Trump-backed candidate loses in Colorado primary
In Colorado’s deep-red 5th District, Republicans selected Jeff Cranks, a political consultant and former radio host. as a candidate to replace retiring Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn.
Crank’s victory marks a blow to Trump’s support record: Trump was endorsed in the race by state Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams, while Crank was backed by Louisiana Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican lawmakers.
Democrats’ attempt to influence Colorado Republican primary fails
Ms. Boebert’s decision to run in the neighboring 4th Congressional District also upset the more competitive Republican primary in the 3rd Congressional District, where former Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch, who nearly defeated Ms. Boebert in the 2022 general election, won the Democratic nomination in a landslide victory.
NBC News projects that attorney Jeff Hurd will win the Republican primary and face Frisch in the fall, overcoming Democrats’ attempts to intrude into the Republican race and ensure they have an easier opponent to beat in November.
According to The Colorado Sun, outside Democratic groups have aired television ads in the race seemingly backing controversial former state legislator Ron Hanks, who rejected the results of the 2020 election and marched on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Hanks also ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Republican Senate primary.
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, countered the move with its own TV ads targeting Hanks. Frisch also appeared to be playing games in the primary by launching a TV ad targeting Hurd, potentially damaging her standing among conservative voters by suggesting she was unclear on abortion and Trump.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a vocal critic of Israel and member of the “Squad,” loses primary election
NBC News projects progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-New York) lost today’s primary to a moderate candidate backed by pro-Israel groups, in a bitter and costly race that exposed divisions within the party.
Bowman’s race in New York’s 16th District against Westchester County Mayor George Latimer has raised more ad spending ($25 million) than any House primary in history, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact. About $15 million of that spending came from the United Democracy Project, a super PAC with ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group that backed Latimer.
Bowman, 48, one of Congress’ fiercest critics of Israel, is the first Democratic incumbent to lose a primary this election cycle and the first from the “Squad” of progressive lawmakers of color formed after the 2018 election to be ousted from power. Other members of the Squad, including Reps. Ilham Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Summer Lee (D-Pa.), were also targeted but survived primary challenges.
Read the full story here.
Trump-supporting pastor loses in South Carolina runoff election
Trump’s support came up short today in a runoff election for the Republican primary in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.
President Trump endorsed pastor Mark Burns over nurse Shelley Biggs. Neither candidate in the primary to replace retiring Republican Rep. Geoff Duncan received a majority in the primary this month, leading to a runoff election. Biggs, who also serves in the Air National Guard, is projected by the Associated Press to have ultimately won the Republican nomination.
In the two weeks since the primary, a group called Conservatives for American Excellence has spent more than $400,000 attacking Burns, running ads that cite media reports that Burns lied about his military service and that he was a Democrat in the past. The group is funded by major Republican donors including Ken Griffin, Paul Singer and Warren Stevens.
Trump admits he interrupted Biden too much during first 2020 debate
In an interview published this week, Trump appeared to acknowledge that he interrupted Biden too many times during the first 2020 presidential debate.
Trump was asked by the Washington Examiner about his performance in the 2020 debates and whether he agreed that he interrupted Biden “too much.”
After appearing to acknowledge the obstruction, Trump said he was “very aggressive in the first obstruction” but maintained the obstruction had to do with Biden’s false claims.
“But I agree, he handled it very differently in the second debate and did very well,” Trump said.
He also criticized the debate rules and restrictions, saying he didn’t like the idea of ​​debating in an empty room and not being able to feel the audience’s reactions in real time.
Rep. Lauren Boebert wins Republican primary after redistricting
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado won tonight’s Republican primary after deciding to run in a different district than the one she narrowly won reelection to in 2022, according to NBC News projections.
Boebert beat five other Republicans for the Republican nomination in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, vacated when Rep. Ken Buck announced his retirement this year, and the right-leaning district makes it a strong possibility that Boebert will win the seat in the general election.
She narrowly won by 546 votes in the neighboring 3rd District two years ago and faces a possible rematch against well-funded Democrat Adam Frisch.
Read the full story here.
AOC handily wins New York Democratic congressional primary
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is expected to easily win tonight’s Democratic primary, fending off a weak challenge from investment banker Marty Dolan, NBC News projects.
With 38% of the vote counted, Ocasio-Cortez leads Dolan, 83% to 17%, and she is highly likely to win a fourth term in New York’s Democratic-dominated 14th District this fall.
In the 16th District, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a fellow member of Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive “Squad,” will face a much tougher battle in the Democratic primary against Westchester County Mayor George Latimer.
Trump remains silent on whether he will announce his running mate before the debate
During an interview with Newsmax tonight, Trump remained tight-lipped when asked about the current status of the process for selecting a running mate.
“Well, I could hire any of these guys,” Trump said. “They’re great. We have a great team. And we have a great team. I’ll make a decision very soon.”
NBC News reported this afternoon that the Trump campaign is considering announcing a running mate this week.
Trump said this week that he has decided who his running mate will be but hasn’t yet told anyone who his choice is, and that he plans to attend Thursday’s debate even if his running mate has not yet been announced.
New York and Colorado polls close
ET, which means voting will close in two states with key congressional primaries: New York and Colorado.
All eyes are on New York’s 16th Congressional District, where Bowman, a member of the House’s left-wing “bloc” and fierce critic of Israel, is fending off a challenge from a moderate who has the backing of the liberal establishment.
Meanwhile, in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, firebrand Rep. Boebert, an ally of the Republican “MAGA” faction, is running for re-election to the House of Representatives in a redistricting run.
Trump again criticizes Biden’s debate preparations
During an appearance on Newsmax tonight, Trump was asked about Thursday’s presidential debate and criticized Biden’s debate preparations.
“I don’t know if you could lock yourself in a room for two weeks, or a week, or even two days and really learn what you need to know,” Trump told guest host Corey Lewandowski, who was his 2016 campaign chairman.
Trump had previously mocked Biden as he prepared for the debate at Camp David in Maryland, and also mocked him at a campaign rally over the weekend.
“It’s very hard to prepare” for a debate, Trump said in an interview published yesterday.
“It’s mostly based on common sense,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t know, but I think the debate is more about attitude than anything.”
