Two Vulnerable Senate Incumbents at Center of Tuesday Primaries
- Democrat Heitkamp, GOP’s Heller are pivotal to Senate control
- Voters in five states to hit ballot box as races take shape
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Two of this year’s most vulnerable Senate incumbents will find out Tuesday who they’ll face in November, as residents of Nevada select the challenger to GOP Senator Dean Heller and voters in North Dakota pick the candidate to run against Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp.
Heller’s state is Democrat-leaning and was narrowly won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, while Heitkamp’s is dominated by Republicans and voted strongly for President Donald Trump. Both are seeking re-election after having won in 2012 by just one percentage point. Control of the Senate, now held 51-49 by Republicans, could turn on how they fare in the congressional election less than five months away.