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Women Candidates Win Big as Eight States Hold Primaries

HeadlineJun 06, 2018

Voters headed to the polls yesterday for primaries in Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. In California, Democratic Lieutenant Governor and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom won the Democratic primary for governor. He’ll face off against Republican businessman John Cox, who is backed by President Trump, in November’s gubernatorial race in California. This is Gavin Newsom speaking Tuesday night.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom: “We’re engaged in an epic battle. And it looks like voters will have a real choice this November, between a governor who’s going to stand up to Donald Trump and a foot soldier in his war on California.”

Democratic California Senator Dianne Feinstein won her primary race, though it remains unclear who she will face in November’s general election. Tuesday was a big night for female candidates. In New Mexico, former Democratic state party leader Deb Haaland won her congressional Democratic primary, putting her on track to become the first Native American congresswoman in U.S. history. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna and is running on a pro-immigration platform, opposing Trump’s border wall and advocating for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE. This is Deb Haaland speaking Tuesday night.

Deb Haaland: “Our win is a victory for working people, a victory for women, a victory for Indian country and a victory for everyone who’s been sidelined by the billionaire class.”

Other women candidates who won Tuesday night include Iowa Democrats Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer. Iowa has never before sent a woman to the U.S. House of Representatives. In South Dakota, Congresswoman Kristi Noem won the Republican gubernatorial primary, making her likely to become South Dakota’s first female governor. Meanwhile, in Alabama, Republican Congresswoman Martha Roby was forced into a runoff to save her seat, after she took political heat for refusing to endorse President Trump when the “Access Hollywood” tape surfaced, saying, “I cannot look my children in the eye and justify a vote for a man who promotes and boasts about sexually assaulting women.” She’ll now face a July runoff against former Democratic Congressmember Bobby Bright, who is now running as a Republican and has attacked Martha Roby for not endorsing President Trump during the 2016 election.

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