Primaries to watch in Wisconsin, Vermont, Connecticut, and Minnesota


Primary season continues on Tuesday, as voters in Wisconsin, Vermont, Minnesota, and Connectict head to the polls to decide their party's candidate for the general election in November.
In Wisconsin, watch for another gubernatorial proxy battle between former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, who are betting on Republican candidates Tim Michels and Rebecca Kleefisch, respectively. And in the Senate, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) will likely win the nomination to take on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, "who faces no serious challenger in the primary," in November, per ABC News.
Over in Vermont, Democratic Rep. Peter Welch is aiming to replace retiring Sen. Patrick Leahy in the Senate, meaning Welch's House seat is up for grabs. Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and state Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint are the leading Democratic candidates in the scramble for the spot; the winner of the contest is expected to prevail against the Republican candidate in November, per The Associated Press. Looks like Vermont is finally on the cusp of losing its status as the only state never represented in Congress by a woman.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, incumbent and progressive "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) is fending off what ABC News describes as a "formidable primary challenger" in her bid for re-election. Voters will also determine whether they want to send "either Republican Brad Finstad or Democrat Jeff Ettinger to Washington to finish out late U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn's term," Axios writes.
And finally, in Connecticut, we'll see who Republicans pick to presumably take on Democratic incumbent Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who's expected to win the nomination, reports The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Who will win the battle for the soul of the Green Party?
An ideological divide is taking root among the environmentalists
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are we watching the ocean floor?
Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?
-
Quiz of The Week: 2 – 8 August
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats
-
Texas Democrats exit state to block redistricting vote
Speed Read More than 51 legislators fled the state in protest of the GOP's plan to redraw congressional districts
-
Trump criticized for firing BLS chief after jobs report
Speed Read Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Erika McEntarfer oversaw a July jobs report that the president claims was rigged
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks