Daniela Altimari | CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

Primaries in Kentucky, Georgia, Oregon and Idaho set matchups Tuesday for November House races and, with many districts heavily favoring one party, effectively chose the next member of Congress. Some races also featured fierce competition to run in races that will be on the November battleground, and one featured possible meddling by the opposing party to get a preferred challenger.

Here’s a rundown of the key results so far. This report will be updated.

Georgia

Ex-Trump aide in runoff for open seat: Brian Jack, who served as White House political director under President Donald Trump, finished first in a five-candidate primary but did not clear the threshold to win the GOP nomination in the open 3rd District.

If no candidate in Georgia gets more than 50% in a primary, the top two finishers meet in a runoff, which this year will be on June 18.

Jack, who had Trump’s endorsement, had 46.7 percent of the vote at 11:13 p.m. Tuesday, when the AP made the call that he would be in the runoff against state Sen. Mike Dugan. Dugan finished second with 25%. The race in November is rated Solid Republican — Trump beat Joe Biden here by 25 percentage points in 2020 — so the winner of the runoff will be a favorite to join the 119th Congress. Four-term incumbent Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson said in December he would not run again.

Kentucky

Massie renominated with ease: Rep. Thomas Massie, who recently was one of the leaders in the failed push by House conservatives to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., easily dispatched two GOP rivals in Kentucky’s 4th District.

At 7:11 p.m., when The Associated Press called the race, Massie had 75% of the vote. He beat two underfunded Republicans: retired attorney Eric Deters and Michael McGinnis. Two years ago, Massie faced three challengers and won with 75% of the vote.

Outside groups had waded into the race. United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent $153,000 on an ad attacking Massie for voting against funding for Israel. The Protect Freedom PAC, which was founded by people who had worked with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., spent $549,000 on ads and direct mail supporting Massie.

Democrats did not run a candidate in the primary.

Idaho

Simpson prevails: Rep. Mike Simpson easily won the nomination to a 14th term, defeating challengers Scott Cleveland and Sean Higgins in the 2nd District Republican primary.

Simpson, who chairs the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, had 57% of the vote at 12:10 a.m. Eastern, just after the AP called the race at 12:07 a.m.

Simpson will face Democrat David Roth in a November race rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections.

Oregon

Bynum overcomes mystery PAC spending: Oregon Democrats overwhelmingly selected Janelle Bynum, a legislator from Clackamas County who was supported by many national party leaders, to take on Republican freshman Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Bynum defeated progressive attorney Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the party’s 2022 nominee, with 70% of the vote at 11:38 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday when the AP called the race. McLeod-Skinner narrowly lost to Chavez-DeRemer after defeating then-incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader in the Democratic primary.

The contest between Bynum and Chavez-DeRemer in a battleground district where Biden beat Trump by 9 percentage points in 2020 is expected to be among the nation’s most closely watched races. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race a Toss-up.

Related Articles

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy takes a 7.7% stake in Buzzfeed

Moms for Liberty to spend over $3 million targeting presidential swing state voters

What’s in a name? A Trump embraces ex-president’s approach in helping lead Republican Party

Democrats propose ban on officials receiving payments from foreign governments after Trump probe

What are the betting odds for first Donald Trump-Joe Biden debate?

Outside money poured into the primary. A super PAC called 314 Action, which supports Democratic scientists running for office, spent $474,000 in support of Bynum, who has a degree in electrical engineering. Mainstream Democrats PAC, which is funded by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, spent more than $750,000 on ads backing Bynum and opposing McLeod-Skinner.

Last week, a super PAC called Health Equity Now, which hasn’t disclosed its donors, although the AP reported it has ties to GOP operatives, dropped $550,000 into the race for ads highlighting McLeod-Skinner’s support for “Medicare for All,” a popular position among progressive voters. Bynum’s supporters said Republicans were trying to meddle because they saw McLeod-Skinner as the weaker candidate to run against Chavez-DeRemer in November.

Chavez-Deremer, who had no primary opponent, approaches the general election with a huge cash advantage. She had $1.9 million in her campaign account on May 1, compared with Bynum’s $340,000.

Dexter wins 3rd District: Physician and state Rep. Maxine Dexter defeated six fellow Democrats, including the sister of Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, to win the party’s nomination for an open seat centered in Portland.

Dexter, who had 53.1% of the vote not long after 11:54 p.m. Eastern, when the AP called the race, will face Republican Joanna Harbour in November. But given the 3rd District’s Democratic dominance, she is favored to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

“I want to congratulate Representative Maxine Dexter for winning the Democratic primary for Oregon’s Third Congressional District. Maxine has proven herself to be a serious and effective legislator, I am confident she’ll take this success with her to Washington, D.C.,” Blumenauer said in a statement when the race was called.

The race was largely a contest between Dexter, Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales and former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s sister.

Super PACs flooded the primary with cash. Dexter has been the beneficiary of more than $2.2 million spent by 314 Action. Meanwhile, Voters for Responsive Government, a super PAC based in Los Angeles, spent more than $2.4 million targeting Jayapal. Much of that money was spent on TV ads blaming her for failing to deal with homelessness in Multnomah County.

DeSpain to face Hoyle: Republican Monique DeSpain, an attorney and retired Air Force colonel, will take on freshman Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle in Oregon’s 4th District, which Biden carried by 13 points in 2020.

DeSpain was running well ahead when the AP called the race at 1:13 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, defeating fellow Republican Amy Ryan Courser, a former Keizer City Councilor.

While the contest in the southern Willamette Valley is rated Likely Democratic by Inside Elections, Republicans in Washington, D.C., say Hoyle is vulnerable. They are raising allegations of wrongdoing from when she was the head of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and believe DeSpain will run a strong campaign.

Hoyle, who had no primary challenger, had $619,000 in her campaign account on May 1, while DeSpain had $69,000.

Salinas rematch set: Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas will defend her 6th District seat in November against businessman Mike Erickson, the Republican she beat in 2022. Salinas defeated veteran Cody Reynolds in the Democratic primary, while Erickson beat three opponents for the Republican nomination. Two years ago, Salinas beat Erickson by 2.5 percentage points.

The race in November is rated Likely Democratic.

Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.

©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Contemporary Christian star Brandon Lake has extended his Tear Off the Roof Tour and added an Oct. 13 stop at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. June 3 through Ticketmaster. A presale is available to fans who sign up at brandonlake.co/roof. Neither the promoter nor the venue announced ticket prices.

Lake, 33, grew up in South Carolina, where his father was a pastor. He taught himself how to play guitar using YouTube clips and, as a teen, accompanied the worship team at his church.

In 2015, he used GoFundMe to raise $23,000 to record his debut album “Closer,” which he self-released the following year.

He went on to sign a deal with Bethel Music and saw his version of Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s “This Is a Move,” which he co-wrote with her, become his first charting single. It won a 2019 GMA Dove Award and earned a songwriting Grammy nomination.

In the years since, Lake has scored a series of Christian radio hits, including the chart toppers “Gratitude” and “Praise You Anywhere.” He has also won five Grammys for the songs “Kingdom” and “Fear Is Not My Future” and for the albums “Old Church Basement,” “Kingdom Book One Deluxe” and “Breathe.”

In June, Lake will publish the children’s book “Little Lion Lungs,” which he wrote with his wife Brittany.

Related Articles

After leaving Twin Cities off initial tour schedule, Justin Timberlake adds St. Paul Halloween show

Concert review: Megan Thee Stallion opened hot at Target Center on the first show of her first-ever tour

Semisonic and one of the Ramones to play State Fair’s largest free stage

Donald Glover to headline Xcel Energy Center as his musical alter ego Childish Gambino

The Schubert Club Mix season will include local performer and vocalist Bradley Greenwald

Despite advancing through several House committees, Minnesota’s End-of-Life Option Act did not receive a floor vote in the House or Senate during the 2024 legislative session, which ended earlier this week.

The legislation, co-authored by Rep. Andy Smith, DFL-Rochester, and Sen. Liz Boldon, DFL-Rochester, would have permitted medical aid in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide. The measure would have allowed terminally ill adults to request a prescription for life-ending medication, which they would have to self-administer.

Rep. Mike Freiberg, DFL-Golden Valley, has introduced the End-of-Life Option Act in the Minnesota House several times. This year, the proposal advanced further than it ever had before. The House bill received a pre-session hearing in the House Health Finance and Policy Committee. Testimony for and against the bill ran for more than three hours.

Following the health committee, the bill progressed through the House’s public safety, judiciary and commerce committees.

The bill was not included in the health omnibus bill, which was ultimately passed as part of an even bigger omnibus bill Sunday night.

The End-of-Life Option Act’s companion bill in the Minnesota Senate did not receive any committee hearings in that chamber. In March, Boldon said there was not enough support in the Senate.

“It’s something that I very much hope we can continue talking about because it’s important, but there is a diversity of thought around this within my caucus in the Senate,” Boldon said. “And so I don’t see it having the votes to pass this session.”

Medical aid in dying is available in 10 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Related Articles

MN legislative session comes to chaotic close as DFL passes giant last-minute bill

DFLers say they’ve reached a deal on minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers

MN GOP endorses former NBA player Royce White for U.S. Senate

Joe Soucheray: We’ve been burned before. So, some questions about that $100 million, Governor

In St. Paul speech, Trump claims he can win Minnesota if GOP leaders ‘guard’ vote in Minnesota

Former Republican presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has purchased a minority stake in Buzzfeed, the digital publishing company that shut down its media outlet last year.

Shares of the company skyrocketed more than 50% before the market open on Wednesday.

Ramaswamy acquired a 7.7% stake in Buzzfeed, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Tuesday.

Ramaswamy said in the filing that he believes Buzzfeed’s stock is undervalued. He is looking to speak with the company’s board and management.

Buzzfeed has struggled to prop up sales since it went public in 2021. In late 2022 job cuts began rolling out with the company citing a poor digital advertising environment, then early last year announced that it was shutting down its Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet BuzzFeed News.

The corporate parent’s co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said in a memo to staff at the time that in addition to the news division, layoffs would take place in its business, content, tech and administrative teams.

Related Articles

Minnesota goes all-in on Anthony Edwards’ ‘Bring ya a**’ slogan ahead of Timberwolves playoff games

Target sales decline to start the year, but it sees improvement

New cars in California could alert drivers for breaking the speed limit

What is in-flight turbulence, and when does it become dangerous for passengers and crews?

We checked in with Hollywood writers a year after the strike. They’re not OK

Earlier this month, Buzzfeed reported a first-quarter loss of $35.7 million, or 72 cents per share, on revenue of $44.8 million. Advertising revenue fell 22%, while content revenue declined 19% and the company is projecting a worsening revenue situation.

Ramaswamy suspended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in January and endorsed former President Donald Trump after finishing a distant fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.

The son of Indian immigrants, Ramaswamy entered politics at the highest level after making hundreds of millions of dollars at the intersection of hedge funds and pharmaceutical research, a career he charted and built while graduating from Harvard University and then Yale Law School.

Shares of Buzzfeed Inc., based in New York City, rose 59% to about $4 early Wednesday.