Exactly 1 state voted yesterday: Arizona, where primary voters selected nominees across the governor's race and nine U.S. House districts. The vote count data provided has not yet been finalized with reportable results, but the day's headlines were shaped by two developments — Mark Lamb's primary win in the 5th District despite scandal allegations that dogged his campaign, and Rep. Greg Stanton's success turning back a progressive primary challenge in the 4th District.
Arizona: Lamb Prevails Through Scandal, Stanton Holds Off the Left
The night's most closely watched outcome came in the 5th District, where Republican Mark Lamb, a former Pinal County sheriff, won his primary over rival Daniel Keenan despite allegations of sexual misconduct that Keenan made a central focus of his campaign spending. Lamb had secured an endorsement from President Trump ahead of the vote and had previously run for Senate in 2024, losing that primary to Kari Lake. The seat was vacated by Andy Biggs, who instead appeared on the ballot for governor. Lamb's win suggests the scandal reporting, despite extensive coverage from national outlets, did not translate into a primary-defeating factor with Republican voters in this district.
In the Phoenix-area 4th District, Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton defeated progressive challenger Kai Newkirk, who had built his campaign around criticizing Stanton's acceptance of corporate donations and specific legislative votes. Stanton's win keeps the seat in the hands of the party's more moderate wing heading into the general election.
The marquee general-election battlegrounds remain unresolved in terms of full data, but the fundamentals set up ahead of the vote frame what comes next. The 1st District, rated a toss-up by Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections, saw Republican Eli Crane enter the day with a fundraising advantage of $9.48 million raised against Juan Ciscomani's $6.17 million, though Ciscomani held more cash on hand, $4.14 million to Crane's $2.84 million. On the Democratic side, Joanna Mendoza led money-raising among a crowded field that included Jonathan Treble, Jonathan Nez, Adelita Grijalva, and Marlene Galán-Woods. In the 6th District, rated a toss-up by Cook and Sabato's Crystal Ball but tilting Republican per Inside Elections, incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomani faced Democrat JoAnna Mendoza in a race that national committees have targeted as one of the cycle's most competitive.
Beyond the House map, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican who had cooperated with federal investigators by turning over 2020 election records to the FBI, won his primary for attorney general and will face Democrat Kris Mayes in November. In the governor's race, Republican Andy Biggs appeared on the ballot alongside Ken Miceli and David Schweikert, while Democrat Katie Hobbs and Green Party candidate Risa Lombardo also filed for the contest; final vote totals for that race were not available in the reporting window. Across the House delegation, contests in the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th Districts also went to voters, with incumbents Eli Crane, Yassamin Ansari, Adelita Grijalva, Abraham Hamadeh, and Paul Gosar each facing intraparty or crossover challengers, though full precinct-level results were not yet reported at publication.
The night's outcomes carry direct implications for the general election map. With Lamb securing the Republican nomination in the 5th District, Democrats will now test whether the sexual-misconduct allegations that failed to move primary voters carry more weight in a general-election electorate. Stanton's win in the 4th District keeps that seat's general-election calculus largely unchanged, with national Democrats continuing to treat it as a seat they are favored to hold. The unresolved margins in the 1st and 6th Districts — both flagged as toss-ups by outside raters — mean the fundraising disparities reported ahead of the primary will now carry into a fall campaign where both parties are expected to spend heavily to defend or flip the seats.
Results are also in from: no additional states held elections yesterday.
Full Results Analysis
Full Arizona analysis →Polls
| National Generic Economist/YouGov (n=1432 RV) | Democrats 46% · Republicans 41% |
| FL Governor Change Research (n=1004 LV) | David Jolly 46% · Byron Donalds 40% |
Follow the Money
Michigan Senate: Three-Way Fundraising Fight
The Michigan Senate contest produced the most crowded set of competitive fundraising numbers in this filing period. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed led the trio with $12.2 million in total receipts, though he also posted the heaviest spending of the group at $9.5 million, leaving him with $2.7 million in cash on hand. Democrat Mallory McMorrow raised $11.3 million and spent $9.2 million, ending with just over $2.1 million banked. Democrat Haley Stevens reported the lowest receipts of the three, at $11 million, but retained the most cash on hand among them, $3.4 million, after spending $7.5 million. All three campaigns are burning through funds at a similar pace relative to intake, a pattern that suggests an expensive primary fight ahead of the Michigan Senate race.
Ohio and Minnesota: Brown and Craig Post Contrasting Cash Positions
In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown reported the largest single haul in this batch of filings, $38.6 million in total receipts, with $22.3 million spent and $16.2 million remaining on hand — the strongest cash position of any candidate listed. That gives his campaign in the Ohio Senate race a financial cushion well above the other reports filed this period. In Minnesota, Democrat Angie Craig raised $11.9 million and spent $6.9 million, leaving $5 million on hand for the Minnesota Senate race, a more modest reserve relative to Brown's but still among the healthier balances in this group.
North Carolina, Nebraska and Florida: Republican Filings
Three Republican Senate filings rounded out the notable reports. In North Carolina, Michael Whatley raised $11.3 million, spent $7.8 million, and carries $3.5 million into the next period for the North Carolina Senate race. In Nebraska, Pete Ricketts reported $11.2 million raised against $4.8 million spent, leaving $6.9 million on hand for the Nebraska Senate race — a notably lower burn rate than most other campaigns in this filing set. In Florida, Ashley Moody posted the strongest cash-to-receipts ratio of any candidate reported here: $10.8 million raised, only $2.4 million spent, and $8.4 million retained for the Florida Senate race.
South Carolina and Virginia: Democratic Filings Outside Senate Battlegrounds
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews raised $10.8 million and spent $6.7 million, leaving $4.1 million on hand in the South Carolina Senate race. In Virginia's 7th District, Democrat Eugene Vindman reported $12.1 million in receipts against $5.5 million in disbursements, banking $6.7 million — one of the stronger cash positions relative to spending among House-level filings in this batch, for the Virginia 7th District race.
Headlines
- Arizona Senate president who gave 2020 election records to FBI wins attorney general GOP primary (The Hill)
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R), who cooperated with federal investigators by providing 2020 election re... - Lamb, dogged by reported sex scandal, on track to replace Biggs after Arizona House GOP primary win (The Hill)
Mark Lamb, former Pinal County Sheriff, won the Republican primary for Arizona's 5th Congressional District seat vaca... - Mark Lamb wins Arizona House primary despite sex scandals (Politico)
Arizona Republican Mark Lamb won the House primary for the 5th District despite facing allegations of sexual miscondu...
What to Watch
🗳 Voting this week- South Dakota runoff — Tuesday, July 28 (in 6 days)
South Dakota Runoff Set for July 28
South Dakota's primary runoff lands on July 28, the next scheduled contest on the calendar. No candidate or office-level detail beyond the runoff format itself is available yet; results will determine the general-election matchup once certified.
Governor's Races Worth Watching
Among the ten governor races tracked, three sit at Toss-up: Florida, Nebraska. Florida's rating reflects a genuinely contested field, while Nebraska joins it as the other unsettled race. Kansas leans Republican and New Hampshire is rated Likely R, giving Republicans an edge in both without locking in the outcome. Iowa and New Mexico lean Democratic, while Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Minnesota are all rated Likely D. Watch whether Florida and Nebraska tighten further or begin to break clearly toward one side as more polling accumulates.
New Polls (1)
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