Midwest votes show Trump’s GOP sway, Dem fervor
Key races were held in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana
What happened
A slate of Midwestern elections on Tuesday set up a key U.S. Senate race in Ohio, assured Michigan Democrats control of the state senate and ousted at least five Indiana Republicans targeted by President Donald Trump for voting against a mid-decade gerrymander. In Ohio, Trump-backed entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy won the GOP gubernatorial primary and will face Democratic former state public health director Amy Acton in what’s expected to be a competitive race.
Who said what
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown won Ohio’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Sen. Jon Husted (R), appointed last year to fill the seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. Democrats face an “uphill climb” to flip the Senate in November’s midterms, Reuters said. But “they think they have momentum nationally,” and Brown’s race is one of four they “plan to pour resources into.”
In Michigan, firefighter Chedrick Greene (D) handily won a vacant state Senate seat in a closely divided district, giving Democrats a 20-18 majority. In Indiana, Trump’s “loyal and energized supporters turned out to punish” five of the seven state Senate incumbents he sought to oust, Politico said. One incumbent won and the other race was too close to call. The “stunning” results showed Trump’s “continuing ability to exact political revenge,” The New York Times said, even as his “poll numbers sag.”
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What next?
Tuesday’s elections “reinforced a picture that’s becoming increasingly clear,” The Associated Press said: Trump “still dominates the Republican Party,” but “Democrats seem to have the momentum” heading into the midterms.
