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Jay Stahl | Senior Reporter
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Hello, readers. Welcome back to On Politics. Jay Stahl here , a senior politics reporter at USA TODAY. It's Tuesday, and it is Election Day in America, marking a crucial primary date for both parties. Read on for ongoing political coverage about contests in my home state of Wisconsin, our neighbor Minnesota and South Carolina, one of my favorite U.S. states.
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Democrats' chaotic, clunky Wisconsin primary |
Wisconsin is rough political terrain. It's hard to navigate and obstacles are difficult to see coming. The Badger State has been home to some of American history's most controversial figures: Joseph R. McCarthy, Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr., a progressive senator in the early 20th century, and first Trump-era House Speaker Paul Ryan. The race to replace incumbent Gov. Tony Evers , a Democrat who unseated conservative darling Scott Walker in 2018, was always going to be complicated.
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State Rep. Francesca Hong, pictured at a July 28 debate in Milwaukee, is Democrats' frontrunner to succeed Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
Jovanny Hernandez, USA TODAY Network
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In the quest to succeed Evers, state Rep. Francesca Hong , a democratic socialist, is the frontrunner to win the party's primary. Hong, 37, has been under fire for comments she made on Twitter (now X), whose App Store icon famously featured a bird. In one November 2020 post, she said Americans should cancel Thanksgiving – a holiday she argued was about "celebrating colonialism."
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In a late play, Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who previously dropped out to support Evers' Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. Crowley later returned to the race when Rodriguez came under fire over fallout about her financial reports. The race reflects national splits between progressives and the Democratic establishment.
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Daily photo gallery: Bald eagle Jackie and Shadow's life in the wild as mates, parents – see the pair
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A Democratic divide in Minnesota |
A less visible primary battle is brewing in Minnesota that will gauge Democratic voters' opinions in a reliably blue state on the internal war between progressives and moderates.
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, pictured in Minneapolis on July 20, 2026, is trying to win a Senate primary against a centrist congresswoman.
Tim Evans, Reuters
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan , a progressive, is running to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith, who endorsed her, but faces a tough challenge from four-term U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a centrist. Craig, who wields a fundraising advantage, is endorsed by the state's first lady, Gwen Walz, and wife of former Kamala Harris running mate Tim Walz .
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Craig was elected to Congress in Democrats' 2018 "blue wave" alongside Haley Stevens, a fellow centrist who lost her Michigan primary Aug. 4 . Pundits are unsure whether Minnesota will yield a similar result. The two candidates are locked in a dead heat. Craig has a 42% to 40% edge over Flanagan, which lands within the margin of error, in the latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll.
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Can Lindsey Graham's sister land a full-term gig? |
Sen. Darline Graham , the younger sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, is expected to glide through Tuesday's primary to succeed her older brother. But what lies ahead is a potential runoff. Trump endorsed Graham in the Republican primary, but he has been known to make dual endorsements and could endorse another candidate after Aug. 11, which would complicate matters for the newly minted senator.
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If a candidate can't take an outright 50% of the vote, the top two candidates head to a special primary runoff on Aug. 25. Read more here.
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Inflation and the cost of living are the most important issues to Americans, according to a new Marquette Law School poll.
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The president reportedly took a secret flight out of Turkey in response to threats from Iran.
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Health experts say the rising number of measles and whooping cough cases are just the start of the changing public health landscape resulting from the White House’s new stance on kids getting shots.
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The special Republican primary comes a month after Sen. Lindsey Graham's death.
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