Incumbent Republicans came out on top on Tuesday after several GOP lawmakers beat back their primary challengers — though for some of them, the fight is not over, as they face more challenging contests in November against strong Democratic candidates.
In Florida, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) defeated a Kevin McCarthy-backed challenger, the latest episode in their feud stemming from a Gaetz-led effort to oust the former speaker from the position last year. Several other House members whose races have shifted slightly in favor of Democrats gained their respective challengers Tuesday night, setting up competitive matchups this fall.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) handily defeated his GOP challenger on Tuesday, putting him on an easy path to reelection this fall, as well.
In good news for Democrats, Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) advanced to the general election with two strong Republican contenders at her heels, with all three preparing for the state’s unique ranked-choice voting system that helped the Democratic congresswoman flip the seat for the first time in five decades.
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Left: Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File) Right: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Gaetz is facing Aaron Dimmock, a McCarthy-backed challenger in the House primary in Florida on Aug. 20, 2024.
Gaetz defeats McCarthy-backed challenger in final stop for ‘revenge tour’
Gaetz handily defeated Aaron Dimmock, a retired Navy pilot backed by McCarthy allies, on Tuesday night, 72.5% to 27.5% as of 10:03 p.m. with 94% of ballots counted.
Though McCarthy himself did not funnel money into Dimmock’s campaign, the Freedom Patriots PAC, connected to allies of the former speaker, spent $3 million supporting the Navy pilot and attacking Gaetz over investigations into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct, and illegal drug use.
Despite being outspent nearly 4 to 1, Gaetz came out on top largely thanks to his household name in northern Florida and Republican primary voters’ aversion to McCarthy.
McCarthy’s allies, anticipating that Dimmock would not succeed in ousting Gaetz, are setting their sights on 2026, hoping that the negative ad campaigning against Gaetz would hurt his chances of running for governor. The Florida congressman has said he has no plans to run for the gubernatorial office, but eyes are on him and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) to potentially lead the GOP field for the governor’s mansion.
Gaetz’s victory on Tuesday is a blow to McCarthy as the final stop in his “revenge tour” against the eight House Republicans who voted to oust him as speaker. The other seven GOP lawmakers either won their primaries, ran uncontested, or opted not to run for reelection.
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Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, right, talks with people during a campaign event in Juneau, Alaska on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Mary Peltola and three others advance to ranked-choice general election
Peltola and two Republican challengers advanced to the general election on Tuesday night, as Alaska’s primary sends the top four vote-getters to the ballots in November regardless of party.
The Democratic congresswoman received the most votes with 50.9%, followed by Nick Begich with 26.9% and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom with 19.9% with 56% of ballots counted as of 1:20 a.m. A fourth candidate, who has not been selected at the time of this story’s publishing, will move on to the general election, as well.
Other than the three selected, all nine other candidates received less than 1 percentage point in votes. GOP candidate Matthew Salisbury held the highest among the nine with 0.6% of the vote as of 1:20 p.m.
The general election will be ranked-choice voting, a vote-by-preference system in which voters select their first through fourth choices. If a candidate receives 50% or more of first-choice votes in the initial count, they win. If not, the votes will be reallocated based on those eliminated.
This voting process was one of the factors that helped Peltola flip Alaska’s lone House seat Democratic for the first time in 50 years. GOP infighting also helped Peltola’s victory, as the two leading Republican candidates in 2022 focused more on mudslinging each other than campaigning against Peltola. Republicans ultimately failed to consolidate under one candidate, splitting the vote and allowing Peltola to win both the special and general elections in 2022.
This year, Peltola is facing another duo of Republican challengers, though they have tried to keep the attention on Peltola instead of swinging insults at one another.
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Prior to the primary, Begich, who ran unsuccessfully against Peltola in 2022, said he would drop out of the race if he came in behind Dahlstrom. Dahlstrom, who is backed by former President Donald Trump and national Republicans, made no such pledge and indicated she will press forward in a statement Wednesday morning Eastern time.
“From day one, this campaign has been about defeating Mary Peltola in November. Tonight’s results show my message of standing up for Alaska’s energy interests, securing the border, and fighting back against the anti-Alaska policies of the Biden-Harris administration is resonating with voters across the state,” Dahlstrom said in a statement. “I was endorsed by President Trump, Governor Dunleavy, and Republican leaders in Alaska and Washington, because I’m the only candidate in this race who can beat Mary Peltola. And that’s exactly what we are going to do in November.”
Peltola holds a significant fundraising advantage over Begich and Dahlstrom. Peltola’s campaign reported having $2.8 million cash on hand as of July 31, compared to Dahlstrom with $317,617 and Begich with $172,548. Peltola’s campaign has raised more than $7.5 million this cycle, compared to Begich’s $983,000 and Dahlstrom’s $912,000.
“Extreme Democrat Mary Peltola talks a good game in Alaska, but her voting record enabled Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Squad’s liberal agenda destroying Alaska’s future,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement. “Actions speak louder than words. Peltola’s failed record made Alaskans poorer and less safe, which is why we are confident Alaskans will flip the seat red again as it was under Don Young.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Begich and Peltola for comment.
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Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) center, speaks at RGF Environmental Group, during a small business endorsement event, Monday, May 13, 2024, in Riviera Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Rick Scott gains strong Democratic challenger
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) easily defeated two GOP challengers on Tuesday and will face former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in November. Mucarsel-Powell was ousted in 2020 by Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) and is preparing to make a comeback to Congress, raking in millions of dollars compared to Scott’s coffers.
Federal Election Commission reports on July 31 show Mucarsel-Powell has $4.4 million in her account compared to Scott’s $3.9 million. She raised $14.4 million from donors, with Scott putting in $13.7 million of his own money into the contest. For comparison, Scott spent $63.6 million of his own money in 2018 and barely ousted then-Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.
However, polling still shows Scott has a lead in the race, with a recent survey from Florida Atlantic University/Mainstreet Research USA released on Aug. 14 finding Scott ahead of Mucarsel-Powell by 4 percentage points.
Scott’s race will be closely watched in November, particularly as he has already announced he intends to run for Senate Republican leader in the next Congress. Two other GOP senators are interested in the position, currently held by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), as well — but Scott is the only one of the three on the 2024 ballot.
A win from Scott against a strong Democratic challenger could boost his chances of succeeding McConnell, though he will likely face pushback from the longtime Kentucky Republican’s allies. The two men have butted heads since November 2022, after McConnell removed him from the powerful Senate Commerce Committee.
Many Republicans also blamed Scott, who in 2022 was chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, for losses in the midterms that allowed Democrats to capture the majority — a possible thorn in Scott’s side as he competes to lead the GOP conference.
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Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), and Darren Soto (D-FL) gained primary challengers on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, setting the incumbents up for possible competitive general elections. (Associated Press)
Primary night sets up competitive general election matchups
While some primaries on Tuesday night were not eventful, it does set a handful of incumbents up for a more competitive general election challenge, particularly in Florida.
Florida has three congressional races that are considered competitive: the 13th District, held by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and rated “likely Republican”; the 9th District, held by Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) and rated “likely Democratic”; and the 23rd District, held by Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and rated “likely Democratic.”
The three House members ran uncontested on Tuesday but gained a strong general election competitor that could bring the results in November down to the wire.
A lot is on the line for House Republicans, who are seeking to keep hold of and expand their narrow majority in the upper chamber. For House Democrats, protecting their safe seats is imperative so they can focus more time and resources on swing districts and flip the House back under their control.
Darren Soto – 9th District
Soto, whose 9th District race is given a D+8 advantage, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He will face former Osceola County School Board member Thomas Chalifoux in November.
Chalifoux defeated GOP challengers John Quinones and Jose Castillo with 49.6% of the vote as of 9:27 p.m. Quinones was a familiar name for voters, as he ran and lost in the 2022 Republican primary to Scott Moore. Moore lost to Soto by over 14,000 votes.
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The 9th District became a Hispanic-majority district in 2022 thanks to redistricting. President Joe Biden won Soto’s district with 58% to Trump’s under 41% of the vote, but Moore came within 8 points of defeating Soto last cycle with no solid Republican Party support — meaning national Republicans are eyeing the 9th District as a possible pick-up opportunity for the 2024 cycle.
Anna Paulina Luna – 13th District
Luna’s 13th District drew five Democratic challengers for the primary. The incumbent won in 2022 partially thanks to redistricting that shifted the district to have a more Republican advantage. Despite having an R+6 rating from Cook Political Report, it is one of three congressional races in Florida labeled as competitive.
Whitney Fox defeated her four competitors with 58.1% of the vote as of 9:28 p.m. with 99% of ballots counted. She outraised all of her challengers combined by over $100,000 and ended the quarter with more cash on hand than her opponents at $355,684, according to Federal Election Commission records.
However, Fox is still far behind Luna. The incumbent has nearly $866,000 cash on hand as of the end of June, giving Luna almost a $500,000 advantage over Fox in a general election matchup. Fox has several local, state, and national endorsements, including Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
A poll from May found Luna with a 5 percentage point advantage over Fox, 51% to 46%.
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Jared Moskowitz – 23rd District
Six Republican challengers faced off on Tuesday to compete against Moskowitz for control of the 23rd District in Florida. Joe Kaufman defeated Robert Weinroth, Carla Spaulding, Darlene Cerezo Swaffar, Gary Barve, and Joe Thelusca with 35.5% of the vote as of 10:06 p.m. with 82% of ballots counted.
Kaufman has previous national election experience. He won the GOP primary in 2014, 2016, and 2018 before losing to Wasserman Schultz, who represented the 23rd District before redistricting took place.
Moskowitz defeated Republican Joe Budd with 51.6% of the vote compared to Budd’s 46.8% in 2022. He won by just 5 percentage points, despite Biden winning the district in 2020 by 13 points. The Cook Political Report gives Democrats a +5 advantage in Moskowitz’s race this year.
The Florida Democrat is respected in both parties, with Republicans often conceding he is handling his job representing the district well, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Moskowitz, who is Jewish, became one of the most vocal House Democrats calling for support of Israel as conflicts spread out across college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war.
Maria Elvira Salazar – 27th District
While her race is not considered to be as competitive, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) is representing a once-comfortably blue seat that has trended toward Republicans in recent years. Though Hillary Clinton carried the seat in 2016, Trump won the seat in 2020, allowing Salazar to oust former Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala in 2020.
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Salazar also defeated her 2022 opponent by 15 points, making it unlikely that a Democratic challenger will unseat her this cycle thanks to her large war chest and moderate positions on policy issues like immigration and gay marriage, per Cook Political Report.
The Florida congresswoman defeated GOP challenger Royland Lara with 88.7% of the vote as of 9:54 p.m. Salazar will face Lucia Baez-Geller, who won the nomination with 54.0% of the vote, in the general election. The seat is rated as “likely Republican.”
When a clinic closes in Wyoming, it doesn’t just close a door; it can cut off access to care for entire communities.
For many residents, getting to a health care provider already means traveling long distances across multiple counties, and local clinics are often the only nearby option for basic health care. With one Title X Family Planning clinic in western Wyoming now closed, the challenge is becoming even more real for many people.
Reproductive and sexual health care is a key part of overall health, but it’s often one of the first services people lose access to when clinics close. Title X Family Planning is a federal program that helps people get essential preventive care, no matter their income. These clinics offer services like birth control, cancer screenings, STI and HIV testing, and care before pregnancy. They help people stay healthy, catch problems early, and plan for their futures.
The need is real. Wyoming’s Title X Family Planning network remains a critical part of the state’s health care system, helping bridge gaps in both access and affordability. With 9 clinics currently serving communities across the state, these providers cared for nearly 12,000 patients through more than 28,000 visits between 2022 and 2025. For many, these clinics are their only source of care: 49% of patients were uninsured, and nearly half were living at or below the federal poverty level.
In a state where distance and cost can both be barriers, affordable care is essential. About 14.6% of Wyoming women ages 19–44 are uninsured, higher than the national average. Title X clinics help meet this need by offering low- or no-cost care, while also connecting patients to referrals and additional health services when needed, ensuring more individuals can get the care they deserve.
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These clinics are also on the front lines of prevention. In recent years, they delivered more than 3,100 cervical cancer screenings and about 20,000 STI and HIV tests. Services like these support early detection and treatment, helping reduce the need for more serious and costly care down the line.
In rural states like Wyoming, once a clinic closes, it is very hard to bring it back. These clinics are more than buildings; they are part of the local health care system that keeps communities healthy.
The good news is that Title X Family Planning clinics are still open, working every day to serve their communities. The Wyoming Health Council supports this network of clinics and works to ensure that people across the state can access the care they need. Through partnerships, education, and community-based programs, the organization helps connect Wyoming residents to reproductive and sexual health services, no matter where they live.
In a state where distance, cost, and provider shortages all play a role, these clinics, and the work supporting them, are more than just a convenience. They are a lifeline.
To help sustain this work and protect access to care across Wyoming, consider making a donation to the Wyoming Health Council.
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Donation Link: givebutter.com/WYTitleX
Required Federal Funding statement: This project is supported by the Office of Populations Affairs (OPA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award 1 FPHPA 006541-0-00 totaling $978,380 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS or the U.S. Government.
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CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.
The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.
While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.
According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.
Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.
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Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.
The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.
Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.
According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.
MORE | Shootings
Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.
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The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.
Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.
The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
