Discussion Thread: CT, MN, VT, WI Primaries - Politics

Discussion Thread: CT, MN, VT, WI Primaries
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Discussion Thread: CT, MN, VT, WI Primaries

Posted: 14 Aug 2018 04:39 AM PDT

Welcome to the /r/politics discussion thread for the primaries being held in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin. A number of these states will play host to competitive gubernatorial and Congressional elections in the midterm election. If you are able to cast a ballot today, please do so!

As always, please be mindful of our commenting guidelines when discussing. We will also be hosting a reddit chatroom for discussion. Please note that the subreddit rules apply to the chatroom, and users who are found to violate those rules can be banned from both the chatroom and the sub as a whole.

Chat Room

State	Polls Open	Polls Close	Voter ID	Same Day Registration	Primary Type
CT	6AM	8PM	Low voters may sign an affidavit in lieu of presenting ID card	Yes	Closed
MN	7-10AM smaller towns need not open polls until 10AM	8PM	Low only required if a registered voter has not voted in 4 years, or if voter is registering for the first time.	Yes	Open
VT	5-10AM	7PM	None except for first time voters	Yes	Open
WI	7AM	8PM	Yes	Yes	Open

Connecticut

The Nutmeg state is holding federal primary elections for Senate and House. In the Senate, incumbent Democratic Senator Chris Murphy faces no intraparty contest as he seeks a second term. Republicans will choose a nominee between businessmen Matthew Corey and Dominic Rapini. For the House, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty in the 5th district announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection following allegations that she was aware of sexual abuse allegations against a former staffer. Hillary Clinton won this district only by 4 points in 2016, and the race to succeed Esty has led to competitive nomination races for both Democrats and Republicans.

The Governor's race is also expected to be competitive. Incumbent Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy is not seeking a third term. Opinion polling for the Governor has been low, and Republicans are hoping that his unpopularity gives them an opportunity to win the Governor's mansion for the first time in 8 years, and the state party has endorsed Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton. Democrats are hoping to rally behind Ned Lamont, who nearly defeated Malloy in 2010 and former Senator Joseph Lieberman in 2006.

Minnesota

Minnesota is holding a smorgasbord of competitive elections in November, and the primaries are no different. On the federal level, both Minnesota Senate seats will be up for election, with DFL (the state affiliate of the Democratic Party in Minnesota are known as the Democratic-Farm Labor Party, one of only two state parties to have a different designation in the US) Senator Tina Smith facing the voters after she was appointed to fill out the remainder of Al Franken's term following his resignation after allegations of sexual impropriety, while DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar is seeking a third term. 4 of Minnesota's 8 congressional districts are also considered tossups by race raters - 2 open DFL-held seats (1st and 8th) and 2 Republican-held seats (2nd and 3rd). Congressman Keith Ellison is also vacating the 5th district in his bid for Minnesota Attorney General, opening up a DFL primary in this heavily blue district.

On the state level, incumbent Governor Mark Dayton is not seeking reelection to a third term. The DFL primary has been competitive, with state Attorney General Lori Swanson, Congressman Tim Walz and state representative Erin Murphy in a 3 way fight for the nomination, along with their respective running mates. Polls have shown narrow Swanson leads, although recent incidents in the media have given Walz a chance. The winner of the Democratic nomination is likely to face former GOP Governor Tim Pawlenty in the general election, who polling indicates is holding a high single digit lead over his nearest intraparty rival.

Vermont

Vermont will hold primaries this year for US Senate and House. Incumbent Independent Senator and former 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary candidate Bernie Sanders faces nominal opposition for the Democratic nomination, although he has stated he intends to run as an Independent in the general election. He faces the winner of a somewhat crowded GOP primary. Democratic Congressman Peter Welch also faces nominal opposition to the nomination, and will face either of Anya Tynio or Brook Paige, the latter of whom is also running in the primary for US Senate, Governor, State Auditor, Attorney General and Secretary of State.

Statewide executive offices will also hold primaries. Vermont, along with New Hampshire, are the only states where Governors are elected to 2 year terms. As such, GOP Governor Phil Scott faces reelection. Governor Scott faces nominal opposition in his primary, and will face the winner of a crowded Democratic primary.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin will hold primaries this year for US Senate and US House. Incumbent Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is seeking a second term, and faces nominal opposition in her intraparty contest. The Republican primary has been highly competitive between state senator Leah Vukmir and veteran and former College Democrats President (and 2000 DNC convention speaker) Kevin Nicholson. For the House, a competitive Democratic primary exists for Wisconsin's 1st district, where Randy "Iron Stache" Bryce faces Cathy Myers for the nomination to take on the Republican nominee in this seat, which is being vacated by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Statewide races also include one of the marquee races of the night - namely, the nomination for Governor. Incumbent GOP Governor Scott Walker is seeking a third term and faces nominal opposition in his primary to stand for election for the 4th time in 8 years. The Democratic nomination is being heavily contested among 8 candidates, although polling has shown state superintendent of schools Tony Evers leading in a fractured primary.