MISSOURI
Governor
The Republican primary for governor saw a crowded field of candidates vying to replace term-limited Governor Mike Parson (R). Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe (R) and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) led the pack in polling.
In the end, Kehoe secured the Republican Party’s nomination for governor with approximately 39% of the vote. Kehoe was appointed to his current position in 2018 by Governor Parson after he had assumed the governor’s office upon the resignation of Eric Greitens (R). He was later elected to a full term in the 2020 general election. Kehoe is a former member of the Missouri State Senate from 2011-2018, when he served as Assistant Majority Leader and Majority Leader. During his 20’s, Kehoe began working for Osage Industries, a company involved with auto parts and the manufacturing of ambulances. After selling Osage Industries in 1992, he purchased an auto dealership in Jefferson City but sold it shortly after entering politics. Kehoe has highlighted expanding workforce development programs, increasing accessible and affordable childcare, and combatting crime as some of his top issues on the trail. As of July, Kehoe had raised nearly $13 million for his campaign. He has been endorsed by Governor Parson and former President Donald Trump (R).
State Representative Crystal Quade (D) won the Democratic Party’s nomination with approximately 50% of the vote, defeating four other candidates. She assumed her current office in 2017 and began serving as Minority Leader in 2019. Quade has served on the House Budget Committee, the House Government Efficiency Committee, and the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. She has been endorsed by former Governor Bob Holden (D), the Sierra Club Missouri Chapter, and others.
Kehoe is expected to be sworn in as Missouri’s next head of state in January: Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the race as Safe Republican, and the Cook Political Report rates it as Solid Republican.
Attorney General
Incumbent Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) won the Republican Party’s nomination with approximately 63% of the vote, defeating Trump attorney Will Scharf (R). Bailey was appointed to his office in 2023 by Governor Parson after former Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) was elected to the U.S. Senate. Prior to this he served in the governor's office as Deputy Counsel and General Counsel. He began his legal career as a prosecutor after serving in the Army. If elected to his first full term, Bailey pledges to address federal government overreach. His endorsements include former President Trump, Governor Parson, and Lt. Governor Kehoe.
Elad Gross (D) advanced to the general election as the Democratic Party’s only candidate. Gross earned a law degree from the Washington University School of Law and has worked as an attorney focused on constitutional and civil rights issues and as a CEO. If elected, he plans to address scammers, develop AI regulations, confront state government corruption, put measures in place to reduce violent crime, and more.
Treasurer
Incumbent State Treasurer Vivek Malek (R) secured his party’s nomination for re-election with 42% of the vote. Malek was appointed in 2022 by Governor Parson to replace Scott Fitzpatrick (R), who had successfully run for the position of State Auditor. Malek attended law school at Mahrishi Dayanand University. In 2020, he was appointed to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Governors. If elected to a full term, his platform includes banning state investments that adhere to ESG guidelines and implementing transparent financial practices.
Mark Osmack (D) secured his party’s nomination as the only Democratic candidate for treasurer. Osmack ran for a U.S. House seat in 2018 but was defeated in the primary. His career experience includes military service and working in government affairs. If elected, he pledges to safeguard funding for retirees and farmers, increase resources for first responders and teachers, and advocate for Missouri families.
Ballot Measures
Missouri voters had the opportunity to vote on two ballot measures in yesterday’s primary. The first was an amendment to exempt childcare facilities from property taxation, as well as other properties used primary for the care of children outside their homes. This measure failed. The second measure proposed an increase minimum required funding for a police force established by a state board of police commissioners before 2027. Voters passed this measure.
WASHINGTON
Washington is a Top Two Primary state, meaning it allows voters to choose among all candidates running for each office. Voters do not have to declare a party affiliation to vote in the primary. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election qualify for the general election. And Washington’s elections are conducted entirely by mail.
Governor
A busy field of 28 candidates appeared on yesterday’s gubernatorial ballot with hopes of replacing current Governor Jay Inslee (D), who has held the position since 2012. Inslee opted not to run for re-election, and his current term will end on January 13, 2025.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D), who was the frontrunner during the months leading up to the primary election, will advance to the general election after receiving 45% of the current vote total. Ferguson was first elected to the Office of Attorney General in 2012 and has served four terms in the office. Ferguson has emphasized his work on data privacy protections, wage theft prosecutions, and the formation of the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division and Environmental Protection Division in the Attorney General’s Office. He has released several plans on various issues for the governor’s office, including addressing public safety, fostering economic growth, incentivizing affordable housing and expanding programs to support the unhoused, enhancing access to behavioral healthcare, and investing the state’s ferry system.
Since April 2023, his campaign has raised $8.5 million, and has spent $7.1 million. Close to half of his expenditures have been on advertisements. Notable endorsements for Ferguson included Governor Inslee and former Governor Christine Gregoire (D), who served from 2005 to 2013.
Former Congressman Dave Reichert (R) and Semi Bird (R) were the favorites leading on the Republican front. Bird was considered a key figure in the race due to his endorsement by the Washington State Republican Party during its Convention held in June. However, Reichert has successfully moved on to the general after receiving approximately 28% of the current vote total. Reichert previously represented Washington’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Prior to his time in office, he served 33 years in law enforcement, including two terms as Sheriff. Reichert has positioned himself as a law-and-order candidate, placing public safety as his top campaign priority. He is also focused on government accountability, parent’s rights in education, job creation, housing, and affordability. His campaign has raised $4.4 million since July 2023, and has spent $3.9 million.
Republicans last won election as Washington's governor in 1980 and are expected to have an uphill battle over the next three months. The Cook Political Report has rated this race as Lean Democratic while Sabato’s Crystal Ball has rated it as Likely Democratic.
Attorney General
The Office of Attorney General is open for the first time since 2012 following incumbent Bob Ferguson’s (D) decision to run for Governor of Washington. Three candidates emerged early on as leaders in the race, including former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Nick Brown (D), State Senator Manka Dhingra (D), and Pasco City Mayor Pete Serrano (R).
Due to the Democratic vote being split, Republican candidate Pete Serrano has advanced from yesterday’s primary as a top two candidate: As of this publication, Serrano has garnered the most votes. Serrano is an attorney and current member of the Pasco City Council. He was previously an environmental lawyer at the United States Department of Energy. His vision for the office includes advocating for community safety, balancing environmental preservation with energy innovation, addressing crime trends, supporting responsible firearm ownership, and advancing government accountability and transparency.
Nick Brown (D) has emerged as the additional candidate after receiving the second most votes defeating the next closest challenger Manka Dhingra (D). Brown was nominated by President Joe Biden (D) in 2021 to become the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington. Prior to his nomination, he served as general counsel to Governor Inslee. He has named several priorities while campaigning, including preventing gun violence, combating substance abuse, addressing hate crimes, establishing and funding a permanent worker protection unit, ensuring fair competition, preserving and expanding voting rights, and enforcing environmental safeguards.
Democrats have held the Office of Attorney General since 1988.
Treasurer
Two candidates were on the ballot and both will advance on to the general election in November.
Mike Pellicciotti (D) is the incumbent state treasurer and was first elected to the position in 2020. Prior to this position, he was a state representative for north Pierce and south King Counties and an assistant attorney general. His campaign has highlighted the accomplishments from his first term in the office, including refinancing eligible debt, implementing a policy prohibiting Washington State Treasurers from investing in corporations that fund their campaigns, and applying budget guardrails.
Pellicciotti will face Sharon Hanek (R) in the fall. Hanek is a licensed CPA and has operated a CPA business over the past 30 years. She is currently a Pierce County Planning Commissioner and member of the Pierce County Birth to 25 Advisory Board. She has stated that her top priority will be to focus on strengthening the protection of the state’s cash flow. In 2012, Hanek made Washington history by becoming the first candidate to get their name on the ballot for the general election by winning a statewide primary election through the "write-in" process.
STATE LEGISLATURES
Arizona
On July 30, Arizona voter selected general-election candidates for all 30 state senate seats and all 60 state house seats. One incumbent in each chamber lost in the primary while 15 in the state house and five (5) in the state senate did not file for re-election. Republicans currently hold a one-seat majority in both the house and senate. Both bodies are considered battleground chambers this November: Organizations such as the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) and the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) are targeting races and investing millions. Lastly, regardless of which party captures the chamber, leadership changes are forthcoming in the state house after Speaker Ben Toma (R) chose to run for U.S. Congress.
Michigan
All 100 seats in the state house are on the ballot while the state senate is off ballot this year. Eight (8) incumbents are not seeking re-election. Democrats now hold a thin 56 to 54 majority in the state house after regaining control in two special elections earlier in 2024. Like Arizona, this state is not only a presidential but a legislative battleground this year.
Kansas
Voters in the Sunflower State chose candidates for all one hundred twenty-five (125) state house seats and all forty (40) state senate seats. Nineteen (19) incumbents in the state house and eleven (11) in the state senate did not file for re-election. Republicans will be defending supermajorities in both chambers.
Missouri
Seventeen (17) of 34 state senate seats are on the ballot alongside all one hundred sixty-three (63) seats in the state house. Nine (9) incumbents in the state senate and 46 in the state house are not running for re-election. Republicans are expected to maintain supermajorities in both chambers in the November election. State senate leadership will change following President Pro Tempore Caleb Rowden’s (R) run for secretary of state. Leadership in the state house will also change as Speaker Dean Plocher (R) is running for secretary of state and Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D) is running for governor. Additionally, the House Health and Mental Health Policy Vice Chair Lisa Thomas (R) lost her primary.
Washington
Evergreen State voters chose candidates for all 98 state house seats and 25 of 49 state senate seats. Eight (8) incumbents in the state senate and 18 in the state house are not seeking re-election. Democrats are expected to maintain control of both chambers. Leadership in the state senate will change as Majority Leader Andy Billing (D) is not running for re-election.