{"id":1118,"date":"2026-06-03T09:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1118"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:42:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:42:02","slug":"4-key-takeaways-from-primary-elections-in-new-jersey-and-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1118","title":{"rendered":"4 key takeaways from primary elections in New Jersey and Iowa\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Tuesday\u2019s primary elections in New Jersey and Iowa set the stage for several competitive contests this fall that could determine control of the House and Senate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more New York Democrats have launched their latest push to disenfranchise Republican voters<\/a><\/p>\n

While high-profile gubernatorial and mayoral contests in California grabbed much of the headlines, races in the Garden and Hawkeye states revealed emerging political trends that could shape the midterm elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are four key takeaways:\u00a0<\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s perfect endorsement record is no more<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra conceded the Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary to businessman Zach Lahn, marking a rare endorsement defeat for the president.<\/p>\n

Trump boasted a perfect endorsement track record across 118 Republican House, Senate, and gubernatorial primaries this cycle heading into Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feenstra (R-Iowa) was only endorsed by Trump on Friday, well after early voting began in Iowa in the middle of last month.<\/p>\n

Lahn, who will take on Democratic state auditor Rob Sand in the general election, was ahead of Feenstra by less than a percentage point when the congressman conceded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Establishment Dem wins Iowa Senate primary\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The race for Iowa\u2019s open Senate seat got more competitive after state Rep. Josh Turek took down lefty foe Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turek, a former wheelchair basketball Paralympian, has excited the establishment wing of the Democratic Party and will face Trump-backed GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson in November.<\/p>\n

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the general election race from \u201clikely\u201d to \u201clean\u201d Republican in response to Turek\u2019s victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more The Democrat flops in governor\u2019s race \u2014 and why Eric Swalwell could still play a role<\/a><\/p>\n

Another Squad-backed Dem appears to be heading to Congress<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Adam Hamawy, an Egypt-born former combat surgeon endorsed by \u201cSquad\u201d Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), as well as socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), were the top vote-getters in the crowded Democratic primary race for the Garden State\u2019s deep-blue 12th Congressional District.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hamawy will be heavily favored in November against the Republican primary winner Gregg Mele.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Democrats\u2019 years-long relationship with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman \u2014 who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in 1995 after his followers carried out the bombing of the World Trade Center two years earlier \u2014 and previous work for an organization that allegedly served as a front group for al Qaeda, raised eyebrows during his campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hamawy\u2019s victory comes weeks after self-styled Democratic socialist state Rep. Chris Rabb won Pennsylvania\u2019s 3rd District Democratic primary after receiving endorsements from far-left \u201cSquad\u201d lawmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rabb, like Hamawy, is virtually assured to win his general election race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kean wins GOP primary \u2014 but stays hidden on election night<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ), who hasn\u2019t been seen since March, vowed to be transparent about his medical woes ahead of his GOP primary win in an uncontested race\u00a0 \u2013 but not on election night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cRight now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,\u201d the congressman said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition,\u201d he teased.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In November, Kean will face off against Democrat Rebecca Bennett, who won her 7th District primary race convincingly.<\/p>\n

Read more Canada\u2019s mass-graves scam reveals the high price of media bias<\/a><\/p>\n

The race is rated a \u201ctoss-up\u201d by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday\u2019s primary elections in New Jersey and Iowa set the stage for several competitive contests this fall that could determine control of the House and Senate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n4 key takeaways from primary elections in New Jersey and Iowa\u00a0 - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1118\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 key takeaways from primary elections in New Jersey and Iowa\u00a0 - 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