Unpacking Primary Election Results in Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, Washington and Missouri

Tuesday's primary elections in 5 states — Arizona, Michigan, Washington, Missouri and Kansas — provided a glimpse into the November general elections. 

Kansas voted 59-41 against removing abortion rights protections from the state constitution. In neighboring Missouri, Republicans rejected Eric Greitens, the Senate candidate who famously released a “RINO hunting” ad. 

Coverage often highlighted the performance of former President Donald Trump’s endorsements. In Michigan, Trump-backed John Gibbs defeated Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. That race drew controversy after Democrats boosted Gibbs, who they perceived to be an easier opponent in the general election. In Washington, however, two Trump-endorsed challengers failed to outperform impeachment-backing House Republicans. In Arizona, Trump-backed Blake Masters — also backed financially by billionaire Peter Thiel — defeated state Attorney General Mark Brnovich and former solar energy businessman Jim Lamon in the U.S. Senate primary. Trump-backed Mark Finchem, an Oath Keepers member who said he would not have certified the 2020 election in Arizona, likely won the Republican primary for Arizona secretary of state. 

Coverage across the spectrum generally focused more on Republican primaries than Democratic ones. While coverage from the right labeled Finchem an “election skeptic,” coverage from the left called him an “election denier,” a “Capitol rioter,” and a “conspiracy theorist.”