Races for governor have often yielded centrist candidates. Voters in Florida, Oklahoma and Arizona chose a different route. And women, once again, made a strong showing in House races.
It’s a breakthrough year for black candidatesImageSupporters of Andrew Gillum cheered at his primary night party on Tuesday.CreditJoe Rondone/Tallahassee Democrat, via Associated Press
A historic upset overturned Democratic politics in Florida, as Andrew Gillum, the liberal 39-year-old mayor of Tallahassee, overcame several aggressive opponents to become the first black nominee for governor in the state’s history. He campaigned on a bluntly liberal message, calling for a single-payer-style health care system at the state level, and he earned Bernie Sanders’ endorsement and crucial financial support from mega-donors on the left like Tom Steyer and George Soros.
His victory caps a season of breakthroughs for African-American Democrats running for powerful governorships, including next door in Georgia, where Stacey Abrams could become the country’s first black female governor, and in Maryland, where Democrats nominated Ben Jealous, a former president of the N.A.A.C.P.
Mr. Gillum is likely to face a difficult fight in the general election against Representative Ron DeSantis, the G.O.P. nominee who is a vocal ally of President Trump, and Republicans have already signaled that they intend to brand Mr. Gillum as outside the political mainstream of his traditionally moderate state.
And in what may be a painful irony for some Democrats, Mr. Gillum’s win was also a stinging loss for Gwen Graham, a former member of Congress who had hoped to become Florida’s first female governor. Though she was seen as the front-runner going into the primary, Ms. Graham finished second, ahead of three wealthy male opponents but about 3 percentage points behind Mr. Gillum.
A Sun Belt test for TrumpismRepresentative Martha McSally, the Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, at her watch party in Tempe on Tuesday.CreditConor E. Ralph for The New York Times
Mr. DeSantis was not the only Trump loyalist nominated for office on Tuesday night. Joining him were Rick Scott, the Florida governor, who is running for Senate against the Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, and Representative Martha McSally, who won the G.O.P. nomination for an open Senate seat in Arizona.
These Republican candidates — all closely aligned with Mr. Trump — will test the durability of Mr. Trump’s political coalition in two highly diverse states that he carried against Hillary Clinton in 2016. Mr. DeSantis and Ms. McSally have linked themselves particularly closely to the president this year to win contested primary elections.
The Midwest is often seen as the heart of Mr. Trump’s political base, but Florida and Arizona, with 40 Electoral College votes between them, were just as decisive in his slim national victory. The ability of Republicans to hold onto these states in 2018 may say as much about Mr. Trump’s political future as the pitched races of the Rust Belt.
Gender beats ideology (in federal races)Gwen Graham, right, after conceding the Florida governor primary to Andrew Gillum.CreditJohn Raoux/Associated Press
Ms. Graham’s defeat was a disappointment for Democrats hoping to break a gender barrier in Florida, but Tuesday’s elections provided as pronounced a display of female candidates’ strength as any primary night this year. Democrats nominated women for six competitive House races in Florida — all but one of the contested seats currently held by Republicans — and for two targeted House seats and an open Senate seat in Arizona.
In some cases, Democratic women easily beat back male candidates running markedly to their left, suggesting again that primary voters are looking more to identity than ideology to shape their choices.
In Central Florida, Representative Stephanie Murphy, a 39-year-old moderate “Blue Dog” Democrat, won her primary by more than 70 percentage points against a male activist backed by liberals who included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In South Florida, Donna Shalala, the 77-year-old former federal health and human services secretary, won a close primary for an open House seat against a younger male state legislator who criticized her from the left.
And in Arizona, former Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, seeking a political comeback in an open seat, turned back a male opponent, Matt Heinz, who attacked her as a moderate and a career politician.
The wave of support for women has been overwhelmingly on the Democratic side this year, but Republicans also notably chose women for some of the most challenging elections of the night, including the contest for Senate in Arizona.
Shunning the center in governors’ racesA man at a party for Representative Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor, who has been a vocal ally of President Trump.CreditPhelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
Governors often pride themselves on being less ideological, and more technocratic, than other politicians. Many say they are executives, not speechmakers or activists. And in a number of the most crucial races this year — in states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan — the two parties have picked decidedly conventional champions.
But the primaries for the offices on Tuesday night yielded more crusaders than consensus-builders, and they set the stage for intensely polarizing general election campaigns in big states across the map.
Mr. Gillum and Mr. DeSantis, a progressive activist and a pugilistic Trump defender, may lead the way in Florida. They were joined the same evening by other hard-line candidates: In Oklahoma, Republicans nominated Kevin Stitt, a conservative businessman who mimicked Mr. Trump in his campaign, over a more moderate alternative. And in Arizona, Democrats picked David Garcia, a fiery education professor, to challenge Gov. Doug Ducey, rejecting a state legislator who stressed his pragmatism.
In some cases, these candidates may swing toward the center in the fall — or try to. But they are already putting state politics to the test in a collection of important battlegrounds.
Read more about Tuesday’s races
Correction:
An earlier version of this article misstated the significance of Stacey Abrams's potential victory in Georgia. If she wins election, she would be the country's first black female governor, not the country's first black governor.
Alexander Burns is a national political correspondent, covering elections and political power across the country, including Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Before coming to The Times in 2015, he covered the 2012 presidential election for Politico. @alexburnsNYT