iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The candidates who emerge victorious from a fierce faceoff Tuesday night in tough and pricey primary battles in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia will provide critical clues into which party might eventually gain control of the U.S. House and Senate in November.
In the closely watched West Virginia GOP Senate primary, establishment Republicans are hoping to stop the momentum of former coal baron, Don Blankenship, in a race that has been filled with sharp-tongued barbs, questionable comments about ethnicity, and tweeted rebukes from President Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr., among others.
Over in the Indiana Senate primary, Republicans are fighting over who is the Trumpiest of Trump supporters in a race that has featured cardboard cutouts of opponents and a lovefest via Twitter of all things Trump.
In Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, candidates are leaning left in the hopes of wooing progressives.
4:00 p.m. – The disruptive coal man from West Virginia
Several of today’s primary races have already gained national attention, but none more so than the three-way Republican battle for the Senate in West Virginia.
At the center of the drama is Don Blankenship, a former Massey Energy CEO who was convicted of a misdemeanor for conspiring to violate mine safety regulations after its Upper Big Branch Mine exploded, killing 29.
Blankenship is running against Republican Congressman Evan Jenkins and current state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and has cast himself as a political outsider willing to take on Washington establishment. On Monday Blankenship even took jabs at President Trump, who implored West Virginians not to vote for him.
Find out more here.
3:58 p.m. – What can Tuesday night’s primaries tell us about the midterms?
What insights might tonight’s primaries offer on the broader midterms?
Plenty.
Loyalty to the president is a central issue in the Republican primaries, and GOP candidates across all four states are aiming to prove to voters that they are the true Trump ally.
“In these Republican primaries under the current Senate map, loyalty to Trump is the number one cause. It’s the number one issue,” said Leah Askarinam, a reporter, and analyst at Inside Elections, a nonpartisan outlet that analyzes House, Senate, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns, “These candidates have spent the last several months tying themselves as closely as possible to the president. It’s unclear if that will work in a general election. Most of these states did support Trump by more than just a few points.”
The GOP is holding on to a razor-thin 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate and Democrats are defending ten states that voted for Trump in 2016, and both parties are keenly aware that avoiding unforced missteps and nominating quality candidates is the difference between a Senate majority or minority.
Read more in John Verhovek’s story here.
3:54 p.m. – W. Va. candidate ‘tired of watching’ opioid crisis
Ayne Amjad works at the nexus of the opioid crisis and environmental hazards which residents say have caused their friends and neighbors to develop cancer.
The problem is felt especially acutely in the rural parts of West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District where Amjad — a somewhat accidental politician — saw patients every day struggling with the effects of the epidemic, high rates of cancer (sometimes explained away by some experts as lifestyle causes) and the high cost of healthcare.
“I just got tired of watching things go in a direction I didn’t like and I realized the only way you can change things is to get into politics,” she told ABC News, adding later. “I don’t think we handle it properly, the people making the decisions for drugs are not even healthcare professionals which drives me insane,” she said.
Amjad is one of seven Republicans running for the U.S. House seat held by Rep. Evan Jenkins in the primary election on Tuesday. Jenkins is running in the Republican Senate primary to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin.
Read more in Stephanie Ebbs’ story here.
3:54 p.m. – Don Blankenship at center of party-backed super PAC primary fight in West Virginia
Former coal mogul Don Blankenship is at the center of a party-backed, super PAC, Senate primary fight in West Virginia as groups with obscure names and undisclosed donors spend millions of dollars.
The proxy fight — an effort to sway the Republican primary by influencing whether Blankenship makes it onto the ballot in November — has made the Senate bid one of the most expensive races so far this year.
Democrats have rolled out six-figure ads attacking two GOP primary candidates Evan Jenkins and Patrick Morrisey through the Duty and Country super PAC.
Soorin Kim lays out the numbers here.
6:00 a.m. – What’s at stake in the first big primary day Of 2018
ABC News partner FiveThirtyEight offers a take on aspects of the races to watch. Check them out here.
WATCH LIVE TONIGHT: You can watch livestreaming coverage of all the primary action starting at 7 p.m. ET on ABCNews.com or on the ABC News app available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Apple TV App Store, and Roku Channel Store.
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