{"sourceUrl":"https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/03/politics/takeaways-from-the-primary-elections-in-california-iowa-and-elsewhere","sourceType":"url","contentType":"News","apex":{"id":"n1","type":"APEX","label":"Six States Held Primary Elections Tuesday","text":"Six states held primary elections Tuesday, with results revealing shifts in key races that could reshape the midterm landscape.","children":[{"id":"n2","type":"SECT","label":"Primary Election Overview","text":"Six states ranging from California to New Jersey held primaries on Tuesday night.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n3","type":"NTRL","label":"California Vote Counting Delay","text":"Many California primary results will take time due to the state’s late poll-closing and slow vote-counting process.","parentId":"n2","children":[]}]},{"id":"n4","type":"SECT","label":"California Governor's Race Update","text":"Democratic former US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is in strong position for a November election slot.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n5","type":"JUST","label":"Democratic Vote Shift Factor","text":"Becerra's strong position is due to votes counted after Election Day in California typically being more Democratic.","parentId":"n4","children":[]},{"id":"n6","type":"FACT","label":"Second Slot Candidates","text":"The other November election slot is likely to go to Republican Steve Hilton or Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer.","parentId":"n4","children":[]},{"id":"n7","type":"CMPR","label":"California Governor Primary Results","text":"Steve Hilton leads in the California Governor's race primary, followed by Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Steve Hilton","cells":["Republican","27.6%","1,333,928"]},{"label":"Xavier Becerra","cells":["Democratic","25.5%","1,228,966"]},{"label":"Tom Steyer","cells":["Democratic","19.6%","946,118"]}]},"parentId":"n4","children":[]}]},{"id":"n8","type":"SECT","label":"Los Angeles Mayor's Race Update","text":"Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass advanced to the November election after securing a leading position in the primary.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n9","type":"FACT","label":"Second Place Shift","text":"Spencer Pratt initially held second place, but later updates showed him losing ground to Nithya Raman.","parentId":"n8","children":[]},{"id":"n10","type":"INSG","label":"Second Spot Too Early to Call","text":"The second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral race remains too early to call due to vote counting trends.","parentId":"n8","children":[{"id":"n11","type":"JUST","label":"Democratic Shift Impact","text":"The expected Democratic shift from ballots counted after Election Day contributes to the uncertainty.","parentId":"n10","children":[]}]},{"id":"n12","type":"CMPR","label":"Los Angeles Mayor Primary Runoff","text":"Karen Bass advanced to the runoff, with Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman vying for the second spot.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Karen Bass*","cells":["Non-Partisan","36.0%","157,096"]},{"label":"Spencer Pratt","cells":["Non-Partisan","29.4%","128,319"]},{"label":"Nithya Raman","cells":["Non-Partisan","21.8%","95,054"]}]},"parentId":"n8","children":[]}]},{"id":"n13","type":"SECT","label":"Iowa Democratic Senate Primary","text":"The Democratic establishment successfully backed Josh Turek in the Iowa Senate primary election.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n14","type":"NTRL","label":"Race Attention","text":"The Iowa Senate race, though not top-tier, garnered significant attention during the Democratic primary.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n15","type":"FACT","label":"VoteVets Spending","text":"The Democratic super PAC VoteVets spent about $10 million to help state Rep. Josh Turek.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n16","type":"FACT","label":"Wahls' Strategy","text":"State Sen. Zach Wahls tried to make the race a referendum on Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n17","type":"INSG","label":"Schumer Referendum Failed","text":"Wahls' strategy of making the race a referendum on Schumer did not work with Democratic base voters.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n18","type":"FACT","label":"Turek's Victory Margin","text":"Josh Turek won by 25 points, sailing to a painless victory with nearly all the vote reported.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n19","type":"CMPR","label":"Iowa Senate Primary Results","text":"Josh Turek decisively won the Iowa Democratic Senate primary against Zach Wahls.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Josh Turek","cells":["Democratic","62.6%","120,448"]},{"label":"Zach Wahls","cells":["Democratic","37.4%","71,884"]}]},"parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n20","type":"FACT","label":"General Election Matchup","text":"Turek will advance to a general election matchup against GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n21","type":"FACT","label":"Hinson's Favorability","text":"Hinson is the clear favorite in Iowa, a state Trump won by 13 points in 2024.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n22","type":"INSG","label":"Democratic Hope for Competitiveness","text":"Democrats hope Trump’s tariffs could make the farm-heavy state more competitive than usual.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n23","type":"FACT","label":"Turek's District Trump Backing","text":"Turek comes from a western Iowa state legislative district that backed Trump.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n24","type":"FACT","label":"Prognosticators Shift","text":"Prognosticators on Tuesday night moved the race from a likely Republican win to merely leaning towards the GOP.","parentId":"n13","children":[]},{"id":"n25","type":"INSG","label":"Majority Math Implication","text":"Democrats putting the race in play would significantly help their majority math in the Senate.","parentId":"n13","children":[{"id":"n26","type":"JUST","label":"Need to Flip States","text":"This is crucial because Democrats need to flip multiple states Trump won by double digits in 2024.","parentId":"n25","children":[]}]}]},{"id":"n27","type":"SECT","label":"Trump Endorsee Loses Iowa Governor","text":"A Trump-backed candidate lost the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary, highlighting an imperfect endorsement record.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n28","type":"NTRL","label":"Trump Endorsement Record Context","text":"Despite narratives of Trump's power, his endorsement record hasn't been flawless, especially in lower-profile races.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n29","type":"FACT","label":"Previous Runoffs","text":"Two Trump-backed candidates last month are headed for runoffs in Georgia governor and Alabama US senator primaries.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n30","type":"FACT","label":"Trump Endorsee Lost","text":"On Tuesday night, a Trump endorsee lost the Iowa Governor's primary race.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n31","type":"FACT","label":"Feenstra Endorsement","text":"Trump endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra on Friday, hoping to secure his victory in a crowded field.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n32","type":"FACT","label":"Feenstra's Loss","text":"Feenstra narrowly lost to businessman Zach Lahn in the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n33","type":"CMPR","label":"Iowa Governor Primary Results","text":"Zach Lahn won the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary, narrowly defeating Trump endorsee Randy Feenstra.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Zach Lahn","cells":["Republican","37.8%","80,765"]},{"label":"Randy Feenstra","cells":["Republican","37.0%","79,113"]},{"label":"Adam Steen","cells":["Republican","14.5%","31,087"]},{"label":"Brad Sherman","cells":["Republican","7.1%","15,076"]}]},"parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n34","type":"FACT","label":"First Statewide Trump Endorsee Loss","text":"Feenstra is the first statewide Trump endorsee to lose a primary in 2026.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n35","type":"FACT","label":"Lahn's General Election Opponent","text":"Lahn, backed by Turning Point Action, now faces Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand in the general election.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n36","type":"INSG","label":"Governor Race Promising for Democrats","text":"The Iowa governor’s race might be more promising for Democrats than the US Senate race.","parentId":"n27","children":[]},{"id":"n37","type":"INSG","label":"Iowa Primaries Outcome for Democrats","text":"The two statewide Iowa primaries concluded favorably for Democrats, aligning with their hopes.","parentId":"n27","children":[]}]},{"id":"n38","type":"SECT","label":"Democrats' Montana Senate Hopes","text":"Democrats' Senate hopes received a slight boost in Montana, a state Trump won by double digits in 2024.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n39","type":"JUST","label":"Bankhead's Nomination","text":"The boost is attributed to a successful campaign to elevate little-known Democrat Alani Bankhead, who won the nomination.","parentId":"n38","children":[]},{"id":"n40","type":"INSG","label":"Strategic Hope for Bankhead","text":"Some hope Bankhead will either drop out or run a minimal campaign to empower independent Seth Bodnar against Republican Kurt Alme.","parentId":"n38","children":[]},{"id":"n41","type":"NTRL","label":"Independent Opposition Strategy","text":"Letting independents lead opposition is a growing Democratic strategy in deep-red states; Bodnar has ties to Jon Tester.","parentId":"n38","children":[]},{"id":"n42","type":"INSG","label":"Montana Race Worth Watching","text":"Bankhead denied she would bow to Bodnar, but her win makes this state more worth watching.","parentId":"n38","children":[]},{"id":"n43","type":"CMPR","label":"Montana Senate Primary Results","text":"Alani Bankhead secured the Democratic nomination in the Montana Senate primary, leading Reilly Neill and Michael Black Wolf.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Alani Bankhead","cells":["Democratic","43.6%","42,007"]},{"label":"Reilly Neill","cells":["Democratic","32.7%","31,568"]},{"label":"Michael Black Wolf","cells":["Democratic","13.1%","12,606"]}]},"parentId":"n38","children":[]}]},{"id":"n44","type":"SECT","label":"South Dakota Governor Race","text":"An incumbent governor in South Dakota is in danger of losing his party’s nomination.","parentId":"n1","children":[{"id":"n45","type":"NTRL","label":"Kristi Noem Tenure","text":"Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure in Trump’s Cabinet didn’t go as planned.","parentId":"n44","children":[]},{"id":"n46","type":"INSG","label":"Governor Rhoden Struggling","text":"Gov. Larry Rhoden, who replaced Noem, appears to be struggling to retain his position.","parentId":"n44","children":[]},{"id":"n47","type":"FACT","label":"Rhoden's Primary Position","text":"Rhoden trailed businessman Toby Doeden and was slightly ahead of Rep. Dusty Johnson in a crowded primary.","parentId":"n44","children":[]},{"id":"n48","type":"INSG","label":"Race Not Over","text":"The South Dakota governor's race is likely not over yet, due to specific election laws.","parentId":"n44","children":[{"id":"n49","type":"JUST","label":"South Dakota Runoff Law","text":"South Dakota has a rarely invoked runoff law if no candidate receives 35% of the vote.","parentId":"n48","children":[]}]},{"id":"n50","type":"CMPR","label":"South Dakota Governor Primary","text":"Toby Doeden leads the South Dakota Governor Republican primary, advancing to a runoff, with Larry Rhoden and Dusty Johnson.","table":{"cols":["Candidate","Party","Percentage","Votes"],"rows":[{"label":"Toby Doeden","cells":["Republican","30.6%","41,831"]},{"label":"Larry Rhoden*","cells":["Republican","25.2%","34,389"]},{"label":"Dusty Johnson","cells":["Republican","23.4%","31,959"]},{"label":"Jon Hansen","cells":["Republican","20.8%","28,409"]}]},"parentId":"n44","children":[]}]}]},"slug":"takeaways-from-the-primary-elections-in-45a08c","sharedAt":{"_seconds":1780473588,"_nanoseconds":197000000},"title":"Takeaways from the primary elections in California, Iowa, Los Angeles, South Dakota"}