Democrats settled on their general-election nominees in a string of primaries Tuesday, fielding candidates from military, medical, and athletic backgrounds in races that could determine control of Congress and statehouses this fall.
In New Jersey’s 7th District, Rebecca Bennett, a former healthcare executive and navy veteran who drives a 2010 Honda Accord, won the Democratic nomination in a suburban swing district that Donald Trump carried narrowly in 2024. The seat is held by Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who ran unopposed in the GOP primary seeking a third term but who has been absent from Congress since early March with a medical condition he has not publicly disclosed. Bennett called herself a “political outsider” after her victory and told supporters, “We cannot just be anti-Trump and anti-hate. We have to be for something. We have to solve the problems that we are all facing in our everyday lives.”
In New Jersey’s 12th District, a safely blue seat in the central part of the state, Dr. Eugen Hamawy, a 56-year-old plastic surgeon and army veteran, defeated nearly a dozen Democratic rivals to win the nomination. Hamawy, who served on a medical mission in Gaza in 2024 and later briefed members of Congress on what he witnessed, is likely to become New Jersey’s first Muslim representative in the U.S. House. He earned endorsements from progressive heavyweights including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “Healthcare not bombs. Abolish ICE. Unrig the economy,” Hamawy wrote on social media after his win.
In Iowa, state legislator Josh Turek, a Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball who was born with spina bifida, won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. Turek, who described himself as “one of the first permanently disabled members of the Iowa house,” said in a victory statement, “I will be a real fighter for Iowans, the middle class and our working families.” He will face Republican Ashley Hinson, a congresswoman and former broadcaster who won the GOP primary Tuesday. Turek’s opponent in the primary, Zach Wahls, ran on a more anti-establishment platform.
Also in Iowa, State Auditor Rob Sand, the last Democrat holding statewide office, won the Democratic nomination for governor to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. Sand, who has a penchant for hunting, often criticizes the two-party system and has accused politicians of being more focused on fundraising than on solving problems. In a recent interview, he said, “They’re more focused on that than solving the problems that we face.”
In California, state Sen. Scott Wiener advanced to the November runoff in San Francisco’s congressional district, the seat long held by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring at the end of her term. Wiener, viewed as a moderate in the deep-blue district, is known for championing policies that make it easier to build multifamily housing. His general-election opponent was not immediately clear. In a campaign ad, Wiener said, “I’ve spent my life sticking my neck out for San Francisco,” and noted his height with a giraffe as a visual.