Voters go to the polls in primary elections in eight states Tuesday, with nominations for the Senate on the ballot in Alabama, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Mississippi in a year in which Republicans need to gain six seats to win a majority.
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House races drew plenty of outside interest from the political professionals, even if they gained scant attention nationwide. Democrats face a distinctly uphill battle to win a House majority this fall, and they and their allies sought to knock out Republican contenders in primaries in California and New Jersey.
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Gubernatorial primaries are taking place in Alabama, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota and California, where Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown is seeking a fourth term this fall.
Brown and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, voted in a firehouse near their Oakland hills home Tuesday accompanied by their dog.
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The 76-year-old Democrat says he's "very conscious of the fact that no one has ever served California as governor for a fourth term and probably no one ever will."
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Two Republicans are fighting to face Brown in the November general election. A conservative state lawmaker, Tim Donnelly, faces Neel Kashkari, a socially moderate investment banker making his first run for public office.
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Without a contentious ballot measure, low turnout was expected in the state's top-two primary. Brown says it might be that people are "relatively confident" this election.
The primary also includes some hard-fought congressional and state legislative races in which candidates are vying to move on to challenge incumbents in November. (AP)
