The Top Six Takeaways From Last Night’s Primaries

Voters cast their ballots in Florida and New York on Tuesday, shifting the political playing field as the outcomes were decided in several high-profile races in two of the most populous states.

The night marked some major wins and losses, unusual battles between incumbents, and implications for the future of each party in the deep red and blue states. Primary elections also continued in Oklahoma on Tuesday as the state finished off a few of its straggler runoff elections.

Nearly all the races were called by late Tuesday night, leaving few unanswered questions about the state of play as the parties turn their eyes to the November election.

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Here are the biggest results from last night’s primary elections:

Democrat Charlie Crist wins nomination to face DeSantis in November

Charlie Crist (D-FL) won the Democratic nomination against Nikki Fried, setting himself up to challenge incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis in the fall.

The race is set to be an uphill challenge for Crist as he seeks to unseat the popular incumbent. However, a Democratic upset could spell trouble for DeSantis if he chooses to launch a presidential bid in 2024.

Crist is no stranger to the world of Florida politics. The now-Democrat once served as Florida’s governor as a Republican until 2011, when he lost a bid for Senate in 2010 running as an independent, and then lost the gubernatorial election in 2014 as the Democratic nominee. Crist was later elected to represent Florida’s 13th Congressional District in 2017.

Rep. Daniel Webster narrowly defeats challenger Laura Loomer

Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) narrowly survived a primary challenge from right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer, all but ensuring the six-term incumbent will be reelected in November in the reliably Republican district.

Webster won against Loomer despite his lower name recognition in the newly redrawn 11th District, which now only contains about a third of the base that previously elected him. Loomer slammed the GOP shortly after the race was called, refusing to concede and claiming voter fraud rigged the election in favor of Webster.

Webster will face Democratic nominee Shante Munns in the general election, though the district leans Republican by 19 points and is considered a safe GOP seat.

Max Rose and Nicole Malliotakis set to rematch in November

Max Rose won the Democratic nomination for New York’s 11th Congressional District, setting him up for a rematch against Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) in one of the most closely watched midterm races this year.

Rose, an Army veteran, previously held the seat when he was elected during the Democrats’ nationwide blue wave in 2018, but he was ousted by Malliotakis in 2020. The Democratic nominee faces an uphill battle to retake his seat in the Republican-leaning district, but several in the party believe the political environment may be shifting in their favor.

The 11th District has seen both Democrats and Republicans winning the seat over the last 12 years, but recent internal polling showed Malliotakis with a slight edge over Rose.

Battle of the incumbents: Carolyn Maloney ousted from Congress

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) emerged victorious over onetime ally Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in an unusual battle between incumbents after a bitter redistricting battle combined the two Democrats’ current districts.

Although the two have fought together side by side in Congress over the last few decades, that alliance was shattered after the state adopted a new congressional map that merged the east and west sides of Manhattan. Rather than come to a compromise that would guarantee they both stay in the office, both candidates refused to run in another district — putting the two on a collision course for the Democratic primaries.

The district leans heavily Democratic, meaning Nadler is expected to win the general election in November by a large margin.

House Democratic campaign arm Sean Patrick Maloney survives primary challenge

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, (D-NY), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, easily fended off a challenge from left-wing rival state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi on Tuesday, setting himself up for a tough fight as he seeks to maintain his seat in November.

Maloney’s reelection bid was fraught with challenges as the Democrat battled with chaotic redistricting that redrew several districts and left incumbents scrambling throughout much of the state.

Despite his win, Maloney’s chances for November are not guaranteed, as internal polling from July shows Republican nominee state Assemblyman Michael Lawler with a narrow lead.

Val Demings wins Democratic nomination to face Sen. Marco Rubio in November

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Florida on Tuesday, setting the stage for a November battle against Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in what is considered to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

The race is expected to lean Republican, and Rubio has consistently polled ahead of Demings in most surveys. However, one recent poll by the Public Opinion Research Laboratory at the University of North Florida showed Demings with a 4-percentage-point lead — suggesting the race may be competitive.

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The nomination finalized the general election lineup, although Demings and Rubio have been virtually running against each other for months as neither candidate faced viable challengers in the primaries.

In other news…

The primaries on Tuesday also gave unsurprising results as some popular incumbents, such as Reps. Matt Gaetz in Florida and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, cruised to victory. To see more results from Tuesday’s primaries and stay up to date with all midterm election updates, click here to read more from the Washington Examiner.