The biggest race in Connecticut was supposed to be the governor's race - but an ex-teacher has stolen the headlines by moving one step closer to becoming the state's first black Democrat in Congress.
In western Connecticut's 5th congressional district, Ex-Teacher of Year Jahana Hayes has won Democrat nod for the Connecticut House seat left by Democrat Representative Elizabeth Esty is not seeking re-election to the House.
Businessman Ned Lamont has defeated Bridgeport major, and ex-convict, Joe Ganim. Mr Lamont's victory comes 12 years after he defeated US Senator Joe Lieberman in a Democratic showdown, only to lose the general election when Mr Lieberman ran as an independent. That race was seen as part of a national referendum on the Iraq War.
However, Republicans believe they have a good chance of winning the governor's seat back after losing control in 2010. Control of the narrowly divided General Assembly is also in play, especially the state Senate, now equally split between Democrats and Republicans.
For the GOP, it was David Stemerman, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the party's endorsed candidate; Tim Herbst; Madison businessman Bob Stefanowski; and Westport tech entrepreneur and former US Navy officer Steve Obsitnik. Mr Stefanowski eventually won through.
Small-business owner Matthew Corey has won the Republican nomination for US Senate in Connecticut and will face an uphill battle against Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
In Tuesday's primary the Manchester Republican defeated Dominic Rapini, a national accounts manager for Apple computers.
Mr Corey is a US Navy veteran and owner of a Hartford pub and a window-washing business. As of the end of July, Mr Corey had raised about $31,000 in campaign funds compared with nearly $13.5 million for Mr Murphy.
Please wait a moment for the live blog to load
Live Updates
Ilhan Omar is a candidate to watch in Minnesota. She is running on the Democratic Socialists platform, the same as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Rashida Tlaib, who is set to be the first Muslim woman in US Congress. Ms Omar is a Somali-American and became Minnesota's first female Muslim State Representative last year.
Connecticut will host both governor and congressional races in this week's primary. Let's start with the governor race. Current Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy is standing down, leaving poor approval ratings behind him. His decision not to run again has caused a lot of both Republicans and Democrats to join the race. This is a state that has a tendency change parties in its governorship, suggesting this will be a tight race.
With what is expected to be a close race, who are the Republicans running for Connecticut governor? The main contenders are Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and two businessmen, Bob Stefanowski and David Stemerman.
An who, in turn, are the Democrat candidates for Connecticut governor? Mirroring the Republican candidates, we have a mayor and someone from the world of business. Former journalist and business Ned Lamont, and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim are running for the Democrats.
More than eight Democrats have filed to run in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary to oust GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Democrat Tony Evers, the state’s public education chief, is in the lead, but polling has been scarce, and several other candidates have pulled in notable endorsements and fundraising.
Mahlon Mitchell, the president of the Professional Fire Fighters Association, has the support of California Sen. Kamala Harris, and Kelda Helen Roys, a former state Assembly member, has the backing of New York’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (and Wisconsin’s most famed indie band, Bon Iver). State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (who has run in a Democratic gubernatorial primary before) and political activist Mike McCabe have also gotten progressive support.
Christine Hallquist is a Democratic candidate for governor in Vermont. If she wins, she’ll be the first transgender gubernatorial candidate from a major political party. She’s run on a platform of addressing local and state issues, from rural economic development to climate change, and has described her gender as just one of many defining traits.
Another race to watch in Minnesota is Tina Smith, a Democrat running for Senator. She was appointed by the Democratic Governor Dayton to replace Al Franken after the latter resigned over sexual harassment allegations and she’s running against Richard Painter, a former Bush aide.
“Ironstache” Randy Bryce, a populist ironworker and union organiser and Cathy Myers, a school board member and teacher — are in a bitter battle in Wisconsin to clinch the chance to win House Speaker Paul Ryan’s seat in Congress.
Bernie Sanders will likely run as an independent in the Vermont 2018 midterm elections. He’s expected to reject the Democratic Party’s nomination if he wins it — despite fundraising and campaigning for Democratic candidates nationwide.
The Republicans battling in Wisconsin are an interesting group; Bryan Steil, a well-known local business executive with Paul Ryan’s endorsement, is the favourite to win the Republican nomination. Also on the ballot is self-described “pro-White Christian American candidate” and alt-right troll Paul Nehlen; Nick Polce, an Army Green Beret and first-time candidate; Jeremy Ryan, a pro-marijuana candidate whose campaign website features him taking bong rips; and Kevin Steen, a Christian business leader who has been endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin.
James Ehlers is an environmental activist and Navy veteran running for the Democratic nomination for governor in Vermont. He’s proposed a “people first economy” which would focus on issues including the lack of a livable wage, affordable health care access and the environment.
In western Connecticut's 5th congressional district, where Democrat Representative Elizabeth Esty is not seeking re-election to the House, Mary Glassman and Wolcott teacher Jahana Hayes are vying for the Democratic nomination. Former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos, retired university professor Ruby O'Neill of Southbury and Watertown manufacturing consultant Rich Dupont are seeking the Republican nomination.
