Trump remains a looming figure in latest wave of primaries

Eight states saw their midterm election primaries take place Tuesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump casting a shadow over most of the debates.

The eight states ranged from Democratic stronghold of California to red rural states including Mississippi, Alabama, Montana and South Dakota. Voters in Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico also cast their ballots Tuesday.

While all House seats are contested, Alabama, California, Iowa, New Mexico and South Dakota will also vote for new Governors, California, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey and New Mexico for new senators.

In Alabama, Democrats chose Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox to lead the charge against incumbent Republican governor Kay Ivey. Each enjoyed fairly strong support from their own parties, garnering over half of the votes.

In California, where voters vote for senate candidates regardless of political party, the Democrats have secured the top two positions on the roster, all but securing its claim on the senate seat. In the more closely-competed governor's race, the Democrats still enjoy a sizable advantage, as its candidate Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom earned 33.3 percent of the vote against Republican businessman John Cox's 26.2 percent.

In the central state of Iowa, Democrat businessman Fred Hubbell will represent his party in the governorship race against incumbent Republican Kim Reynolds, who took over the reins after former governor Terry Branstad was appointed the U.S. ambassador to China.

In the senate race in Mississippi, incumbent Republican Roger Wicker is poised to win another term after winning more than 80 percent of party support. A fractioned Democratic opposition is unlikely to overcome Wicker's bid.

In the midwestern state of Montana, one of the least populated states in the country, Republicans hope to ride on a wave of strong support for Trump to unseat the incumbent Democratic senator Jon Tester. State auditor Matt Rosendale garnered 33.8 percent of the vote to be best positioned to do so.

In New Jersey, a traditionally Republican leaning state that swung left in recent years, incumbent Democrat senator Bob Menendez faced opposition from both inside and outside the party after being embroiled in a federal corruption case. Bob Hugin, a former biotech executive, is the top Republican contender.

The senate race in New Mexico brought arguably the least drama, as both party's candidate ran unopposed in the primaries. The governorship race will be fought over between two U.S. house members, Democrat Michelle Grisham and Republican Stevan Pearce.

In South Dakota, another rural midwest state neighboring Montana, U.S. Representative Kristi Noem will compete with local politician Billie Sutton to become the next state governor.

While the races differ in nature and intensity, Trump was the dominating theme in many of the debates. Two years into his presidency, Trump's core base has shown little signs of erosion, prompting Republican candidates to position themselves as strong supporters of Trump's agenda.

Trump weighed in on the results Wednesday, tweeting "many more Republican voters showed up yesterday than the fake news thought possible," adding that the "Dems are easy to beat."

In Alabama, Representative Martha Roby is risking losing her seat after receiving 39 percent of the votes. The less than desirable outcome for her was seen as a rebuttal for her previous attacks on Trump after his crude comments on women was caught on tape.

In swing states such as New Jersey, Democrats are trying to capitalize on the anti-Trump sentiment there to make advances in the House.

The dynamic followed a trend from recent primaries in other states, indicating that while Trump is enjoying unwavering sway in the Republican party and among conservative voters, his controversial policies are sparking a strong backlash from Democratic voters and independents.