Cooler but still well above normal this week

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 will head to the polls in May, starting Tuesday with Ohio and Indiana. 

feature some high-profile names in states that could decide control of Congress, and will serve as a test of the power of former President Trump's endorsements up and down the ballot.

There are lots of U.S. House races and other down-ballot contests to watch, but we put the focus on some of the top statewide races in each state. (We'll have more detailed looks as the individual primaries approach.)

Below, we put the spotlight on the Republican Senate primary to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman, which has gotten nasty and includes a heavy dose of Trump:

Focus: North Carolina and Pennsylvania Senate 

Focus: Georgia governor and secretary of state 

Georgia is a hotbed of political activity, and these races have it all. The Senate race will be closely watched this fall because it's one of the top races in the country with Republicans hoping to flip the seat currently held by Sen. Raphael Warnock. The likely nominee is former NFL star Herschel Walker, who has Trump's endorsement, and he will be tested as a candidate. 

But the real primary battles are in two other statewide races – for governor and secretary of state. Secretary of state races don't ordinarily get much national attention, but they do in the age of Trump and his lies about ballot fraud. And Georgia was ground zero for his baseless claims. Both primaries feature pitched battles between Trump-backed and non-Trump backed candidates.

Politics and Government News

Domenico Montanaro

Author

will serve as a test of the power of former President Trump's endorsements up and down the ballot.

This month's primaries and runoffs will serve as a test of the power of former President Trump's endorsements up and down the ballot.


Campaign season kicks off in earnest with primaries in 14 states in May

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