Primary night takeaways: Diverse Democrats and Trump wins

It was a night of firsts: The first openly transgender gubernatorial nominee. The first Somali-American major party nominee. The potential of the first black woman representing Connecticut in Congress.

It was also a night of victories for President Donald Trump. A week after a vote approaching a dead heat, a close ally ousted a sitting GOP governor in Kansas. In Tuesday's Wisconsin and Minnesota primaries, Republican candidates battled to be the strongest supporter of the president, proving — yet again — Trump's dominance in the Republican Party.

Here are takeaways from another round of voting ahead of the fall midterm elections:

Rep. Keith Ellison speaks to supporters after winning the Democratic nomination for Attorney General during his primary party at Nomad World Pub, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018, in Minneapolis. (Renee Jones SchneiderStar Tribune via AP)

THE RAINBOW WAVE MARCHES ON

Christine Hallquist became the first openly transgender major party nominee for governor in American history when she captured the Democratic Party nomination in Vermont. As CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, Hallquist made history in 2015 as the first chief executive to transition on the job. If elected, she'd be the first openly transgender person elected governor.

Her candidacy highlights the surge of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates running for office this year. The majority are Democrats and, like Hallquist, and running on far broader, anti-Trump platforms than gay and civil rights. She faces a tough general election race: Republican incumbent Phil Scott is more popular with Democrats than members of his own party in the solidly liberal state.

Diverse Democratic candidates also notched wins across the country. In Connecticut, Democratic teacher Jahana Hayes' primary win paved the way for her to be the first black woman from the state to serve in Congress if she wins the general election in November. And in Minnesota, state Rep. Ilhan Omar won outgoing Rep. Keith Ellison's seat, putting her on track to become the first Somali-American and one of the first Muslim women in Congress.

TRUMP TAKES A WIN

Trump notched a major victory on Tuesday night — if seven days behind schedule. Exactly a week after the Kansas gubernatorial election, incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer conceded to Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

The concession marked a win not only for Kobach but also for Trump, whose support helped push Kobach over the finish line in the neck-and-neck race. Kobach is a staunch anti-immigration conservative and ally of Trump, who picked him as vice chairman of the Trump administration's now disbanded election-fraud commission.

It wasn't an overwhelming victory — Kobach won by 110 votes. But the result was the latest illustration of Trump's power over the GOP: A sitting president helped oust a sitting governor from his own party.

Kobach now heads to an unpredictable three-way general election against Democrat Laura Kelly and independent candidate Greg Orman, who's expected to qualify for the ballot.

PAWLENTY'S OUT

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty lost his party's nomination for the office he previously held for two terms. His primary race against Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson became a contest over who insulted Trump the least. Pawlenty, who once called Trump "unhinged and unfit," said he now supports the president and would welcome his endorsement.

Voters didn't buy it. Like many elected Republican officials, the former financial services lobbyist was trying to prove he belongs in a party that's changed drastically since his failed presidential bid ended in 2011. Trump lost Minnesota narrowly in 2016 and some Republicans think the state is within their reach in 2020.

But Trump's approval rating remains below 40 percent in the state. While cozying up to the president helped Johnson in the primary, it may hurt him with the broader electorate in the fall.

NEW PROBLEMS FOR ELLISON?

Ellison won the Democratic nomination to be Minnesota's attorney general, despite accusations of domestic abuse from a former girlfriend. Ellison forcefully denied the charges, which surfaced three nights before the primary in a Facebook post published by the son of an ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan.

Democrats have remained largely silent about the allegations. But that's likely to get more difficult as Ellison enters the general election. The deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee and one of the most liberal members of Congress, Ellison is a celebrated figure among the left wing of the party. Last month, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders traveled to Minnesota to campaign for Ellison.

With Ellison now on the ticket, pressure will grow for Sanders and Democrats to address the charges or risk GOP attacks to the party's image — particularly with the female voters who are considered key to their electoral success.

Ellison may also find himself out of step with the #metoo wave that's crested over Minnesota. Tuesday's results ensure that Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct, will be replaced by a woman — either incumbent Democratic Sen. Tina Smith or Republican state Sen. Karin Housley.

THE BATTLE FOR RYAN'S SEAT

Democrats placed their hopes in a candidate known as the "Iron Stache" to flip retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan's Wisconsin congressional seat. Heavily mustached union ironworker Randy Bryce won the Democratic primary for the district, beating out teacher Cathy Myers. Democrats see Trump's unpopularity as creating a chance to flip the seat, which Republicans have held since 1995.

But Bryce's history of nine arrests, including for drunken driving, and being delinquent on child support to his ex-wife, could complicate his path to the seat. He'll face Bryan Steil, a former Ryan aide and corporate lawyer from a prominent family.

The race will be closely watched by both parties.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian court on Friday ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Solskyi should be held in custody for 60 days, but he was released after paying bail of 75 million hryvnias ($1.77 million), a statement said.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau suspects Solskyi headed an organized crime group that between 2017 and 2021 unlawfully obtained land worth 291 million hryvnias ($6.85 million) and attempted to obtain other land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.47 million).

Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. A dragnet over the past two years has seen Ukraine’s defense minister, top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials lose their jobs.

That has caused embarrassment and unease as Ukraine receives tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid to help fight Russia’s army, and the European Union and NATO have demanded widespread anti-graft measures before Kyiv can realize its ambition of joining the blocs.

In Ukraine's capital, doctors and ambulance crews evacuated patients from a children’s hospital on Friday after a video circulated online saying Russia planned to attack it.

Parents hefting bags of clothes, toys and food carried toddlers and led young children from the Kyiv City Children’s Hospital No. 1 on the outskirts of the city. Medics helped them into a fleet of waiting ambulances to be transported to other facilities.

In the video, a security official from Russian ally Belarus alleged that military personnel were based in the hospital. Kyiv city authorities said that the claim was “a lie and provocation.”

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that civic authorities were awaiting an assessment from security services before deciding when it was safe to reopen the hospital.

“We cannot risk the lives of our children,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold online talks Friday with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has been the key international organization coordinating the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday that the meeting would discuss how to turn around Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield. The Kremlin’s forces have gained an edge over Kyiv’s army in recent months as Ukraine grappled with a shortage of ammunition and troops.

Russia, despite sustaining high losses, has been taking control of small settlements as part of its effort to drive deeper into eastern Ukraine after capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, the U.K. defense ministry said Friday.

It’s been slow going for the Kremlin’s troops in eastern Ukraine and is likely to stay that way, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar is vulnerable to the Russian onslaught, which is using glide bombs — powerful Soviet-era weapons that were originally unguided but have been retrofitted with a navigational targeting system — that obliterate targets.

“Russian forces do pose a credible threat of seizing Chasiv Yar, although they may not be able to do so rapidly,” the Washington-based think tank said late Thursday.

It added that Russian commanders are likely seeking to advance as much as possible before the arrival in the coming weeks and months of new U.S. military aid, which was held up for six months by political differences in Congress.

While that U.S. help wasn’t forthcoming, Ukraine’s European partners didn’t pick up the slack, according to German’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks Ukraine support.

“The European aid in recent months is nowhere near enough to fill the gap left by the lack of U.S. assistance, particularly in the area of ammunition and artillery shells,” it said in a report Thursday.

Ukraine is making a broad effort to take back the initiative in the war after more than two years of fighting. It plans to manufacture more of its own weapons in the future, and is clamping down on young people avoiding conscription, though it will take time to process and train any new recruits.

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian young acting student Gleb Batonskiy plays piano in a public park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)