President
Pennsylvania: Presidential Primary Results
Recently there’s been an uptick in Biden’s polling numbers, particularly in the critical Great Lakes states, and the turnout pattern in last night’s Pennsylvania primary appears to verify those figures.
While we had consistently seen higher Republican turnout opposite the Democrats in the earlier primary states around the country, yesterday in the Keystone State, approximately 100,000 more Democrats look to have voted than Republicans once all the cast ballots are recorded.
Biden recorded 88.8% in the Democratic primary, while Trump took 82.8% on the Republican side.
House
MI-4: Rep. Huizenga Draws Primary Challenger
On the last day of candidate filing in Michigan, Ottawa County Republican Party chairman Brendan Muir announced that he will challenge seven-term U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Holland) in the 2024 Republican primary.
This is Huizenga’s first term representing the post-redistricting 4th Congressional District (CD). Prior to the 2022 election, he was the 2nd District incumbent, but that seat was eliminated in reapportionment and redistricting.
Ottawa County, which houses Huizenga’s home city of Holland, has a population of over 300,000 residents. The 4th District portion of Ottawa County — the municipality is split between the 3rd and 4th Districts — is the second-largest voting bloc in the CD behind Kalamazoo County.
Huizenga will be a heavy favorite both for renomination and re-election.
Pennsylvania: House Primary Results
In the congressional races, the most competitive incumbent challenge occurred in the Pittsburgh-anchored 12th District. While challenger Bhavini Patel ran a strong grassroots effort against freshman Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale), the race ended in a projected 60.2 – 39.4% split in the congresswoman’s favor.
Lee’s major resource advantage, plus her decision to steer clear of any emphasis on being part of the Socialist Democratic caucus, aka “The Squad,” allowed her to capture a definitive renomination victory.
In terms of challenger races, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Emmaus) defeated technology business owner and 2022 congressional candidate Kevin Dellicker and attorney Maria Montero to win the GOP nomination in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton-anchored 7th District.
Mackenzie will now advance to the general election to face three-term Rep. Susan Wild (D-Allentown) in what figures to be another competitive campaign. Wild has averaged only 51.5% of the vote in her last two elections. Yesterday’s turnout in this seat proved to be about even between the two parties.
In the 10th District, which featured a competitive Democratic primary for the right to challenge veteran Rep. Scott Perry (R-Dillsburg/Harrisburg), former local news anchor Janelle Stelson outpaced businessman Mike O’Brien and four others to claim the party nomination. Turnout favored the Republicans in a district that the FiveThirtyEight data organization rates as R+9. Still, this is another campaign to watch in the coming general election.
Governor
Virginia: Spanberger Opponent Drops Bid
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) announced yesterday that he is ending his 2025 bid for governor and instead will enter what is expected to be an open contest for lieutenant governor.
The move, at least for the short term, leaves Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Glen Cove) unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Stoney, however, is entering a contested primary for the secondary position. State Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), a former NFL and UFL football player, also announced his bid for lieutenant governor yesterday. Rouse, also a former Virginia Beach city councilman, was elected to the Senate in a special election in early 2023.
Jim Ellis is a 35-year veteran of politics at the state and national levels. He has served ss executive director for two national political action committees, as well as a consultant to the three national Republican Party organizations in DC, the National Federation of Independent Business, and various national conservative groups.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, he earned a B. A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis in 1979. Jim raised his daughter, Jacqueline, alone after his wife died following a tragic car accident. He helped establish the Joan Ellis Victims Assistance Network in Rochester, NH. Jim also is a member of the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association, which officiates high school games throughout the region.
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