Welcome to this morning’s Decision Desk HQ Morning News Spotlight on Elections Daily as part of the Decision Desk HQ News Network.
So far only Texas has held its 2022 federal and state primaries. That’s all about to change with 29 states holding theirs over 8 of the next 9 weeks starting Tuesday in Indiana and Ohio.
DDHQ will be providing preview videos looking at redistricting, important races to follow, and key counties to watch on primary nights.
We start this week in Indiana and Ohio. Be sure to check it out:
Be sure to subscribe to the channel and sign up for notifications so you’re the first to know when a new preview drops.
Morning Headlines
- It’s primary Election Day in Ohio and Indiana! Be sure to join us at results.decisiondeskHQ.com tonight for the most up-to-the-minute results from all the races in both states. There have already been some reports out of Cuyahoga County in Ohio of delays in voting due to technical errors. While the Republican U.S. Senate race in Ohio is the highest-profile contest, there are going to be a lot of close and interesting races to watch tonight. You can read about them in Nick Field’s preview of today’s races. This will be the first of two primaries in Ohio. Since state legislative maps have not been passed, primaries for those races will likely be held in August.
- In a bombshell scoop last night, Politico obtained an initial draft of Justice Alito’s majority opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization showing that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the state of Mississippi and is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. The decision will likely not be issued for another couple of months, and the opinion is currently an initial draft that could change, but as it stands now this ruling would send power to legislate abortion back to the states. We have seen several state legislatures recently enact laws that would “trigger” only if the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mississippi in this case.
- The New York Legislature passed a special measure to allow Governor Hochul to replace her recently arrested former Lt. Governor and running mate on the ballot in the upcoming primary. Brian Benjamin resigned and was arrested on corruption charges in April. Previously, a candidate could only be removed from the ballot if they died or left the state. While a judge recently ordered that the state move its congressional and state senate primaries to August, the gubernatorial primary is still scheduled for June 28. Just this morning, Governor Hochul made her announcement about who will replace him. Congressman Antonio Delgado will be leaving the U.S. House to join Hochul’s administration and run with her for reelection.
- Donald Trump isn’t the only former President getting involved in the Georgia gubernatorial primary. George W. Bush will attend a fundraiser for incumbent Governor Brian Kemp this month. Trump has endorsed Kemp’s primary challenger, former U.S. Senator David Perdue. Former President Trump has been an outspoken critic of Governor Kemp since the 2020 election when Kemp and other Georgia state officials would not overturn the state’s election results. Former President Bush has also attended fundraisers for Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski who have also drawn the ire of Trump.
- In Ohio, former President Trump has made a rare endorsement of a state official who doesn’t think the 2020 election was stolen. Trump endorsed Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose despite his past comments criticizing the former President for making claims without evidence to discredit elections in the U.S. LaRose is one of the few incumbents in statewide office facing a primary challenger in Ohio today.
- ICYMI: Jacob Walters over at Election’s Daily takes a look at self-funding candidates in the upcoming Republican U.S. Senate primaries including today’s contest in Ohio.
Upcoming Elections
| Tues May 3 | Indiana Primary |
| Ohio Primary | |
| GA State House 45 Special General Runoff | |
| MI State House 15 Special General | |
| MI State House 36 Special General | |
| MI State House 43 Special General | |
| MI State House 74 Special General | |
| Sat May 7 | TX Prop 1 |
| TX Prop 2 | |
| TX State House 147 Special General | |
| Arlington, TX City Council General | |
| Garland, TX City Council General | |
| Irving, TX City Council General | |
| Lubbock, TX Municipal Election | |
| Fort Worth, TX City Council 4 Special General | |
| Tues May 10 | Nebraska Primary |
| West Virginia Primary | |
| Newark, NJ Mayoral Election | |
| Tues May 17 | Kentucky Primary |
| North Carolina Primary | |
| Idaho Primary | |
| Oregon Primary | |
| Pennsylvania Primary | |
| PA State Senate 5 Special General | |
| SC State House 97 Special General | |
| OR State Senate 18 Special Dem Primary | |
| OR State Senate 18 Special GOP Primary | |
| Charlotte, NC Mayoral Primary (rescheduled from 2021) | |
| Greensboro, NC Mayoral Primary (rescheduled from 2021) | |
| Louisville, KY Mayoral Primary | |
| Lexington, KY Mayoral Primary | |
| Tues May 24 | Alabama Primary |
| AL Statewide Amendment 1 | |
| Arkansas Primary | |
| Georgia Primary | |
| Texas Primary Runoff | |
| MN US House 1 Special Dem Primary | |
| MN US House 1 Special GOP Primary | |
| SC State House 18 Special General | |
| NY State Assembly 58 Special General |