Vermont held Senate, House, and gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday. Polls in the state closed at 7 p.m. ET.
Decision Desk HQ called the Democratic Senate primary for Rep. Peter Welch on Tuesday night. In November, he'll face off against the winner of the GOP primary, which featured three candidates.
The races and the stakes:
US Senate
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who has served in the upper chamber since 1975, is retiring at the end of his term.
Rep. Peter Welch, a former state lawmaker who has served as Vermont's at-large congressman since 2007, won the Democratic nomination for Senate. He was the frontrunner in the Democratic contest, in which Isaac Evans-Frantz and physician Niki Thran also ran.
Welch was endorsed by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont political institution who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020.
In the GOP primary, the candidates included former US Attorney Christina Nolan, retired Army officer Gerald Malloy, and investment banker Myers Mermel.
US House
With Welch in the Senate race, the at-large House seat is open for the first time since 2006.
The leading Democratic candidates were Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and state Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint.
Republican candidates on the ballot included Liam Madden, Ericka Redic, and Anya Tynio.
Governor
Incumbent GOP Gov. Phil Scott, one of the most popular governors in the United States, sought reelection this fall. He faced Stephen Bellows and Peter Duval in the party primary.
Scott, who was first elected governor in 2016, has maintained a political profile as a moderate Republican — eschewing the deep influence of former President Donald Trump within the party.
Brenda Siegel ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Secretary of State
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jim Condos, who was first elected in 2010, is stepping down at the end of his term.
The Democratic candidates included state Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters, and Montpelier City Clerk John Odum.
H. Brooke Paige ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.