Georgia, Oregon, Idaho and Kentucky primaries 2024: Willis, McAfee win; tough night for progressives

Interesting, Monica! In a January survey from RABA Research, Kentucky voters were asked if they supported "diverting taxpayer dollars away from neighborhood public schools to use for private school vouchers." Only 26 percent said they supported vouchers and 74 percent opposed — though the question wording is a bit loaded, so we may expect that support could be a tad higher with a more neutral question. But given the very low support, I'm fascinated to hear that it's still a live issue in the state.

—Mary Radcliffe, 538

In a Kentucky state Senate seat, it looks like an incumbent, state Sen. Adrienne Southworth, may be unseated by one of her two challengers, both former Navy SEALS. Aaron Reed is at 39 percent, and the other challenger, Ed Gallrein, is at 38 percent, with more than 95 percent of the expected vote reporting, while Southworth is at 22 percent.

Southworth, who represents the district just east of Louisville, was weakened by fights against her own party, largely stemming from her spreading election fraud conspiracy theories. But there's also little ideological daylight between Reed and Gallrein, and one political observer, Teri Carter, wrote that it largely seemed like a competition to wear the biggest cowboy hat. Control of the state Senate isn't at stake because Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature, but battles like this one could make a difference for issues like whether school vouchers can be used to pay for private schools in the state.

—Monica Potts, 538

… There’s a downballot GOP race worth checking in on as well! In the 131st state House District outside of Augusta, five candidates are running to be the Republican nominee, hoping to replace retiring state Rep. Jodi Lott. Right now, a local construction company owner, Rob Clifton, is in the lead, with 49 percent of the vote, with more than 95 percent of the expected vote in. If he can’t clear the majority threshold, he’ll have to face off against the next highest vote-getter — retired educator Paul Abbott — in a runoff. Clifton lapped the other candidates when it came to fundraising, raising over $100,000. The next highest fundraiser, cigar shop owner Russell Wilder, raised just half that. If Clifton wins the nomination, he’ll be facing off against Democrat Heather White in November, though Republicans have an edge in this district that Trump won by 62 percent in 2022.

— Kaleigh Rogers, 538

After enjoying a lead throughout the night, the writing is on the wall. The Associated Press has called the Georgia state Supreme Court race for incumbent Justice Andrew Pinson, the conservative candidate on the ticket. As we discussed earlier, there were probably a number of reasons why Pinson pulled it off — incumbency, a nonpartisan race, the fact that the court wasn’t up for grabs, and good old-fashioned money — and it’s likely a combination of all these factors that led to his win.

—Kaleigh Rogers, 538