Another surprise victory for a left-wing Democratic candidate and a triumph for an incumbent Republican senator over a challenger with the same name were among the notable plotlines as primary elections took place in various parts of the US on Tuesday.
Florida and Alaska were two of the latest states to hold primaries, as Republicans and Democrats narrow down their field of candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Among other things, the midterms will decide which party controls the US Congress – which in turn will have a bearing on the presidency of Donald Trump.
Here’s a quick digest of some of the goings-on from the two states on Tuesday night.
The Florida governor contest in November now looks set to be fought by two candidates for whom the Trump track record is a key issue in the president’s adopted home state.
US media outlets have projected victories for Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly in their respective party primaries, meaning the pair will face off in the contest in November.
Donalds, who is a sitting US congressman, had the endorsement of Trump.
Meanwhile Jolly is a former Republican congressman who left the party and criticised Trump before changing party.
Recent history is not on Jolly’s side: Democrats have not held the Florida governor’s mansion since 1999. The term of current governor, Ron DeSantis, is expiring.
Elsewhere in the Sunshine State, victory for Angie Nixon in a Democratic primary continued a trend that has been witnessed across the US during primaries season – which has seen various insurgents on the party’s left wing defeat more centrist candidates.
With almost all votes counted, Nixon was projected to have beaten Alex Vindman.
Vindman, a former US official who became a key witness during the first impeachment trial in Trump’s first term, had a significant cash advantage – making the result a surprise.
The result means Nixon, a democratic socialist who is currently a state lawmaker, will proceed in November to fight for a US Senate seat against Republican Ashley Moody.
Moody is running for her first full term after being appointed to the role vacated by now Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory in the equivalent Republican contest.
Controversy-hit Mills ousted by Republican voters
In a third notable contest in Florida, Congressman Cory Mills is projected to have lost the Republican primary for the state’s 7th Congressional District.
Mills was running for re-election for the House seat while facing an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and allegations of domestic abuse.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime. He received the backing of Trump in February but was not included in a list of the president’s endorsements earlier this week. He was not backed by DeSantis.
US media projected that Ryan Elijah, a former TV reporter, won Tuesday’s race. He will now face off against Democratic candidate Bale Dalton, a former US Navy captain and Nasa official.
At the opposite end of the US, Republicans were closely watching as incumbent US Senator Dan Sullivan fended off a challenge from a little-known candidate bearing an almost identical name.
Their names were distinguished on the ballot, with Senator Dan Sullivan identified as the incumbent candidate and his namesake listed as Daniel J Sullivan, Jr.
The race was an open primary that pitted Republicans directly against Democrats on a single ballot, with the top four finishers due to advance to the final contest in November.
Republicans feared the incumbent senator could lose crucial votes to his namesake as a result of confusion, and accused the challenger candidate of trying to trick voters.
But in the end, the incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola have finished as the top two, according to projections by the BBC’s US partner CBS News and others. The third- and fourth-best finishers are still to be determined.
Democrats view Peltola, a former congresswoman, as one of their top chances to flip the seat and recapture the US Senate.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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