Recently, the eyes of the American political world were focused on West Virginia. Pundits and other onlookers were eager to see if Don Blankenship, a former coal executive who went to prison after a tragic mining accident took the lives of 29 people, could pull the upset and secure the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. Ultimately, Blankenship finished in a distant third place behind the state's Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey, and U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins. There are a number of other primary contests that have drawn attention, including:
1) June 5 - California
Longtime Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein is facing a challenge from Kevin de Leon, the President pro tempore of the State Senate, the Boston Globe reported.
Given California's unique election rules, it's highly possible the two could end up facing off again in November's general election. Feinstein has been favored to retain her seat, but de Leon's insurgency has been a bit of a shock to the party system and it has been speculated that it could be a sign of a troublesome future for other Democratic incumbents.
2) June 12 - Virginia
In Virginia, Republicans are poised to choose a candidate to go up against the Democratic incumbent, former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine. Three candidates have gotten the bulk of attention. State legislator Nick Freitas, a former Army Green Beret, has been favored by the libertarian wing of the party, according to Star Exponent.
E. W. Jackson is an African-American (though he has famously preferred to be called an 'American of African descent') pastor and veteran of the Marine Corps who has drawn attention for, among other things, his criticisms of Barack Obama and the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Jackson previously ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2013.
Corey Stewart, a Prince William County politician, has made headlines with his staunch views on immigration. In 2013, he lost the nomination for Lieutenant Governor to Jackson.
3) June 26 - Maryland and Utah
Democratic incumbent Ben Cardin was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after being elected to 10 terms in the House of Representatives, the Baltimore Sun noted.
He has been heavily favored to win his party's nomination once again, but the race has received a large amount of attention as one of his opponents in Chelsea Manning, the former Army soldier who was famously convicted after leaking a high volume of classified info to WikiLeaks. Jerome Segal, a member of the faculty of the University of Maryland, has also drawn significant media coverage.
Meanwhile, in Utah, former Massachusetts Governor and two-time Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is heavily favored to win the Republican nomination and the general election in November. He faces off against State Representative Mike Kennedy.
4) August 14 - Minnesota and Wisconsin
Tina Smith was the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota when she was appointed to the Senate after Al Franken's resignation.
She is now running for the Democratic nomination to hold the seat, confirmed Livable World. Her most high-profile opposition is likely Richard Painter, a former Republican who was a White House Ethics Lawyer before joining the University of Minnesota Twin Cities faculty.
In Wisconsin, Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin is running for re-election. On the Republican side, State Senator Leah Vukmir is favored to claim the nomination, but she faces stiff opposition from Kevin Nicholson, a former Democrat and retired Marine who served in Iraq. It made headlines after news broke the Nicholson's parents contributed money to Baldwin's re-election campaign.
5) August 28 - Arizona
Martha McSally, a U.S.
Representative and former Colonel in the Air Force, has emerged as the preferred choice of moderates to win the Republican nomination in Arizona. She faces opposition from two high-profile and controversial candidates. Joe Arpaio was the longtime Sheriff of Maricopa County who drew attention for his staunch immigration views and was convicted for defiance of a court order before being pardoned by President Trump. State Senator Kelli Ward previously ran against incumbent John McCain unsuccessfully in 2016. Aligned with the far-right wing of the party, she has since received criticism for her statements about McCain's battle with cancer.
6) November 6 - Mississippi
On the day of the general election, Mississippi is voting for both of their Senate seats following the retirement of the longtime Senator Thad Cochran.
Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner and a former Democrat, was appointed to the seat and is running to keep it, according to the NY Times. Her main opposition is State Senator Chris McDaniel, who unsuccessfully went up against Cochran in a combative race in 2014 and had been planning to challenge incumbent Roger Wicker before this seat opened up.
