Michigan: Gary Peters Prevails Over Hansen Clarke in Democratic Primary

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Gary Peters easily defeated fellow Rep. Hansen Clarke in a Democratic primary created by the redrawing of Detroit-area districts.

Peters led Clarke in the 14th district, 47 percent to 35 percent, with 89 percent of precincts reporting. Peters, who came to Congress after winning a competitive race in a suburban Detroit district in 2008, will be the Motor City’s first white Congressman in several decades. Full story

Michigan: John Conyers Wins; Pete Hoekstra to Face Debbie Stabenow

Rep. John Conyers easily held off multiple primary challengers. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call)

Updated: 12:06 a.m. | Michigan Rep. John Conyers held off a crowded field in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, paving the way for the second-longest-serving House Member to cruise to a 25th term in November.

Conyers had 54 percent of the vote in the 13th district against a field of challengers that included state Sen. Glenn Anderson, with 86 percent of precincts reporting. Anderson was in second place with 19 percent.

As a result of redistricting, Conyers sought re-election in a Detroit district of mostly new turf for him, including some suburbs in the western part.

The victory of Conyers, 83, means he will serve for a 25th term in this heavily Democratic district. Conyers is second in seniority behind fellow Michigan Democratic Rep. John Dingell, who is the dean of the House and now serving in his 29th term. Full story

Missouri: Todd Akin Wins GOP Nod to Face Claire McCaskill

Rep. Todd Akin is the GOP nominee Democrats wanted to face in the Missouri Senate race. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Todd Akin won a tightly contested GOP primary for Senate today and advances to face vulnerable Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in November.

The six-term conservative Member beat out businessman John Brunner and former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman for the Senate nomination. Akin had 36 percent of the vote, with 74 percent of precincts reporting. Brunner and Steelman followed and were separated by less than 1 point.

In Akin, Democrats get the nominee they hoped to face — in fact the party played some part in pushing him to victory. Full story

Minnesota: State Democratic Party Buys Airtime for Rick Nolan in Primary

Former Rep. Rick Nolan’s cash-strapped campaign received a boost this week from the state party.

The state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party bought $120,000 in airtime to help Nolan in the Aug. 14 competitive primary to decide who will challenge vulnerable Rep. Chip Cravaack (R).

Two other Democrats are running in the primary: former state Sen. Tarryl Clark and Duluth City Councilmember Jeff Anderson. The state DFL endorsed Nolan during its convention in May. Full story

Oklahoma: Ex-Sen. David Boren Backs Rob Wallace to Succeed Son

Ex-Sen. David Boren (left) endorsed a Democrat running to succeed his son, retiring Rep. Dan Boren (right). (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Assistant District Attorney Rob Wallace today picked up the support of one of Oklahoma’s best-known Democrats: former Sen. David Boren.

Democrats expect Wallace to be their nominee after the Aug. 28 runoff, when he faces seed company owner Wayne Herriman. Boren’s seal of approval only helps Wallace’s endeavor.

The 2nd district seat is open following the retirement of the former Senator’s son, Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.). National Democrats face an uphill race to hold this “Little Dixie” House seat in November, and Roll Call rates this contest as Leans Republicans. Full story

Tennessee: Chuck Fleischmann Wins Primary

CQ Roll Call File Photo

Republican Rep. Chuck Fleischmann won his contested primary tonight, dispatching dairy magnate Scottie Mayfield and 25-year-old Weston Wamp.

With 100 percent of precincts in the 3rd district reporting, Fleischmann got 39.1 percent to Mayfield’s 31 percent and Wamp’s 28.7 percent, according to the Associated Press.

The race presented some significant challenges for Fleischmann, a freshman. A lot of the redrawn seat was new turf to him, and both his opponents started with names that were familiar to voters. Mayfield was the longtime spokesman and CEO of a popular milk and ice cream company. Wamp is the son of former Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), Fleischmann’s predecessor.

Michigan: Rick Santorum Endorses Pete Hoekstra in Senate Race

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) on Wednesday backed former Rep. Pete Hoekstra in his bid against Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D).

Santorum’s endorsement comes a few days before Michigan’s Republican Senate primary, which is set for Tuesday. Hoekstra’s main competition in that race is charter schools executive Clark Durant. Republicans expect Hoekstra to win the nomination, but Durant has garnered endorsements from several nationally recognized conservatives, including Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).

“It is clear that the people of Michigan have tremendous choices in the Republican primary that [would all] be superior to Debbie Stabenow, but there is only one candidate with a proven track record of conservative leadership,” Santorum said. “That is Congressman Pete Hoekstra.”

The winner of the GOP primary has a tough battle ahead. Roll Call rates this Senate race as Likely Democratic.

Georgia: Ninth District Race Heads to Runoff

Updated 11:56 p.m. | The Republican primary is not over in a key Congressional race in Georgia.

In the new ultra-Republican 9th district, neither radio talk-show host Martha Zoller or state Rep. Doug Collins came close to the 50 percent necessary to avoid a runoff in a three-way race.

With 90.6 percent of precincts reporting, Collins had 41.9 percent, Zoller had 41.3 percent and retired educator Roger Fitzpatrick was a distant third with 16.9 percent.

With support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), Zoller cast herself as the insurgent candidate against Collins, who is close with Gov. Nathan Deal and the Atlanta Republican establishment.

Even though Zoller was a terrible fundraiser, insiders believe she was boosted by her longtime presence on airwaves in the district. Her radio show was broadcast to most of what became the 9th district, anchored in Hall County in northeastern Georgia.

The winner of the Republican primary is widely expected to be elected in November, given the deep red hue of the district.

The primary runoff will be held Aug. 21.

Updated 11:56 p.m.

State Rep. Lee Anderson and businessman Rick Allen are headed for an Aug. 21 GOP runoff to see who will take on vulnerable Rep. John Barrow (D) in the reconfigured 12th district.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Anderson had 34.2 percent, followed by Allen with 25.7 percent. Attorney and retired Navy fighter pilot Wright McLeod came in third with 24.8 percent and attorney Maria Sheffield got 15.3 percent.

Anderson was likely helped by his base and his name ID as an elected official.

It’s unclear who has the edge in the runoff.

Roll Call rates the general election race as a Tossup.

Minnesota: Mark Dayton Endorses Rick Nolan in 8th District

Gov. Mark Dayton (D) endorsed former Rep. Rick Nolan (D) in his comeback bid in the 8th district.

“I am proud to endorse and I enthusiastically support Rick Nolan for Congress,” Dayton said in a statement. “We need more than a ‘good vote’ in a Congress. We need a proven leader who can get past the partisan gridlock and get things done.”

Nolan is engaged in a spirited primary with former state Sen. Tarryl Clark. The winner will face Rep. Chip Cravaack (R) in the fall. Clark picked up an endorsement from President Bill Clinton last week.

Roll Call rates this race as a Tossup.

Texas: Ted Cruz Defeats David Dewhurst

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo

Updated 9:43 p.m. | Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, a virtual political unknown only a year ago, has shocked the Texas political system and defeated Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, according to the Associated Press.

Cruz had 53.6 percent of the vote to Dewhurst’s 46.4 percent at the time the AP called the race, with just 22.5 percent of precincts reporting. Although that result was widely anticipated in the final days of the campaign, it cannot be emphasized enough how much of a stunning development this is.

Texas is not akin to GOP Sen. Dick Lugar’s loss in Indiana or in states where a tea party insurgent knocked off a party favorite in 2010.

The media market is one of the most expensive in the country, and the money needed to travel the geographic expanse sets the Lone Star State apart from other states. And yet, Cruz and his coalition of national tea party figures and groups such as the Club for Growth and Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) Senate Conservatives Fund beat the odds.

Nearly every GOP state Senator and Gov. Rick Perry (R) backed Dewhurst. Perry campaigned vigorously on his behalf. Republicans in the state disagree over whether Perry’s failed effort for Dewhurst will show weakness.

Cruz is all but assured he will be elected to the Senate in the fall.

Updated 9:43 p.m.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, praised Cruz in a press release shortly after the race was called.

“Ted believes, as I do, that we need to make Washington DC look a little more like the great state of Texas, and that starts with restoring common-sense, conservative values in our nation’s Capital,” he said.

“With a strong, hard-working ally in Ted Cruz, we will work to pass a balanced budget amendment, remove the federal government’s boot off the neck of our small businesses, and repeal-and-replace ObamaCare,” he added.

Chris Chocola, president of the Club for Growth, said in a press release that Cruz “clearly articulated the pro-growth message that Republican voters across the country have responded to.”

The Club for Growth PAC spent more than $5.5 million in independent expenditures on the campaign, according to the release.

Michigan: Nancy Cassis Will Not Support Kerry Bentivolio if He Is Nominee

NOVI, Mich. — Former state Sen. Nancy Cassis will not support her primary opponent if he wins the 11th district Republican nomination next week.

“Not after what I’ve seen,” she told Roll Call over a late breakfast at Big Boy restaurant last week. “I couldn’t in good conscience.”

Cassis is running a write-in campaign to defeat Kerry Bentivolio, an Iraq veteran and reindeer rancher who is the only Republican on the Aug. 7 primary ballot. They are running in the 11th district in the suburbs and exurbs west of Detroit.

Former Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R) prompted the divisive primary earlier this summer when he filed faulty ballot petitions and did not have enough signatures to make the ballot. A few weeks later, McCotter resigned from Congress. Full story

Texas: Dueling Final Polls in Senate Runoff

Supporters of Ted Cruz remained confident heading into Tuesday's Texas Senate runoff. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Come Wednesday morning, at least one pollster will have some explaining to do about final numbers heading into Tuesday’s Texas Senate runoff.  That’s because the last surveys released over the weekend showed both Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz ahead.

A Dewhurst poll conducted last week showed him ahead of Cruz by 5 points. Then Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, released an automated survey that showed Cruz up by 10 points.

Cruz has steadily built momentum since the late May primary, and most observers of the race believe he will win — probably by a comfortable margin. Sources in the Cruz camp were confident going into the weekend, saying their polling has held steady since Roll Call obtained a late June internal survey that showed Cruz in the lead.

Full story

Missouri: McCaskill Trails All Republicans in Latest Poll

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Vulnerable Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is just that, according to a new poll released this weekend by two Missouri media outlets.

In horserace matchups, McCaskill trailed all three of her serious Republican primary opponents.

Businessman John Brunner, who has put millions of his own money into the race, did the best against McCaskill, garnering 52 percent to the Senator’s 41 percent. Former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman pulled 49 percent to McCaskill’s 41 percent. And Rep. Todd Akin got 49 percent to McCaskill’s 44 percent. Full story

Texas: Dewhurst, Cruz Launch Final Push in Senate Race

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz are playing to their strengths in the final stretch before Tuesday’s GOP Senate runoff.

According to recently filed Federal Election Commission reports, Dewhurst has loaned his campaign an additional $8 million since his pre-runoff report. That brings his loan total to $24.5 million, according to the Houston Chronicle. Dewhurst’s personal fortune was always his greatest strength and he has proven willing to spend generously.

Part of that money will go toward a new television ad featuring Gov. Rick Perry (R).

Washington: Suzan DelBene Donates $900K to Campaign This Month

Suzan DelBene has self-funded her campaign to the tune of almost $2 million. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Democrat Suzan DelBene this month donated $900,000 to her campaign in Washington state’s 1st district, according to preprimary reports filed Thursday to the Federal Election Commission.

The former Microsoft executive has given her campaign a total of $1.9 million to date, dwarfing her opponents’ fundraising and allowing her a huge edge in spending. Since mid-June, DelBene has spent $1.3 million on TV and $365,000 on mail, according to figures from her past two FEC reports. Full story