Primary elections - AS IT HAPPENED Trump-endorsed Kris Kobach in bitter fight for Republican nomination for Kansas governor

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Four US states are held primary elections with a fifth having a special House vote. A number of the races were a test for Donald Trump and the amount of sway he holds with voters ahead of crucial midterm elections.

Michigan, Missouri Kansas and Washington had a mixture of governor and senate races, preparing the states for the November polls.

Voters in Ohio's 12th district, where Mr Trump personally stumped for Troy Balderson, were split nearly down the middle, though the GOP hopeful claimed victory in the race to succeed resigning Republican representative Pat Tiberi.

Republicans had scrambled to avoid an embarrassing defeat in a seat the party has held for decades. Mr Balderson faced Democrat Danny O'Connor in the last special congressional election before the midterms. A win for Democrats would have signalled further danger for Republicans in November.

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The GOP previously lost a similar race in Pennsylvania and saw one in Arizona get too close for comfort.

In the Republican race to pick a candidate for Kansas governor, Mr Trump has backed Kris Kobach, a conservative agitator for strict immigration and voter ID laws.

He is facing Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, who raised more money than Kobach, received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, brandished his anti-abortion credentials and has the backing of Kansas political legend Bob Dole.

While some White House advisers had reportedly asked the president to stay clear of the race, amid fears Mr Kobach would lose in the midterms, Mr Trump's tweet endorsement could tip the scales in a competitive race, as some other recent Trump endorsements have done. Mr Trump's tweet backing Georgia Republican governor hopeful Brian Kemp vaulted him to an easy primary runoff win two weeks ago. Trump also has recently given a boost to GOP primary candidates in Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

Mr Trump also endorsed in two Michigan primaries: state Attorney General Bill Schuette in the gubernatorial contest and John James for Senate.

For the Democrats, the battle between progressive candidates and the establishment will continue on Tuesday. Both Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a round progressive who surprisingly beat an establishment candidate earlier this summer, have endorsed Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for governor in Michigan, and Brent Welder, who is running in Kansas’ 3rd District. Mr El-Sayed has trailed the establishment-backed Gretchen Whitmer in polling, but progressives are pushing for an upset.

With many of the races too close to call, we will give you all the latest on the elections, with results expected to come in late this evening.

Additional reporting by Reuters and AP.