Primaries today in New York, Florida, Oklahoma

Tuesday’s primary elections feature two top Florida Democrats squaring off for the chance to face Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a rising conservative star frequently mentioned as a top alternative to Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential contest.

In New York, redistricting has left two longtime House Democratic colleagues competing for the same seat, while the head of the party’s campaign arm in the chamber is running in new territory and faces a challenge from the left.

Oklahoma Republicans will choose between two Trump loyalists competing in a runoff to be their party’s nominee to finish the term of retiring GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe. The 87-year-old is stepping down at the end of the year, with more than four years left in his term.

Once the nation’s largest swing state, Florida has trended more Republican in recent years. Trump won it twice, and the GOP’s domination of the Legislature has sparked speculation DeSantis will run for president.

State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, who was once governor himself as a Republican, are vying for the Democratic nomination to compete against DeSantis in November. Fried, the only statewide-elected Democrat, has sought to portray Crist as a Democrat in name only. 

In the U.S. Senate race, Tuesday’s primary is expected to cement a general election matchup between incumbent Republican Marco Rubio and Democratic congresswoman Val Demings, who is giving up her Orlando-based seat.

Meanwhile, hotly contested primaries stem from the departure of four House members, the acquisition of a new congressional district thanks to Florida’s booming population, and new maps drawn by DeSantis’ office that could boost Republicans even further.

New York is holding its second round of primary elections after voting in June for statewide races. Tuesday will cover the state’s 26 U.S. House seats, a delayed date after a judge ordered a redrawing of political maps.

The new congressional districts have caused Democratic consternation, especially a new Manhattan-area seat that has turned two incumbents into rivals. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who has represented New York City’s Upper East Side for three decades, is facing Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has represented the Upper West Side for just as long.

A top Republican primary race is unfolding near Buffalo, where Republican Rep. Chris Jacobs opted not to seek reelection after facing backlash for voicing support for gun safety measures following a racist mass shooting in his district last May. New York Republican Party Chair Nick Langworthy and businessman Carl Paladino are running to replace him.



Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)