Tuesday's primaries in four predominantly Republican states left Democrats with a big cash advantage and a handful of new openings as they work to defend vulnerable Senate seats and try to flip House districts this fall.

Particularly in Senate races in Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana, where Democrats are playing defense, incumbents maintained a healthy edge in cash on hand. Yet despite the financial advantages, the political headwinds are largely against Democrats since all three states voted for President Donald Trump by sizable margins in 2016.

West Virginia coal baron and convicted criminal Don Blankenship spent nearly $3 million — almost entirely from his own pocket — only to lose the state's GOP primary to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who raised about half as much.