June 28 primaries: Democrats pull the GOP's strings, Jesse Jackson's son makes a run, and more
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Primary elections are being held Tuesday in Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Oklahoma and Utah. Here's what to watch:
In Illinois, billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker — who is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination — spent nearly $33 million during the primary attacking Republican gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin. Irvin, the first Black mayor of suburban Aurora, Ill., was considered a serious threat to Pritzker. Thanks largely to Pritzker's efforts — and to an endorsement from Trump — state Sen. Darren Baily (R) will likely wake up Wednesday morning as the GOP nominee.
Fifteen-term Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), who has the distinction of being the only politician ever to defeat former President Barack Obama in an election, is retiring, and 17 candidates are vying for the chance to replace him. Contenders include pro-life Democrat Rev. Chris Butler and professor Jonathan Jackson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson's son.
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Colorado's Republican Senate primary will put the post-Roe GOP to the test, as pro-choice businessman Joe O'Dea takes on pro-life state Rep. Ron Hanks. A poll conducted in late May by O'Dea's campaign found that 47 percent of voters remained undecided, 38 percent favored O'Dea, and 14 percent planned to vote for Hanks.
In Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Michael Guest (R) — who drew Trump's ire by voting to create the Jan. 6 commission — faces a runoff against challenger Michael Cassidy.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of candidates running in Illinois' First Congressional District primary. It's since been corrected. We regret the error.
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Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
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