democratic Party between establishment candidates and the socialist left.
Florida
Donalds defeated 10 opponents to secure the Republican nomination for governor. He received approximately 48% of the vote, while Lt. Gov. Jay Collins finished second with about 25%, according to unofficial results.
Donalds will face Democratic nominee David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later left the GOP and is now running as a Democrat.
The winner will succeed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot seek a third consecutive term.
Trump endorsed Donalds early in the race, helping him establish a commanding lead in fundraising and public support. If elected in November, Donalds would become Florida’s first Black governor.
The Senate primary produced a much larger surprise.
Nixon defeated Vindman approximately 56% to 44%, despite being vastly outspent. Vindman raised more than $16 million, while Nixon raised less than $1 million through the end of July.
Vindman became nationally known after testifying during Trump’s first impeachment investigation. He entered the Florida race with strong support from anti-Trump donors and establishment Democrats.
Nixon, a Democratic Socialists of America member, received support from progressive lawmakers including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.
Trump quickly celebrated Vindman’s defeat.
“SleazeBag Vindman loses tonight to a Radical Left Lunatic. How cool is that???” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Nixon will face Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in the Nov. 3 special election. Moody, Florida’s former attorney general, was appointed to the Senate after Marco Rubio resigned to become secretary of state.
Moody easily won the Republican primary and enters the general election as the favorite. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in Florida since 2012.
Nixon’s support for Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ending U.S. assistance to Israel will give Republicans a clear target.
The Florida congressional primaries also produced important results.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills lost his primary to former television news anchor Ryan Elijah after entering the election burdened by several controversies and investigations.
Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Jared Moskowitz survived primary challenges in districts affected by Florida’s new congressional map.
The results showed that voters were willing to reject candidates carrying significant political baggage while protecting several established incumbents.
Florida was once considered one of America’s closest battleground states. It has shifted dramatically toward Republicans during the Trump and DeSantis era.
Tuesday’s results did little to suggest Democrats have found a clear path back.
Alaska
Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary in which all candidates compete on the same ballot. The four candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party.
Voters then use ranked-choice voting in November.
The U.S. Senate race is expected to become one of the nation’s most closely watched contests.
Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan easily advanced from the primary. Peltola led the early count with approximately 48% of the vote, while Sullivan received roughly 43% with most precincts reporting.
Two additional candidates were expected to advance after the remaining ballots were counted.
The race received unusual attention because another candidate with a nearly identical name, retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., also appeared on the ballot.
The incumbent was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, while the challenger was identified as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Republicans accused the second Sullivan of entering the race to confuse voters. He denied attempting to mislead anyone.
Trump endorsed the incumbent and urged Alaskans to support the “real” Dan Sullivan.
Peltola previously represented Alaska in the U.S. House and was the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. Republican Nick Begich defeated her in 2024.
Peltola has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat who supports Alaska’s oil and natural-resource industries. That approach could make her more competitive than a typical national Democrat in the Republican-leaning state.
Sullivan has served in the Senate since 2015. He has emphasized energy production, national defense and Alaska’s strategic importance in the Arctic.
Control of the U.S. Senate could place enormous national attention and spending on the race.
In Alaska’s at-large House primary, Begich led the field with approximately 46% of the early vote. Independent candidate Bill Hill followed with about 31%. Both advanced to the general election.
The other two November positions remained dependent on the final count.
Begich is seeking a second term after defeating Peltola in 2024. The seat remains important because Republicans are fighting to preserve their narrow House majority.
Alaska’s race for governor drew 17 candidates seeking to succeed Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited.
Democrats Tom Begich and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Republicans Bernadette Wilson and former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson were among the leading candidates as returns were counted.
Because of the crowded field and top-four system, the November election could remain unpredictable.
Alaska voters also approved a ballot measure restoring limits on campaign contributions, according to preliminary results.
Wyoming
Wyoming delivered victories for several prominent conservatives, along with one unexpected setback for Trump.
Hageman won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, defeating four opponents. She is seeking the seat held by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
Hageman entered Congress in 2023 after defeating former Rep. Liz Cheney in the 2022 Republican primary. Trump backed Hageman in that campaign after Cheney became one of his most outspoken Republican critics.
Trump, Lummis and Sen. John Barrasso endorsed Hageman’s Senate campaign.
Because Wyoming is one of the nation’s most Republican states, winning the GOP nomination places Hageman in a commanding position for November. She will face Democratic nominee James Byrd.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray won the Republican nomination for the state’s open U.S. House seat. Hageman’s decision to run for Senate created the vacancy.
Gray defeated a crowded Republican field and will face Democrat Lisa Kinney in November. The Republican nominee is heavily favored.
The race for governor produced Wyoming’s biggest surprise.
State Sen. Eric Barlow defeated Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, despite Trump’s endorsement of Degenfelder.
Barlow will face Democratic nominee Ken Casner.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon is prohibited from seeking another consecutive term.
Degenfelder’s defeat adds an important note to the election-night story: Trump’s endorsement remains one of the strongest forces in Republican politics, but voters do not automatically follow it in every race.
Donalds won in Florida. Hageman won in Wyoming. But Degenfelder lost.
The voters still have the final word.
What Tuesday’s Results Mean
The three states demonstrated very different political environments.
Florida is becoming a Republican stronghold but still contains competitive urban and suburban districts. Wyoming remains deeply conservative, making its Republican primaries more consequential than many general elections. Alaska’s top-four and ranked-choice systems create contests that do not fit neatly into traditional party structures.
Several broader lessons emerged.
Money does not guarantee victory. Vindman raised more than 16 times as much as Nixon and still lost by nearly 12 percentage points.
Trump’s endorsement is powerful but not absolute. His candidates secured major victories, but Wyoming voters rejected his gubernatorial choice.
Socialists continue gaining ground inside the Democratic Party. Nixon’s victory demonstrated that Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates can defeat establishment favorites, even in a state where their policies may create serious problems in November.
The Alaska Senate race may become genuinely competitive. Peltola’s moderate image and statewide recognition give Democrats a credible challenger against Sullivan.
Finally, Tuesday reminded every candidate that primaries cannot be ignored. Vindman appeared focused on defeating Moody before he secured his own nomination. He never reached the general election.
The primary season is narrowing the field.
The fight for November is beginning.
Original article
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