Tonight was primary election night in four states: Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Minnesota. Here's a quick rundown of the election results.
- In Florida, Connie Mack IV crushed a weak field of Republican opponents to become the Republican nominee for Senate. Mack—whose father, Connie Mack III, was also a Republican Florida Senator—will run against incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, who also easily won his primary tonight.
- In Connecticut, World Wrestling Federation co-founder Linda McMahon defeated veteran House member Chris Shays in the Republican Senate primary. Shays was a member of the House from 1987 to 2009, and is generally considered to be a moderate. McMahon, a political neophyte, beat him largely on the strength of her Tea Party credentials.
- Also in Florida, incumbent House member Cliff Stearns narrowly lost out to political newcomer and Tea Party favorite Ted Yoho.
- And lastly, again in Florida, longtime House member John Mica beat out Tea Party freshman Sandy Adams. The two incumbents were pitted against each other due to redistricting in their state.
UPDATE, Wed., Aug. 15:
- Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson wins a four-way Republican primary race in Wisconsin that will pit him against Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin for the soon to be vacated seat of Democrat Sen. Herb Kohl.
- Allen Quist won the Republican primary against state Sen. Mike Parry in Minnesota's 1st district, while Rick Nolan won the Democratic primary in the state's 8th district where he will challenge incumbent Rep. Chip Cravaack, a Republican, for his House seat in November.