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.
Businessman Ned Lamont has won the Democratic nomination for Connecticut governor, defeating Bridgeport mayor and ex-convict Joe Ganim.
Mr Lamont's victory comes 12 years after he defeated U.S. Sen. 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.
Mr Lamont has said he'll "save Connecticut" from President Donald Trump's policies, whether it's the weakening of environmental standards or abortion access.
Mr Lamont says he'll bring a businessman's approach to solving the state's fiscal woes. He supports unions and a higher minimum wage.
Mr Ganim was elected Bridgeport mayor in 2015 despite serving seven years in prison for public corruption.
Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy decided against running for a third term.
AP
For an overview of the four states holding elections today - and why they're so important - check out the video at the top of this article.
Small-business owner Matthew Corey has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Connecticut and will face an uphill battle against Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.
In today's primary the Manchester Republican defeated Dominic Rapini, a national accounts manager for Apple computers.
Mr Corey is a U.S. Navy veteran and owner of a Hartford pub and a window-washing business. He earlier unsuccessfully challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson.
Mr Corey has called for more investment in small businesses in low-income communities. He's also supportive of apprenticeship programs, corporate tax reform and a tax credit for home school parents.
As of July 25, records show Mr Corey had raised about $31,000 in campaign funds compared with nearly $13.5 million for Mr Murphy.
There was no primary on the Democratic side.
AP
Phil Scott has the lead in the Republican primary for governor in Vermont, the incumbent currently holding 64 per cent of the vote over Keith Stern.
On the Democrat side, Christine Hallquist, who is seeking to become the country's first transgender governor, is leading over the three other candidates, with 45 per cent of the vote.
The Republican race to face Ned Lamont is much closer, with Bob Stefanowski currently leading with nearly 28 per cent of the vote. However, the vote is quite evenly split across four of the candidates with 25 per cent of precincts reporting.
Phil Scott, the incumbent Republican governor in Vermont has secured the GOP nomination. He will face Christine Hallquist who is projected to have secured on the Democrat side.
The race was called in her favour having secured 47.7 per cent of the vote with 47 per cent of precincts reporting. That is far ahead of her closest rival on 22.5 per cent.
Polls have closed in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
And there is an early winner in Wisconsin. Scott Walker is projected to win the Republican race for governor having secured 94 per cent of the vote with 7 per cent of precincts reporting.
In Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar has won the Democrat nomination in one of the Senate seats, and will face off against Jim Newberger. Both are projected to win their races handily.
Senator Tina Smith has won Minnesota's Democratic primary to finish the final two years of former Senator Al Franken's term.
Ms Smith took her spot in the Senate in January after Mr Franken resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. She was the state's lieutenant governor before Democratic Governor Mark Dayton appointed her to the seat.
She defeated several Democrats to clinch the party's nomination, including Richard Painter, the former GOP ethics attorney whose profile rose as a strident critic of President Donald Trump.
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