PHOENIX -- Rep. Ron DeSantis rode a robust endorsement from President Donald Trump to victory Tuesday in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary. DeSantis was one of several Republicans running in contests in Florida and Arizona who hoped that cozying up to the president would be rewarded by voters.
The winner of the Florida governor's race will give his party an advantage in a key political battleground heading into the 2020 presidential campaign. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who would be the state's first black governor, won the Democratic nomination after a tight race with former Rep. Gwen Graham, who was hoping to become the state's first female governor.
Trump cheered DeSantis' victory in a tweet Tuesday night, writing: "Ron will be a fantastic Governor. On to November!"
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is vacating the Governor's Mansion to run for the Senate. He easily won his primary, setting up a showdown with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson that is expected to be one of the nation's most competitive races.
In Arizona, primary contests were shadowed by the death of Sen. John McCain. Though McCain was a towering figure who was elected to the Senate by Arizonans six times, the three Republican candidates running to replace his retiring seat-mate, Sen. Jeff Flake, aligned themselves more with the president than the longtime senator.
Rep. Martha McSally, an Air Force veteran who was the first female fighter pilot to fly in combat, won the Republican primary for the open seat. She defeated former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Many political observers had predicted Ward and Arpaio would split the state's most conservative voters, clearing the way for McSally, who represents a southern Arizona district including parts of Tucson. Arizona primaries are determined by plurality, meaning McSally did not need more than 50 percent of the vote to win.
McSally will face U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., for Flake's seat, which Democrats consider a key pickup in their bid to take control of the chamber. Sinema announced that she was pausing her campaign today and Thursday, when McCain's body will lie in Arizona's Capitol.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, planned to name a replacement to fill McCain's seat after the primary, and that replacement will serve until 2020. David Garcia, an education professor and military veteran, won the Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday and will challenge Ducey this fall.
Polls closed in Arizona at the end of a day that began with delayed openings at dozens of polling locations in the state's largest county. Leaders in Maricopa County rejected calls to keep polls open later, saying the later closing would have confused voters and delayed returns.
Elsewhere Tuesday, GOP voters in reliably Republican Oklahoma backed mortgage company owner Kevin Stitt in a runoff for the gubernatorial nomination. Stitt won in part by criticizing his opponent as insufficiently supportive of Trump.
Trump surprised Florida Republicans late last year with his endorsement of DeSantis, and frequently tweeted about the lawmaker, one of his staunchest supporters in Washington. His backing helped push DeSantis past Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who has held elected office in Florida since 1996, quickly built up establishment support and raised millions of dollars.
The Democratic gubernatorial field in Florida was the most crowded since 1978. Graham was hoping to claim the office once held by her father, Bob Graham.
Gillum, a favorite of progressives, spent the least of the five major Democratic candidates and had the smallest television presence. He often said he was the only candidate in the race who wasn't a millionaire or billionaire, and won the endorsement of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Democrats also targeted pickup opportunities in Florida as they try to flip control of the U.S. House. One of their best chances is in south Florida, where Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is retiring in a district that should favor Democrats.
Donna Shalala, who served as President Bill Clinton's Health and Human Services secretary, beat out nine Democrats who were vying to succeed Ros-Lehtinen.
The contests in both Florida and Arizona were being closely watched for signs of how the political battlegrounds might tilt in the 2020 presidential election.
Sinema's and McSally's Senate runs also have created House openings in Arizona, an increasingly diverse state where Democrats are eager to gain a foothold.
McSally's district attracted 11 candidates and remained undecided late Tuesday. In Sinema's district, Steve Ferrara, a former Navy chief medical officer, won a three-way primary to become the Republican nominee. He will face former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who ran on the Democratic ticket unopposed.
Information for this article was contributed by Brendan Farrington, Gary Fineout, Sean Murphy, Emily Swanson, Kelli Kennedy and Freida Frisaro of The Associated Press.
A Section on 08/29/2018