Illinois, Colorado, New York and other states hold elections

In what could be the signature victory for progressives tonight, CNN projects that state Rep. Delia Ramirez will win the Democratic nomination in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. 

Ramirez’s top rival in a four-way race was Chicago Alderman Gil Villegas, whose campaign had been boosted by the moderate-backing outside groups Democratic Majority for Israel and Mainstream Democrats PAC.

But Ramirez, despite raising slightly less than Villegas, had overwhelming support from progressive PACs, led by the Working Families Party, which spent more than $600,000 backing her bid. The campaign arms of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, EMILY’s List, Indivisible and J Street also invested significant sums in Ramirez.

Ramirez was also endorsed by a who’s who of leading progressive lawmakers, including influential Illinois Rep. Chuy García, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Darren Bailey, who was endorsed by former President Trump and backed by billionaire Republican donor Dick Uihlein, will win the GOP nomination for Illinois governor and will face Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in November, CNN projects.

Bailey, in a debate, called Chicago a “crime-ridden, corrupt, dysfunctional hellhole,” though he is seeking to become governor of the state for which Chicago is the economic center. In the state legislature in 2019, he sponsored a resolution that would separate Chicago from the rest of Illinois; as a candidate for governor, he has backed away from that position.

Trump campaigned with Bailey over the weekend, using a rally with Bailey and Rep. Mary Miller to praise the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade and to criticize the House committee that’s investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“Darren is just the man to take on and defeat one of the worst governors in America,” the former President said at the rally.

CNN's Gregory Krieg and Eric Bradner contributed reporting to this post.

Incumbent Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will win the Democratic primary, CNN projects.

On the Republican side, candidates Heidi Ganahl, a member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents and the founder of the dog care franchise Camp Bow Wow, and Greg Lopez, a former mayor of Parker, a town southeast of Denver, are facing off.

Republicans last held the Colorado governor's office in 2007.

Polis in 2018 became the first out gay man elected governor in the United States after representing Colorado’s 2nd District in Congress. Last year, he became the first out LGBTQ governor in the US to get married while in the governor's office.

Incumbent Michael Bennet will win the Democratic Colorado Senate race, CNN projects.

Bennet is unopposed in the Democratic primary as he bids for a third full term.

Some background: While he was running for the presidency in the 2020 race, Bennet pitched himself as a pragmatic lawmaker with a progressive voting record and an ability to win an electorally split state like Colorado. He dropped out after poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

He now enters the general election with more than $11 million in the bank. Bennet is favored and Colorado has tilted in Democrats’ favor in recent elections, but economic and historical factors confronting the party in November could make this year the toughest environment in which Bennet has campaigned since 2010. 

Republicans are choosing their nominee to take on Bennet in a primary that has focused on abortion rights. Businessman Joe O’Dea, who supports abortion rights aside from late-term abortions, faces state Rep. Ron Hanks, who opposes abortion in all cases. Hanks also attended the Jan. 6, 2001, insurrection at the US Capitol, and has parroted false conspiracy theories about voting machines and widespread election fraud.

Prior to the Senate, Bennet spent four years as superintendent of Denver Public Schools.

Joy Hofmeister will win the Democratic nomination for Oklahoma governor, CNN projects.

Having served two terms as the state’s superintendent of public Instruction, Hofmeister switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat last fall to challenge Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt.

It is 9 p.m. ET and polls are closing in Colorado, Nebraska and New York.

These are the key races in each state:

Colorado: There are competitive Republican primaries to take on top statewide-elected Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and US Sen. Michael Bennet in November.

There is a particular focus on the GOP primary for secretary of state, which features Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor counts after an investigation into an election security breach in her office and is barred from overseeing elections in her county. Peters faces two other opponents in the race to take on Griswold: Pam Anderson, a former Jefferson County clerk who has received endorsements from current and former elected officials, including three former secretaries of state, and Mike O'Donnell, who founded a nonprofit small-business lending firm.

Two Republicans are challenging Polis: university regent Heidi Ganahl, the only Republican in elected statewide office in Colorado, and former Parker Mayor Greg Lopez, who has said he believes former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Republicans seeking the party nod to take on Bennet include state Rep. Ron Hanks and businessman Joe O'Dea.

Nebraska: In Nebraska's 1st District, Republican Mike Flood and Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks, both state senators, are facing off in the special election for the seat left vacant by the resignation of GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who was convicted of making false statements and lying to authorities during an investigation of illegal campaign contributions. The two will also meet in November's general election for the full term. Unusually, this special election will be conducted under the district's new boundaries following redistricting after the 2020 census. Trump would have carried the seat by 11 points in 2020, leaving Flood as the favorite Tuesday.

New York: New York's redistricting process pushed the state's congressional and state Senate primaries to August, but New Yorkers will cast ballots Tuesday to decide the nominees in statewide and state Assembly elections, as well as for some local offices. The state's senior US senator, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, is unopposed for the Democratic nod and favored to win a fifth term in November.

Also in the Empire State, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a full term after being elevated to the top job when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned last year. She's facing US Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in the primary. On the Republican side, US Rep. Lee Zeldin headlines a field that includes Andrew Giuliani, former Trump White House aide and the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Westchester County executive Rob Astorino.

Incumbent Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will win the Democratic primary as he seeks a second term, CNN projects. He was facing off against Beverly Miles.

Pritzker first won in 2018, when he ousted Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner by 16 percentage points in a state that has voted for Democratic presidential nominees in every election since 1992.

A billionaire and heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker pumped $170 million of his own money into his 2018 campaign. He could similarly spend on his reelection bid, in which he’ll have to confront a national political environment that appears to have turned against Democrats. 

Pritzker has also begun to position himself for a potential future presidential run. He traveled to New Hampshire earlier this month for the state party’s convention, where he was a speaker.

Incumbent James Lankford will win the Republican nomination for Oklahoma Senate, CNN projects. Lankford defeated two primary opponents as he seeks a second full term.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt will win his party’s primary election in his first reelection bid, CNN projects. He will likely face Democratic primary contender Joy Hofmeister in November. Having served two terms as the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Hofmeister switched her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat last fall to challenge Stitt.

In this primary, Stitt defeated Republican Joel Kinstel, the director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, who accused the governor of bureaucratic corruption, and far-right challenger Mark Sherwood. Sherwood has said that Stitt has not taken enough action on abortion, despite signing a near-total ban earlier this year.