Six States Hold Primary Elections Tuesday — California's LA Mayor Race Is the One to Watch

Tuesday was a big night for primary politics, with six states — California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, and New Mexico — all holding elections that will shape this fall's midterm battles. But if you had to pick one race to keep your eyes on, it was happening in Los Angeles.

The L.A. Mayor's Race: Reality TV Meets Real Politics

This one's genuinely wild. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is trying to fend off challenges from both the right and the left. Her two major challengers are Republican former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and City Council member Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Yes, that Spencer Pratt — from MTV's The Hills. He launched an unconventional campaign running as an independent in the city's open primary after registering as a Republican, and entered the race after losing his Pacific Palisades home in the devastating 2025 wildfire, becoming a vocal critic of Mayor Bass and city leadership.

Early results were tight. Just before 9 p.m., Bass was leading with 36.5% of the vote, Pratt was in second with 30.1%, and Raman trailed in third with 20.2%. It's been three decades since a Republican won a mayoral contest in the nation's second most populous city, which makes Pratt's competitiveness genuinely surprising.

Why does this matter beyond the celebrity factor? The next mayor will preside over preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games, guiding the allocation of city resources to accommodate up to 15 million visitors. Homelessness, public safety, and housing are the central fault lines. Bass has focused on expanding public transit and streamlining city permitting ahead of the games; Pratt has said the city is not ready to host the event due to widespread street homelessness; and Raman has pledged to cut street homelessness in half by the 2028 Games.

No winner will be declared outright unless someone clears 50%. If any candidate wins more than 50% in the June primary, they win outright — but if no one cracks that threshold, the top two vote-getters proceed to a November runoff.

California's Governor's Race: A Crowded, Wide-Open Field

It's been a chaotic scramble to pick the next leader of the country's largest state. After three prominent Democrats — former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Alex Padilla, and state Attorney General Rob Bonta — decided not to run, Democratic voters haven't had a clear front-runner for the first time in decades. A whopping 61 candidates are running to succeed Newsom, but a handful are the real contenders: a pair of Democrats — former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and billionaire activist Tom Steyer — and Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton, who is endorsed by Trump. California's top-two system means the two leading vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to November.

Iowa: Trump Takes a Hit

One of the night's bigger storylines unfolded in Iowa. Rep. Randy Feenstra conceded to businessman Zach Lahn in Iowa's Republican primary for governor, as party voters rejected President Trump's late endorsement. Heading into Tuesday's elections, no Trump-endorsed candidate for governor, the House, or the Senate had lost a primary in the midterm elections — making this a genuine crack in the armor.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. Josh Turek captured his party's Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. Turek, a Paralympian, defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls and will now face Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson. The Republican-controlled Senate seat in Iowa is a top target for Democrats and is one of about a dozen crucial showdowns that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.

The Bigger Picture

These primaries are essentially the opening kickoff for November's midterms. Looming over California's congressional primaries is Proposition 50, the ballot measure championed by Newsom that redrew California's congressional districts to favor Democrats in as many as five new districts. For Californians especially, the maps drawn this cycle will directly shape who represents your community for the next decade.