Republicans chase breakthroughs in multiple state primary elections
Republicans are watching a slate of six state primary elections for potential signs of November momentum, with voters casting ballots in California, Iowa and other states. The contests could influence key races for Congress, governorships and local power, including a closely watched Los Angeles City Hall bid by Spencer Pratt, who is running as an independent with Republican support and a Trump endorsement.
Trump’s kingmaker status on the line, once again, in high-stakes GOP primary showdown for governor
The immense power of President Donald Trump’s endorsements in Republican primaries will once again face a key test on Tuesday.
Trump late last week endorsed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra in the competitive GOP gubernatorial nomination race in the battle to succeed retiring longtime Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Feenstra is one of the front-runners in primary ballot box showdown that also includes entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, who is backed by the influential conservative group Turning Point USA, as well as state Rep. Eddie Andrews, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen.
The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is the only Democrat currently elected to statewide office.
The brute force of the president's endorsement power and the immense grip he has on the Republican Party has been on display in GOP primaries the past month, with candidates Trump backed ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas.
Iowa, once a key general election battleground state, shifted to the right over the past decade. Trump carried the Hawkeye State by 13 points in his 2024 presidential election victory and Republicans control the governor’s office, the legislature, and hold both U.S. Senate and all four U.S. House seats.
But with Republicans facing a very rough midterm political climate, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in Iowa this autumn.
Steve Hilton vows to investigate Gov. Newsom for California fraud if elected governor
Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton said Monday that if elected governor, his first executive order would create a “Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force” to investigate and prosecute alleged fraud, waste and abuse in California government — with Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom at the top of the list.
Hilton detailed the proposal in an on-camera Fox News Digital interview with Paul Steinhauser in Los Angeles on the eve of California’s top-two primary, where voters will decide which two candidates advance to the November general election.
“This is my first executive order,” Hilton said. “This is Day 1 of the new administration. We’re going to clean house in California.”
The draft executive order, released by Hilton’s campaign, would establish the California Taxpayer Fraud Strike Force to investigate alleged fraud, corruption, theft, abuse of public funds and government mismanagement.
“We will not spare anyone,” Hilton said. “Gavin Newsom will be top of our target list because for years Newsom was warned by the state auditor, by other state agencies, his own state agencies, that billions of dollars were being stolen, and he did nothing about it.
“What we’re going to be investigating with this executive order, setting up a task force, a strike force to look at criminal prosecution, is whether there was criminal negligence on the part of Gavin Newsom and other state officials,” Hilton added. “And if there was, then they will be prosecuted.”
California’s Tuesday primary features a crowded top-two field, with Hilton among the leading Republican candidates and several Democrats, including Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, competing for a spot in November.
“I don’t think there’s anything more serious than taking responsibility for taxpayer money,” Hilton said. “We have the highest taxes in the country, in California, and we get the worst results. And one of the reasons is that the money has been stolen.”
When reached for comment, Newsom’s office did not take Hilton's candidacy seriously.
“Who is Steve Hilton?" a statement to Fox News read. "California will keep leading the way in cracking down on fraud with tougher laws, more investigations, and stronger accountability to protect taxpayers. While this individual wants to create headlines, we are actually doing the work to take any allegations of fraud seriously.”
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Republicans chase breakthroughs in multiple state primary elections
Republicans are looking for signs of a political breakthrough as voters head to the polls in a slate of primary elections spanning California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota.
The most attention-grabbing race is in Los Angeles, where reality TV personality and social media viral sensation Spencer Pratt is trying to turn celebrity, clever ads and a Trump endorsement into a serious challenge for City Hall.
Running as an independent with Republican backing in the deep-blue stranglehold of Los Angeles, Pratt has centered his campaign on homelessness, crime and government accountability, arguing that families no longer feel safe in the nation’s second-largest city.
Mayor Karen Bass, seeking a second term, has lined up major Democrat support, including endorsements from Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top California Democrats.
But Pratt’s rise has given Republicans a rare opening in a city where they have not won the mayor’s office in three decades. The key question is whether he can force the race into a November runoff.
California’s governor’s race is another major test. With Newsom term-limited, Republican Steve Hilton is trying to capitalize on a crowded Democrat field and California’s top-two primary system, where all candidates run on the same ballot and the top two advance regardless of party.
If Democrats split their vote, Republicans could have a path to the general election in a state where statewide GOP victories have been elusive for years.
Meanwhile, Iowa offers a different kind of test: President Donald Trump’s influence inside the Republican Party. His endorsement in the GOP gubernatorial primary will be closely watched as another measure of his clout with primary voters.
On the Democrat side, Iowa’s Senate primary is also drawing attention as establishment and progressive forces battle for the nomination.
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