It's midnight Eastern, and all but one of our major races are scheduled in Ohio and Illinois. Here's a recap of where things stand in those races:
— Former President Donald Trump flexes his muscles again Ohio Senate The race has elevated former car salesman Bernie Moreno from 2022 to the GOP candidate in one of the top two Senate races on the map. But Moreno's toughest road is against well-funded incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown. With 96 percent of the expected vote, Moreno was the state Sen. with 51 percent. He leads Matt Dolan with 33 percent and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose with 17 percent.
– In 9th District of Ohio, a conservative party backed by Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, state Rep. Derek Merin is predicted to win and is poised to challenge Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. With 80 percent of the expected votes cast, Merin received 52 percent of the vote, an 18 percentage point lead over his nearest rival.
– In 13th District of Ohio, another potentially Democratic-held seat, is the former state Senate. Kevin Cole easily advanced from the GOP primary and will face Democrat Rep. Emilia Sykes in November. With 80 percent of the expected vote, Cole leads with 65 percent of the vote, ahead of businessman Chris Panweck's 28 percent and Richard Morkel's 7 percent.
– The Republican Main Street Partnership won against its rivals in the House Freedom Caucus. 6th District of Ohio, State Senate. Michael Rulli is expected to defeat state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfuss. Rulli currently leads by 9 points with 83 percent of the expected vote in the regular primary and 8 points in the special election with 82 percent of the expected vote. Rulli will face a nominal challenger from Democrat Michael Kripczak in a June 11 special election to replace Rep. Bill Johnson.
— in another safe GOP seat, 2nd District of Ohio The Republican primary went to business owner David Taylor, who won a similarly crowded race in November. With 95 percent of the expected votes cast, Taylor leads 10 other contestants with 25 percent of the vote.
– Representative of the Democratic Party. Despite several contenders lining up to replace Danny Davies, the long-serving incumbent is likely to remain in his seat. 7th District of Illinois. Davis leads with 53 percent of the vote so far, with 76 percent of the expected vote. In second place were Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyers-Erwin at 22 percent and community organizer Gina Collins at 18 percent. Collins was seen as Davis' primary matchup tonight, and his lackluster performance was part of a rough night for the Progressives in Chicago.
-Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections; Jeffrey Skelly and Monica Potts, 538
