1. The outcome of primaries in Florida and Arizona threw the themes of the coming midterms into stark relief.

It’s a good year for many (though not all) female office seekers, and a breakthrough year for black candidates: Andrew Gillum, above, a 39-year-old African-American, became Florida’s Democratic nominee for governor.

And Trump loyalists are proving resilient — and sometimes controversial. One, Ron DeSantis, the Republican chosen to face Mr. Gillum, was accused of using a racist dog whistle after warning voters not to “monkey this up” by electing his rival.