Connecticut primary: Jahana Hayes moves one step closer to becoming state's first black Democrat in Congress

The governor's race is considered wide open, with Republicans not having held the office since 2010

US Primaries: What are the key races as four US sates vote in primary elections?

The biggest race in Connecticut was supposed to be the governor's race - but an ex-teacher has stolen the headlines by moving one step closer to becoming the state's first black Democrat in Congress.

In western Connecticut's 5th congressional district, Ex-Teacher of Year Jahana Hayes has won Democrat nod for the Connecticut House seat left by Democrat Representative Elizabeth Esty is not seeking re-election to the House.

Businessman Ned Lamont has defeated Bridgeport major, and ex-convict, Joe Ganim. Mr Lamont's victory comes 12 years after he defeated US Senator Joe Lieberman in a Democratic showdown, only to lose the general election when Mr Lieberman ran as an independent. That race was seen as part of a national referendum on the Iraq War.

However, Republicans believe they have a good chance of winning the governor's seat back after losing control in 2010. Control of the narrowly divided General Assembly is also in play, especially the state Senate, now equally split between Democrats and Republicans.

For the GOP, it was David Stemerman, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the party's endorsed candidate; Tim Herbst; Madison businessman Bob Stefanowski; and Westport tech entrepreneur and former US Navy officer Steve Obsitnik. Mr Stefanowski eventually won through.

Small-business owner Matthew Corey has won the Republican nomination for US Senate in Connecticut and will face an uphill battle against Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

In Tuesday's primary the Manchester Republican defeated Dominic Rapini, a national accounts manager for Apple computers.

Mr Corey is a US Navy veteran and owner of a Hartford pub and a window-washing business. As of the end of July, Mr Corey had raised about $31,000 in campaign funds compared with nearly $13.5 million for Mr Murphy.

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[13 August 2018 20:30 · Steve Anderson]

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the primary elections across the four states of Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin on Tuesday.

[13 August 2018 21:08 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Ilhan Omar is a candidate to watch in Minnesota. She is running on the Democratic Socialists platform, the same as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Rashida Tlaib, who is set to be the first Muslim woman in US Congress. Ms Omar is a Somali-American and became Minnesota's first female Muslim State Representative last year.

[13 August 2018 21:14 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Ethan Sonneborn is one of four Democratic candidates for governor in Vermont. He’s a 14-year-old progressive who decided to launch his campaign after violence erupted last year during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, North Carolina. State law allows anyone who has lived in Vermont for four years to run for governor after securing enough signatures to get on the ballot, making Mr Sonneborn legally qualified despite his age.

[13 August 2018 21:36 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Connecticut will host both governor and congressional races in this week's primary. Let's start with the governor race. Current Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy is standing down, leaving poor approval ratings behind him. His decision not to run again has caused a lot of both Republicans and Democrats to join the race. This is a state that has a tendency change parties in its governorship, suggesting this will be a tight race.

[13 August 2018 21:47 · Lucy Anna Gray]

With what is expected to be a close race, who are the Republicans running for Connecticut governor? The main contenders are Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and two businessmen, Bob Stefanowski and David Stemerman.

[13 August 2018 21:49 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Donald Trump has just posted his endorsement for Peter Stauber who is running for Congress in Minnesota. 

[13 August 2018 22:04 · Lucy Anna Gray]

An who, in turn, are the Democrat candidates for Connecticut governor? Mirroring the Republican candidates, we have a mayor and someone from the world of business. Former journalist and business Ned Lamont, and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim are running for the Democrats.

[13 August 2018 22:28 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Phil Scott, Vermont's Republican governor, is running for re-election despite growing concerns from the right surrounding his stance on gun control. After passing a series of measures tightening gun restrictions in the state, guns rights groups like the Gun Owners of Vermont launched a campaign calling on voters to write-in other conservative candidates, including Keith Stern and John Rodgers.

[13 August 2018 22:50 · Lucy Anna Gray]

A little reminder for voters in Minnesota...

[13 August 2018 23:10 · Lucy Anna Gray]

More than eight Democrats have filed to run in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary to oust GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Democrat Tony Evers, the state’s public education chief, is in the lead, but polling has been scarce, and several other candidates have pulled in notable endorsements and fundraising.

Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, has the support of California Sen. Kamala Harris, and Kelda Helen Roys, a former state Assembly member, has the backing of New York’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (and Wisconsin’s most famed indie band, Bon Iver). State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (who has run in a Democratic gubernatorial primary before) and political activist Mike McCabe have also gotten progressive support.