North Dakota Sen. Hoeven easily declared GOP primary winner

Sen. John Hoeven sailed to victory Tuesday in North Dakota’s Republican primary for US Senate against poorly-funded challenger Riley Kuntz. 

The Associated Press called the race in favor of Hoeven around 8 pm local time. Less than half an hour later, the AP declared Katrina Christiansen winner of the state's Democratic primary. 

Kuntz, oil field worker who raised less than $5,000 for his Senate race, received 21% of votes with less than a fifth of ballots counted, per the AP.

The Democratic primaries likewise did not raise much in donations. Christiansen, an engineering professor at the University of Jamestown, raised about $21,000. Her competitor, Fargo art and antiques dealer Michael Steele, raised $2,100.

Hoeven is likely to win reelection for his third Senate term this Fall in the heavily red state. In 2020, North Dakota voted overwhelmingly for former President Donald Trump, who won 65.5% of the vote compared to President Joe Biden's 31.9%.