General election matchups are set in Missouri and Washington State, where voters cast ballots Tuesday in races for governor and other down-ballot offices.
With 39% of the vote, Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) won a hotly contested primary over state Sen. Bill Eigel (R) and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R), who took 33% and 23%, respectively.
Kehoe starts the three-month sprint in the red state with the edge against state House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D), who advanced with 50% of the vote. But the former state senator, who was endorsed by outgoing Gov. Mike Parson (R), called on Republicans to unify after a tension-filled legislative session and primary.
“This campaign has also exposed some deep divisions within our party,” Kehoe said, according to the Associated Press. “So let me say this, the future of Missouri is too important for the Republican Party to be reduced to finger-pointing and name-calling.”
Despite Missouri’s shift to the right in presidential elections, Democrats have been competitive in some recent governor races, including Jay Nixon (D) being elected in 2008 and 2012. While Parson won by a 16-percentage-point margin in 2020, Democrats hope to keep the race closer by focusing in part on abortion rights.
“I’m excited to hit the ground running & bring our message to every corner of Missouri: enough with the extremism, & government overreach, it’s time Missouri has a leader who will fight for working families,” Quade said on X.
In Washington State, Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) and former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R) advanced easily in the top-two primary. With more than two-dozen candidates on the ballot, Ferguson had 46% of the vote and Reichert 28%, though much of the vote remained to be counted as of Wednesday morning.
“The message tonight is clear: Washingtonians are ready to work together to take on our toughest challenges — improving public safety, lowering costs for housing, groceries, and child care, and protecting our essential freedoms like the right to choose,” Ferguson said on X.
The last time a Republican was elected Washington governor was 1980. But Reichert, who served seven terms in the U.S. House and previously gained fame as King County sheriff by helping capture a serial killer, could make it competitive.
“Washington voters have sent a message that they are ready for a change,” Reichert said in a statement.