Vermont primary: Christine Hallquist makes history as transgender candidate becomes Democrat governor nominee as Bernie Sanders is also victorious
The state boasts a number of unique — many of them progressive — candidates
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Your support makes all the difference.Christine Hallquist has become the first transgender candidate to win a major political party's nomination for governor.
As part of the primaries in Vermont, Ms Hallquist beat three other Democrats to secure the victory.
The 62-year-old Ms Hallquist is part of a wave of LGBTQ candidates seeking higher office across the US. Ms Hallquist is being supported by The Victory Fund, a political action committee that backs LGBTQ candidates across the country. The committed labelled her a “game changer.”
Before Vermont's election, only four transgender candidates had won primaries in 2018, all for house and senate seats in state legislatures, and have a general election ahead. Seventeen have lost primary or general elections and 21 have yet to face voters
Elsewhere, Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic Senate beating Folasade Adeluola as he seeks a third term in office.
With 98 per cent of precincts reporting, Mr Sanders had 94 per cent of the vote. It was not immediately clear which Republican he will face in the general election in November, given a close race between Brooke Paige and Lawrence Zupan that had just hundreds of votes in it.
Mr Sanders' win does not come as a surprise. The self-described Democratic Socialist won re-election in 2012 with about 71 per cent of the vote. Before that, in 2006, he carried about 65 per cent of the vote.
While Mr Sanders won the Democratic nomination, he is widely expected to reject it. Doing so has become a regular move for the notably independent senator over the years.
Phil Scott, the Republican governor in the reliably Democratic state, has won the GOP primary as he seeks re-election and will face Ms Hallquist.
Ethan Sonneborn is another candidate worth mentioning. 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. He secured more than 4,000 votes for an eight per cent share of the ballots.
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Vermont isn’t the only state that held a primary on Tuesday — Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut also had elections to determine which candidates will face off come November.
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.
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.
US Rep Tim Walz, who is vying to become the Democratic nominee for governor of Minnesota has cast his vote at the polls early Tuesday morning.
Mr Walz is facing off leading candidates, Attorney General Lori Swanson and state Rep. Erin Murphy. Mr Walz has addressed his past stance on guns – one that earned him an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association.
Donald Trump has urged Wisconsin voters to vote for incumbent Scott Walker in the Republican primary for governor.
Mr Trump, who once called Mr Walker "a mess" said the governor has his "complete [and] total endorsement" in the GOP gubernatorial primary.
Mr Walker had dropped out of the Republican race for president in 2015.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and incumbent in the GOP gubernatorial primary, has commented on Mr Trump's support for a Harley-Davidson boycott.
While Mr Walker said "of course" he doesn't want a boycott of the Wisconsin-based manufacturer, he threw his support behind the US president's stance on tariffs.
Mr Trump has announced his endorsement of Mr Walker on Twitter on the eve of the primary race.
Tim Pawlenty, who is in the GOP gubernatorial primary race in Minnesota, has cast his vote for primary day.
He previously served as the state's governor and was also formerly a GOP presidential candidate in the 2012 race.
Ethan Sonneborn, the 14-year-old progressive candidate seeking the party nomination to run for governor, has said he thinks the people of Vermont should take him seriously.
"I think Vermonters should take me seriously because I have practical progressive ideas, and I happen to be 14, not the other way around,” he said. “I think that my message and my platform transcend age.”
Vermont is one of the US states that allows same-day registration. Registration is available during polling hours, and polls in Vermont will close 7pm local time.
Wisconsin's senate primary is of the costliest primaries in 2018, according to Politico.
Republicans looking to oust Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin, first elected in 2012, have reportedly fostered more than $12m in outside spending from donors.
State Sen. Leah Vukmir is facing off businessman and veteran Kevin Nicholson. House Speaker Paul Ryan has backed Ms Vukmir in the primary.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has called for support on his re-election bid on Twitter, while sharing his endorsements for candidates also running on primary day.
Mr Sanders has endorsed incumbent US Rep. Peter Welch in the US House primary, Dave Zuckerman in his re-election bid for lieutenant governor and Christopher Pearson for State Senate.
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