Coriano gets another shot at Senate in hard-fought Carova primaries

VALLINGBURG, Car. -- She's been elected to the Senate, removed from the Senate via the Senate Reduction Lotter, voted back into the Senate, and voted out again.

Now the outspoken Karen Coriano (N) will have another chance to regain a seat in the upper house.

The former senator narrowly defeated liberal political activist Bob McGregor, himself a former appointed senator.

Both candidates are firmly liberal, but Coriano ran to McGregor's left.

Despite her embrace of progressive policy positions, while in the Senate, Coriano often compromised with Conservatives, and, on many occasions, voted with their party over her own.

McGregor pointed that out during the race, while also pointing to his strong advocacy for labor rights and the environment.

Ultimately, the race came down to turnout and money. Coriano raised far more money than McGregor, which was a key advantage, particularly at the end of the race, where she was able to blanket the state's airwaves with pro-Coriano ads.

She ended election night with 51.4% compared to 48.6% for McGregor, respectively.

McGregor quickly called to concede.

"I have no ill feelings toward Karen. This was a close race, but she won it fairly and decisively. I consider her a friend, and I look forward to working with her to win this seat in the fall," McGregor told reporters at his election night celebration in north Carlingford.

In Vallingburg, at her celebration, Coriano thanked supporters and thanked McGregor.

"Bob McGregor was our opponent in this race, but he is an ally as we move forward. He is a tried-and-true Nationalist. He believes in the same ideals and values we believe in. And he is battle-tested. We need him by our side, on our side. So Bob, thank you for your support and endorsement. Thank you for running a clean, respectable race that was about the issues and about the voters, as it should have been. And thank you for partnering with me to win this seat this December," Coriano told her supporters.

Coriano's Conservative opponent is unclear, as the CNS primary race is too close to call.

As of Sunday morning, former Lt. Gov. Dave Emser of Aldridge was narrowly leading Assemblywoman Donna Creilo by a margin of 30.4% to 29.4 percent, respectively.

Assemblyman Jim Calisto of Port Bay, and political newcomer and home school activist Anita Rowley of Oster County, were both eliminated in the race.

The candidates were all vying for the soon-to-be-vacated seat held by longtime Senator Ann Kocheni, who is retiring after 20 years in the upper chamber.

In the state's other Senate race, incumbent Conservative Sen. Sawyer Upton will face another political newcomer, financial analyst Kate Porter of Lanakin.

Porter defeated former Lt. Gov. Carson Latzo and current Lt. Gov. Dean Haley for a chance to take on Upton, who is seeking reelection.

Porter won that race by less than three percent, taking 35% to Latzo's 32.6% and Haley's 32.3 percent, respectively.

Upton has a strong money and name recognition advantage over Porter, but the NAT nominee is hopeful her party's Senate Campaign Committee will help her raise money.

"I look forward to challenging Senator Upton and to sharing our different views with the people of Carova," Porter told reporters on election night at her celebration in Carlingford.

In the state's still outstanding CNS Senate primary, Donna Creilo is seeking a recount against Emser.

If Emser wins, it will be a rematch. He previously lost to Coriano back in 2018.

He also lost against Dan Sallovich, the state's current governor who was previously a federal senator.

Coriano, though, is no stranger to losing. She was unsuccessful in her 2014 race against Sawyer Upton.

She then won a seat against Emser in 2018, but lost again in 2024 to Conservative Aaron Hallings.

In Carova's Conservative Senate primary, all three leading candidates have lost multiple races for Senate and for other positions.

Their combined losing record became a running joke, with frontrunner and two-time unsuccessful Senate nominee Dave Emser making a joke at the party's Senate debate.

"OK, here's the deal. We're all losers. All three of us. So let's just get that out there in the open and accept it. We've all ran before and lost," he said, to cheers and laughs from the audience. "But we can either point fingers at the other person and say, 'What a loser they are,' or we can say, you know what, we might have all lost in the past, but we're going to win this time. And this is how we're going to do it. We're going to do it by championing lower taxes. By supporting freedom of education and parent choice. By championing business and a strong economy. By championing a strong national defense and a strongly enforced immigration system. By encouraging new infrastructure in our state. That's how we're going to win."

***Unofficial Election Results -- Carova Senate Race -- Conservative Primary***

658,282	Turnout:	29.40%	22.13%	30.42%	18.05%	193,503	145,703	200,251	118,825
658,282	15.42%	29.40%	22.13%	30.42%	18.05%
100.00%		Creilo	Calisto	Emser	Rowley

***Unofficial Election Results -- Carova Senate Race -- Nationalist Primary***

618,270	Turnout:	48.52%	51.48%			299,971	318,299
618,270	14.49%	48.52%	51.48%
100.00%		McGregor	Coriano

***Unofficial Election Results -- Carova Senate Race 2 -- Nationalist Primary***

628,629	Turnout:	32.60%	35.08%	32.32%		204,921	220,552	203,156
628,629	14.73%	32.60%	35.08%	32.32%
100.00%		Latzo	Porter	Haley