US primary election results: California races could tip power in Congress

Embattled New Jersey Democrat seeks return to Washington amid ethics investigation and San Francisco recalls liberal district attorney Chesa Boudin

Christy Smith, a former California legislator, set up a rematch against Republican representative Mike Garcia for the US House seat. AP

Primary elections in seven US states set up dozens of contests for November as Republicans attempt to retake the House of Representatives from Democrats.

Several US House battles took shape in heavily Democratic California, including a rematch between Mike Garcia, a representative who opposed former president Donald Trump's impeachment, and Democrat Christy Smith, who lost to the Republican two years ago.

In the state’s Central Valley farm belt, US representative David Valadao is acing the fall-out for his vote to impeach Mr Trump. He held a slight lead over Republican Chris Mathys, who has attacked Mr Valadao for his vote to impeach the former president.

And in Orange County, South Korean immigrant and Republican representative Michelle Steel will face Jay Chen in a race considered to be a toss-up.

Progressive district attorney ousted

San Francisco residents meanwhile voted overwhelmingly to recall progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin after a heated campaign that captivated the country and bitterly divided Democrats over crime, policing and public safety reform in the famously liberal city.

Mr Boudin, 41, was a first-time political candidate who narrowly won office in November 2019 as part of a national wave of progressive prosecutors who pledged to seek alternatives to incarceration, end the racist war on drugs and hold police officers to account.

But his time in office coincided with a frustrating and frightening pandemic in which viral footage of brazen shoplifting and attacks against Asian-American people drove some residents to mount a recall campaign of the former public defender and son of left-wing activists.

Former Trump Cabinet member seeks return to Washington

Ryan Zinke, former interior secretary in Mr Trump's administration, is locked in a tight race with Republican challenger Al “Doc” Olszewski — a former state senator — for an open US House seat in the state of Montana.

Mr Zinke’s rivals have been drawing attention to his troubled tenure at the agency, which was marked by several ethics investigations. One investigation determined that Mr Zinke lied to an agency ethics official about his continued involvement in a commercial real estate deal in his home town.

Rematch coming to New Jersey

Democratic US representative Tom Malinowski and Republican Tom Kean Jr both won their primaries on Tuesday night, setting up a rematch of their 2020 race.

Mr Malinowski is seeking a third term as he faces an ethics investigation over reports that he failed to report more than $600,000 in stock transactions. The Office of Congressional Ethics found “substantial reason to believe” the embattled Democrat failed to disclose his transactions, it said in a report.

Mr Malinowski said his failure to initially disclose the transactions was “a mistake that I own 100 per cent”. He said he did not direct or even ask questions about trades made by his brokerage company.

Mr Kean, a former state Senate minority leader and the son of the former two-term Republican governor, said in a tweet that he was humbled by his victory and looks forward to seizing the seat in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report