Live updates: Johnson, Barnes to face off for WI Senate seat in November; MN gov race set for fall - USA TODAY

Tuesday's primaries in four states - Connecticut, Minnesota Vermont and Wisconsin - determined who's running in November's midterms in an election that will decide how far President Joe Biden can advance his agenda in the second half of his term.

The former president's influence during a  string of GOP primaries this year continued Tuesday with a victory by Tim Michels whom Trump had endorsed over an estbalishment candidate who had the backing for former Vice President Mike Pence.

Donald Trump-backed businessman Tim Michels declared they won the Republican nomination for governor of Wisconsin on Tuesday, defeating establishment GOP pick Rebecca Kleefisch.

Trump disliked some members of the Wisconsin establishment, saying they did not fight hard enough for him as he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, whose refusal to help Donald Trump overturn the state's 2020 election results earned him a Republican primary challenge, narrowly won his race on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. .

During the campaign, Vos said Trump called him to lobby for a bill that would still overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden in Wisconsin.

In one of the only competitive primaries of the night in Connecticut, Leora Levy won the Republican Senate primary with 50.5% of the vote, accordng to the Associated Press called at 11 p.m. .

Levy will face incumbent Senator Richard Blumenthal in the general election.

Department of Agriculture won a special election to serve the remainder of Republican Rep.

The race was seen as a litmus test for November in a district that leans Republican and former President Donald Trump won by about 10 points in 2020.

Scott Jensen, a physician and former Minnesota state senator, easily won the state’s Republican primary for governor Tuesday.

Ron Johnson easily won the Republican nomination in Wisconsin on Tuesday and will face a challenge from Lt.

However, some analysts have noted Johnson has been down in the polls before, only to mount a comeback and win in the general election.

The Connecticut race for secretary of state did grab many headlines but it does underscore a theme of the 2022 election cycle.

Republican Dominic Rapini won the primary contest to be the state’s chief election officer.

Mandela Barnes coasted to victory in what was once a crowded Democratic field to challenge Republican Sen.

In the final stretch of the race Barnes’s chief opponents dropped out to endorse him, consolidating his nomination and giving him a head start on November ahead of Tuesday’s election.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary, former Lt.

In the Democratic primary, current Lt.

Other races to watch include primary contests where Democratic Reps.

Vermont State Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint has won the Democratic primary for the state’s lone house seat, the Associated Press is reporting. .

Balint is expected to win in the November general election against the Republican candidate, likely to be Liam Madden.

Balint coasted to a primary win by mobilizing the progressive branch of the Democratic party in Vermont. .

Welch had a smooth primary, being named the Democratic candidate an hour after polls closed. .

Brooke Paige ran unopposed and won the Republican primary for four state offices: attorney general, auditor, secretary of state, and treasurer. .

In 2018, he also ran unopposed for treasurer, secretary of state, auditor and attorney general and won GOP primaries for the U.S.

Peter Welch won the Democratic Senate primary and is expected to replace retiring Sen.

His retirement opened up the seat for the first time since his election in 1974, and Welch entered the race as the frontrunner with the backing of Vermont Sen.

The Republican primary for governor was canceled, as Republican business executive Bob Stefanowski is running uncontested against Democratic Gov.

One competitive primary race is the Republican challenge to Democratic Sen.

As far as Welch’s seat goes, State Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint and Lt.

Tim Michels and his top two opponents in the Wisconsin Republican primary for governor distanced themselves from Trump during an Aug.

The Wisconsin Democratic primary for Senate was one of the more competitive elections this year until about a month ago, when Lt.

Another proxy war between former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence will play out Tuesday as Trump-endorsed Tim Michels and Pence-endorsed Rebecca Kleefisch compete for Wisconsin's Republican nomination for governor. 

Stefanowski was going to have a primary opponent on Tuesday, but former House Republican leader Themis Klarides dropped out in January to run for Senate

State Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint and Lt

Molly Gray are leading the Democratic primary to replace him

Balint – a former schoolteacher who has been in the statehouse since 2014 – is the frontrunner for Tuesday night’s primary

No matter if Balint or Gray wins the primary, they are the favorite for the general election and would become the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress