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Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Darren Bailey speaks at an election-night party on June 28, 2022, in Effingham, Ill.
Republican gubernatorial candidate state Sen. Darren Bailey speaks at an election-night party on June 28, 2022, in Effingham, Ill.Jim Vondruska / Getty Images

Midterm roundup: GOP establishment holds in CO, Dems meddling prevails in IL

Democrats had tried to pick their opponents with heavy spending in key races in Illinois and Colorado.

Here’s a look at the results in some of the primaries we were watching last night, with the projected winners and vote percentages per NBC’s Decision Desk. 

Illinois Governor: Trump-backed state Sen. Darren Bailey (55%) beat Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin (19%) in the GOP primary to take on Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, after Democrats spent millions knocking down Irvin in the race. 

Colorado Senate: Construction company owner Joe O’Dea (54%) beat far-right state Rep. Ron Hanks (45%), despite Democratic meddling in the GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. 

Colorado Governor: Democratic meddling also failed in the GOP primary to take on Democratic Gov. Jared Polis, with businesswoman and University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl (53%) defeating the more conservative Greg Lopez (46%).

Colorado Secretary of State: Indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters (28%), an election denier, lost the GOP primary to Former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson (43%). 

New York Governor: GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin (44%) won his primary, defeating a field that included Rudy Giuliani’s son, while Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul (68%) easily won her primary.

Illinois-06: Democratic Rep. Sean Casten (68%) defeated fellow Democratic Rep. Marie Newman (29%).

Illinois-07: Democratic Rep. Danny Davis (52%), who was endorsed by President Joe Biden, fended off a well-funded challenge from his left from community organizer Kina Collins (45%).

Illinois-15: Trump-backed GOP Rep. Mary Miller (68%) defeated fellow GOP Rep. Rodney Davis (42%).

Mississippi-03: GOP Rep. Michael Guest (67%) won his primary runoff against former Navy pilot Michael Cassidy, a former Navy Pilot (33%). 

Mississippi-04: GOP Rep. Steven Palazzo (46%), who faced an ethics investigation, lost his primary runoff to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell (54%).  

Elsewhere on the campaign trail:

Missouri Senate: John Wood, a former U.S. attorney who worked as an investigator for the Jan. 6 committee, is running for Senate as an independent who would caucus with Republicans. 

Nevada Senate: EMILY’s List’s independent expenditure arm WOMEN VOTE! is going up with its first round of TV ads as part of a $2.1 million buy focusing explicitly on abortion access, while the NRSC is booking $2 million for the last three weeks of August. 

Pennsylvania Senate: Lt. Gov. John Fetterman will attend a fundraiser next month, per the Philadelphia Inquirer, which could be his first appearance on the trail since his stroke

Wisconsin Senate: Former Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang is endorsing Steven Olikara’s Senate bid

Arizona Governor: Former Republican Rep. Matt Salmon is dropping his bid for governor, but made the announcement late enough that he’ll still be on ballots. On the other side of the aisle, Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s secretary of state, released a new ad recounting the threats she faced by those trying to overturn the presidential election of 2020. 

Nebraska-01: Republican State Sen. Michael Flood will be the new congressman from this district, following his win over Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in last night’s special election. Flood will replace former GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned following a conviction for lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution.

Louisiana Redistricting: The Supreme Court blocked a lower court’s order that called on Louisiana to create a second Black majority congressional district. 

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