For months now, voters in San Francisco and Los Angeles have been voicing concern that daily life in their cities seems to be spiraling out of control. San Francisco residents are facing an increase in burglaries and auto thefts, as well as an alarming series of hate crimes directed at Asian Americans. Los Angeles residents have witnessed a sharp rise in violent crime, while city leaders have grappled with a homelessness crisis that has led to the proliferation of tents and litter in parks, sidewalks and public spaces, while exposing an untreated mental health emergency on their streets. .

On Tuesday, voters in San Francisco expressed concern as they recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, fearing he was advancing progressive policies as a national advocate for criminal justice reform at the expense of their safety. It’s a decision that showed how far the political pendulum has swung since the 2020 election cycle, when many Democratic voters cited police accountability and criminal justice reviews among their top concerns – a debate that reached a crescendo after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

That same night, voters in the wildly progressive city of Los Angeles signaled their unease with the Democrats’ handling of crime and homelessness by uplifting billionaire mall mogul Rick Caruso, a former Republican who turned Democrat earlier. this year, in a run-off race to replace term-limited mayor Eric Garcetti.

Bass, a Democrat who led House negotiations on legislation to increase police accountability after Floyd’s death, has vowed to make public safety a priority. She pledged to restore the Los Angeles Police Department to its authorized strength of 9,700 officers, in part by hiring more civilians to free up 250 officers to return to street patrols. But she didn’t go as far as Caruso, who promised to hire 1,500 more officers and bring in some 500 sanitation workers to clean the streets – proposals her critics say the city cannot. not afford.

For months now, the headwinds facing Democrats nationwide as they struggle to find an effective message on crime and inflation have played out in races across California, where Democrats hold currently all state offices and dominate the congressional delegation.

Several Republican incumbents in California have faced their own challenges as different GOP factions continue to battle for dominance. Representative David Valadao, one of ten GOP members who backed Trump’s impeachment in 2021, faced a challenge to his right in his Democratic-leaning seat in the Central Valley — the new 22nd District. Former Fresno City Councilman Chris Mathys said he decided to run because of Valadao’s impeachment vote, but Trump did not get involved in the race.

GOP Rep. Young Kim faced stiff competition from her right flank in Orange County’s newly drawn 40th District by Navy veteran Greg Raths, another Trump loyalist.

On the other hand, Democrats hope to use GOP Rep. Mike Garcia’s ties to Trump against him in California’s 27th District after redistricting made his seat in northern Los Angeles County more Democratic. (Garcia voted against certification of the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania).

Following Finkenauer’s recent mistake – where she nearly failed to qualify for the ballot when a judge found she had failed to meet the signing requirements – as well as her loss two years ago to Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, Hawkeye State Democrats went in a different direction. They picked retired Navy Admiral Mike Franken to take on Grassley, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, who will win his party’s primary as he seeks an eighth term, CNN predicted.

Finkenauer served one term in Congress after winning a district in 2018 that former President Donald Trump carried two years earlier. At that time, she was the second-youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at age 29.

Elsewhere in Iowa, one of the most competitive races is in the 3rd District, where Rep. Cindy Axne, the only Democrat in the congressional delegation, hopes to take her seat in a district Trump would have won by less than a half point. CNN predicted that State Senator Zach Nunn, an Air Force veteran, will win the Republican primary in the Des Moines-area district.

The other two competitive House races in Iowa are set. GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks will face Democratic State Rep. Christina Bohannan in the new 1st District. In the 2nd District, Hinson will face Democratic State Senator Liz Mathis, who is also a former local television news anchor.

There were also several high-profile congressional races in New Jersey. In the state’s 7th District, a battleground that has become more Republican during the redistricting, CNN predicted that Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski and Republican Tom Kean Jr., the former Senate Minority Leader of the State and son of former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean will face off in the general election.

In northern New Jersey’s 8th District, Democrat Rob Menendez Jr., son of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, will win the Democratic primary, CNN projects, as he runs for the seat of incumbent Democratic Rep. Albio Sires.

This story has been updated with additional developments.