Primaries key takeaways: A centrist win, questions about Trump endorsement

Tuesday's primaries offered fresh tests of the two political party's direction.

Tuesday's primaries offered fresh tests of the Democratic Party's direction, the influence of President Donald Trump's endorsements and the Republican Party's future.

Here are takeaways from Tuesday's primaries:

Centrist David Crowley narrowly defeats Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a centrist Democrat, narrowly won the Democratic primary in a major upset in the race for governor, the Associated Press projects. He defeated Wisconsin assemblywoman Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, in what became a high-stakes test for progressives who pinned their hopes on winning a major party nomination in a crucial battleground state. A former state lawmaker, Crowley pitched himself as the candidate best-positioned to defeat Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, endorsed by President Donald Trump, in November. He campaigned on his executive experience running the state's most populous county. It's the final shakeup in what became a messy primary and a major comeback for Crowley, who had quit the race on July 8 as his campaign struggled to gain traction. But with Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's exit days later, it set off a scramble for Democrats to coalesce around a moderate opponent to Hong. He rejoined the race on July 17, bolstered by late support from outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The sitting governor campaigned with Crowley in the final sprint to the primary as the party scrambled to unite around an alternative to Hong. Some Democrats expressed concerns her positions were too extreme and she would struggle to win on purple turf in a general election against Tiffany. Crowley's narrow victory also suggests that division over the party's direction -- and the split over support for progressives or more moderate candidates this midterm cycle -- remains ever strong. It follows a handful of electoral victories for progressives in congressional primaries in Colorado and New York and, most recently, in Michigan's closely-watched Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. Hong branded herself as a fighter for the working class, advocated for universal childcare and called to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She argued voters were ready for "transformational change."

She campaigned heavily on a yearlong pause on construction of AI data centers, while Crowley advocated for more guardrails in place. Yet in the waning days of the race, Hong's campaign was dogged by increased scrutiny over some of her past social media posts -- including calling Thanksgiving a "colonizer holiday" -- that drew criticism from her opponents. She recently somewhat appeared to distance herself from the national platform of the Democratic Socialists of America but faced pushback from members of both parties for her previous positions. She had called for defunding and eventually abolishing the police but later made clear she would not do so as governor. Hong also campaigned with the controversial leftist streamer Hasan Piker and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar ahead of the primary. But the leading figures in the democratic socialist movement, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, did not endorse Hong. If elected, Crowley would become the first Black governor of Wisconsin.

South Carolina results raise questions about Trump's endorsement

The results in Tuesday’s special Republican primary for U.S. Senate in South Carolina are somewhat inconclusive, as voters will not know for certain who will take the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s spot on the November ballot until after an Aug. 25 runoff. But they do reflect broader questions over the future of the Republican Party, including the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement and the late senator’s legacy.

The matchup is set between Sen. Darline Graham, Trump’s endorsed pick and Lindsey Graham’s sister, who was appointed to finish his term and has vowed to continue his legacy, and the conservative stalwart Rep. Ralph Norman, an ally of the president who launched a bid for the Senate seat despite Trump endorsing Graham.

The results are a mixed result for Trump’s endorsement, since Graham did not win outright, although the very compressed election timeline and the 10-candidate field likely also contributed to there being no outright winner.

Other factors could be at play as well in the runoff related to Trump: Norman endorsed Nikki Haley for president over Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, something that could hurt him in the runoff, even if he runs on his deeply conservative record in Congress.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim and Ben Siegel

Despite Trump's endorsement, Lindell comes up short

Mike Lindell, the former CEO of MyPillow who rose to prominence in President Donald Trump's circle as a major election denier, finished second in the Republican governor's primary in Minnesota despite an endorsement from the president.

Lindell grew up in Minnesota but moved out of the state a few years ago and voter records showed him registered in Texas as late as this summer.

Republican voters appear to have opted for electability over Trump loyalty in choosing state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a more moderate centrist in the historically blue state who faces an uphill battle in November -- no Republican has been elected governor in Minnesota in 20 years.

Lindell is the third Trump-backed governor candidate to lose this cycle after the president's picks in both Iowa and Georgia lost.

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