In the Florida and Arizona primaries last night, Donald Trump flexed his political muscles a bit, as his preferred candidates in Florida swept to victory and a strong Republican won the Arizona GOP Senate primary.  Rep. Ron DeSantis, whom Trump enthusiastically endorsed, won the GOP governor's primary, easily outdistancing Adam Putnam by 20 points. 

Florida Democrats gave the nod for governor to a certifiable Bernie Sanders-backed candidate.  Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, who wants to legalize marijuana, abolish ICE, and push Medicare for All, won a surprise victory against the less radical former rep. Gwen Graham.

Fox News:

DeSantis and Gillum will face each other in November's general election.  If he triumphs, Gillum would [sic] be the state's first black governor.

During a celebration event in Orlando, DeSantis thanked the president for "viewing me as somebody who could be a great leader for Florida."

"Our victory is a good victory, anyways," DeSantis said, complimenting Putnam on a hard-fought race.  "But man, to beat someone of his caliber is a big, big deal."

The president repeatedly had implored voters to support DeSantis over Putnam.  Trump offered his congratulations on Twitter.

Such a fantastic win for Ron DeSantis and the people of the Great State of Florida. Ron will be a fantastic Governor. On to November!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018

Gillum, who would be the first black governor in Florida history if he won, depended on the enthusiasm he generated among activists nationwide.  But he received only 34% of the vote, pointing to the rift between radical leftists and more moderate Democrats in Florida. 

You can expect to see a lot of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Florida this fall as they stump hard for the socialist Gillum.  Florida will be a key state in 2020, and whichever party controls the statehouse will have a decided advantage in November.  No doubt, the president will swing through the state more than once this fall.

In the Senate primary, it was no contest as Governor Rick Scott easily won the GOP nomination.  He will face incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson, who many believe is vulnerable because of his age and the fact that he is out of step with Florida voters.

Arizona was a slightly different story.  Two candidates who tried to tie themselves to the president went down to defeat in the GOP primary, but a strong Republican candidate who didn't try to run away from the president won handily.

Former female fighter pilot Rep. Martha McSally coasted to victory over Kelli Ward and Sheriff Joe Arpaio, both of whom vied for Trump's endorsement.  Republicans were already going to have trouble holding on to this seat, being vacated by Senator Jeff Flake, and Trump wisely stayed on the sidelines, giving McSally a clear path to the win.  McSally is no NeverTrump and will no doubt be glad to have Trump campaign for her.

In the fall, McSally will face a strong Democrat in  Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who buried the progressive candidate with 82% of the primary vote.  With Democrats united behind Sinema and Arizona considered a battleground state, the race is likely to be close and hard fought.

The takeaway from primary night is that Republicans did well in nominating candidates who can win in November while in at least one race, Democrats let their hearts win out by nominating a leftist loon.  Both sides got the results they wanted.  Both sides will try to make Trump a central issue.  It remains to be seen how far the president's coattails will extend in November.