(CNN) Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo will beat back a foe supported by Bernie Sanders-inspired progressive groups in Wednesday's Democratic primary, CNN projects, setting the stage for what's expected to be a hotly contested November match-up.

Raimondo will face Republican Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, CNN projects, in a rematch of their 2014 race, which Raimondo won by 4 percentage points while drawing just 41% of the vote in a three-way race.

The possibility of a close general election reflects an oddity of the 2018 political map: Most signs point to a dominant year for Democrats nationwide, but Republicans could be re-elected to the governors' offices in four typically deep-blue Northeastern states: Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire and Vermont. Competitive races in Rhode Island, Maine and Connecticut mean all of New England's governors' offices are in play for the GOP.

In Rhode Island, the Democratic race featured the state's first female governor, in a year in which women have dominated the party's competitive primaries, running against a white male challenger backed by progressive groups Our Revolution -- the organization launched by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont after his 2016 presidential bid -- and Justice Democrats.

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