ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Vermont Democrats have nominated the nation’s first transgender candidate for governor, one of many firsts from Tuesday’s primaries.
Minnesota Democrats backed a woman who would be the first Somali-American member of Congress. And in Connecticut, the party nominated a candidate who could become the first black woman from the state to serve in Congress.
Republicans in Minnesota rejected a familiar face, Tim Pawlenty, in favor of a rising newcomer aligned with President Donald Trump. County Commissioner Jeff Johnson defeated Pawlenty, a former two-term governor once critical of Trump.
In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker, endorsed just this week by Trump, won the right to seek a third term.
Last week’s Republican gubernatorial primary in Kansas was finalized when Secretary of State Kris Kobach scored a delayed victory against Gov. Jeff Colyer.