Kean Jr. Advances Unopposed After 89-Day Absence; Bennett Wins NJ Swing Seat Primary

On June 2, 2026, primary elections were held across multiple states, headlined by New Jersey's fiercely contested 7th congressional district. Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr. advanced unopposed in his primary despite having been absent from Congress for 89 days and missing more than 100 House votes since early March due to an unspecified personal medical issue. Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, won her party's nomination and immediately criticized Kean as a "coward" at her election night gathering in Somerville. The seat, which has changed party hands twice in eight years, is rated a toss-up by independent analysts, with Kalshi prediction markets giving Bennett an 80% chance of flipping it in November. Other notable results included California's gubernatorial primary remaining too close to call, with Republican Steve Hilton (26.9%) leading Democrat Xavier Becerra (25.7%). Deb Haaland secured the Democratic nomination for governor of New Mexico, and Karen Bass advanced to a runoff in the Los Angeles mayoral race. In Iowa, Josh Turek won the Democratic Senate nomination (prompting Cook Political Report to shift the race to "lean Republican"), while Zach Lahn narrowly won the GOP gubernatorial primary after Rep. Randy Feenstra lost despite a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump. Additional key winners included Ashley Hinson (GOP Senate nomination, Iowa), Scott Wiener (primary to succeed Nancy Pelosi in California), Adam Hamawy (safe New Jersey district), and Marty Jackley (South Dakota US House).