Article snippet: Voters in six states — Colorado, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah — head to the polls Tuesday to pick nominees in critical races ahead of November’s midterm elections. Leading contenders include two African-American candidates fighting to become Maryland’s next governor, the first openly gay man with a strong shot at a governorship and a former presidential nominee who’s likely to claim a seat in the U.S. Senate. Here are the key races to watch as results roll in: Romney will finally beat Kennedy Twenty-four years ago, MORE began his political career by mounting a surprisingly strong challenge to then-Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Romney came up short, but his first race put him on a path that led to the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Now, running to replace retiring Sen. poll conducted last week showed Romney leading state Rep. Mike Kennedy (R) 65 percent to 23 percent. Romney is all but certain to skate to the Senate in November. He will face Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson (D). Utah has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since Frank Moss won reelection in 1970. Hatch beat Moss six years later. Big races in the Big Apple New York voters will pick party nominees in federal races Tuesday, though they have to wait until September to nominate candidates for statewide office. Four incumbents face credible threats in their home districts, led by Rep. Dan Donovan (R), whose predecessor, ex-Rep. Michael Grimm (R), is mountin... Link to the full article to read more