US Primary Election Roundup: Trump's Perfect Record Broken, Democrats See Openings

(Central News Agency, Washington, 3rd, Combined Foreign Reports) Until yesterday, President Trump had maintained a near-perfect endorsement record in multiple state primaries. However, this record came to an end when U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra lost the Republican gubernatorial primary in Iowa.

Here are the five key takeaways from yesterday's primaries:

Feenstra was seen as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to replace retiring Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. Feenstra, who has served three terms in the U.S. House, ran for governor with Trump's endorsement.

Trump easily won the 2024 presidential election, defeating then-Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in Iowa by 13 percentage points.

After successfully backing candidates who defeated Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy and Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn in their primaries, Feenstra's political influence appeared to be growing.

However, due to public discontent with the U.S.-Iran war and the impact of high fuel and fertilizer prices on Iowa's agriculture, Feenstra narrowly lost the Republican primary to Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer who had never run for public office.

Democrats believe they now have a strong chance to flip a U.S. Senate seat from Republican control, after state Representative and Paralympic gold medalist Josh Turek defeated progressive Zach Wahls in yesterday's primary.

With the retirement of Republican Senator Joni Ernst, Turek will face Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson.

This race was initially considered a likely Republican hold, but with Turek's victory, some analysts see the dynamics shifting in favor of Democrats.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report now calls Iowa "the center of the political universe" and has shifted its rating for the state from "Solid Republican" to "Lean Republican."

Democrat Xavier Becerra appears poised to become his party's nominee for California governor, succeeding the term-limited Gavin Newsom.

Trump-endorsed television commentator and Republican Steve Hilton performed strongly, surprising many, and could potentially face Becerra in a general election in this Democratic stronghold.

However, Republicans have not won a statewide office in California since 2011. Democrats are widely seen as rallying behind Becerra, who is considered earnest and experienced.

In the Democratic stronghold of California, local Democrats just experienced a chaotic gubernatorial nomination race widely described as a "jungle primary." This is due to California's system, which allows candidates from all parties to appear on the same ballot. Regardless of political affiliation, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.

This time, there were concerns within Democratic circles that the top two candidates could both be Republicans, shutting Democrats out. Given that 45% of registered voters are Democrats, 25% are Republicans, and the rest are independents or affiliated with other parties, this would have been a bitter pill to swallow.

U.S. Representative Tom Kean Jr. officially won the Republican primary unopposed. However, the problem is that he has been missing since March, and no one seems to know why.

This could create a significant opening for Rebecca Bennett, who easily won the Democratic primary yesterday.

The U.S. Navy veteran and healthcare executive will receive strong Democratic support. The party views her race as key to winning a majority in the U.S. House, which is currently held by Republicans with a 217-212 margin. (Editor: Li Peishan) 1150604