Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota will cast their ballots Tuesday in another day of primary elections in America, but much of the political world will be focused on Maine鈥檚 high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.
The results aren’t in question. Neither Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faces serious opposition for their party鈥檚 nomination. And yet Tuesday marks an especially significant moment for Platner, the embattled veteran and oyster farmer, who’s fighting to rebuild his credibility in a campaign rocked by controversy.
Elsewhere, President clout within his party will be tested anew in states like South Carolina and Nevada, where he鈥檚 endorsed his favored candidates. Democrats hope to build momentum in Nevada in their broader push to reclaim key governor鈥檚 seats.
Here’s the latest:
Lindsey Graham鈥檚 reelection campaign started with a show of force
More than a year before filing even opened for this year鈥檚 contests, Graham鈥檚 campaign said Sen. and Gov. would .
Scott, South Carolina鈥檚 junior senator, chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
McMaster is the state鈥檚 longest-serving governor, having been elected twice after serving the remaining two years of Nikki Haley鈥檚 term after she became Trump鈥檚 first ambassador to the United Nations.
Busy primaries for Maine governor as Janet Mills prepares to leave office
Democrats and Republicans will pick nominees for governor to replace Mills as the Democrat鈥檚 time in office is winding to a close.
It鈥檚 a crowded field. Democrats are choosing between Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson; former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Hannah Pingree; energy executive Angus King III; and former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nirav Shah.
Republicans will choose between former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles; healthcare executive Jonathan Bush; former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason; University of Maine System trustee Owen McCarthy; former Paris, Maine, selectman Robert Wessels; and businessmen David Jones and Ben Midgley.
Mills is termed out and will appear on the Democratic ballot for U.S. Senate, although she weeks ago.
Nevada Democrats seek to tie Gov. Lombardo to Trump
As Nevada voters participate in primary elections Tuesday, the state Democratic Party has launched a website 鈥� 鈥� to highlight GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo鈥檚 connections to the White House.
The site is an effort to connect the governor to the economic fallout from Trump鈥檚 tariffs and the Iran war. Lombardo is considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the country.
The Democrats vying to challenge Lombardo include state Attorney General Aaron Ford, who has the backing of the Democratic congressional delegation and former Vice President Kamala Harris. He would be the first Black man elected governor of Nevada. He鈥檚 facing Democrat Alexis Hill, a county commissioner in northern Nevada who campaigned as a candidate willing to shake things up.
In GOP-heavy South Carolina, Democrats facing off in top races, too
Republicans have held all statewide-elected positions in South Carolina for more than a decade, but several Democrats are competing in primaries Tuesday for some of the state鈥檚 top posts.
, a Charleston pediatrician who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. in 2022, is vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. . Also in that contest is Brandon Brown, a former HBCU vice president and owner of funeral homes in Greenville.
In the governor鈥檚 race, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Greenville businessman Billy Webster are running in the Democratic primary. They鈥檙e joined by Mullins McLeod, an attorney who withstood calls from party leaders that he quit the race following an arrest last year for disorderly conduct.
Lindsey Graham鈥檚 reelection campaign coincides with the Iran war he鈥檚 pushed
The South Carolina senator鈥檚 bid for a fifth term coincides with he鈥檚 pushed for years. Graham has a close relationship with Trump and they speak regularly about the conflict.
But as voters mull whether to send Graham back to Washington, they鈥檙e also , which has among some of Trump鈥檚 most vocal supporters.
Graham frequently pushes Trump to take even more aggressive action, at one point suggesting that the U.S. military seize Kharg Island, which is critical for Iran鈥檚 oil industry.
Mace calls Evette a 鈥榙isgrace鈥� after an altercation between their supporters
Rep. Nancy Mace says one of her supporters was assaulted at a Monday event with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, one of her rivals in South Carolina鈥檚 governor鈥檚 race.
The man was escorted from Evette鈥檚 rally, then walked the sidewalk speaking into a megaphone. Then another man wearing an Evette campaign hat is seen on video grabbing the device from his hands.
Court records show the Evette supporter, Blake Garrison Kirsch, was charged with third-degree assault and battery Tuesday. No attorney was listed. Evette鈥檚 campaign said Kirsch was not a staffer and had been removed from the campaign鈥檚 finance committee since the altercation.
Asked about the incident Tuesday, Evette told reporters after voting in Taylors she was 鈥渟addened鈥� by the situation and doesn鈥檛 鈥渢olerate violence on any level.鈥�
Democratic dark horse candidate faces uphill battle for Nevada governor
Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill faces state Attorney General Aaron Ford, whose fundraising has dwarfed hers 鈥�$2.3 million compared to Hill鈥檚 $100,000. He also has the support of the entire Democratic congressional delegation and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Hill, a local official in the county that includes Reno, has run a grassroots campaign, promising to shake up the status quo in the Democratic Party. Ford has largely ignored her, fixing his sights on the November election.
The winner will most likely face Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who’s running for reelection.
Voter voices from Graham 笔濒补迟苍别谤鈥檚 hometown of Sullivan, Maine
Brenda Wood said she voted for Republicans in the primary because she doesn鈥檛 believe campaign promises and expressed dissatisfaction with his party generally.
鈥淚 think the Democrats have been a disgrace to Maine for years,鈥� she said.
Annette Babcock, also from Sullivan, said she supported Platner, whom she said she鈥檚 met a few times and likes because he鈥檚 not an established politician.
She did not sound concerned over surrounding his campaign.
鈥淭he Republicans don鈥檛 have much moral high ground to stand on when they鈥檙e criticizing him for what he鈥檚 done when Trump is a convicted felon,鈥� she said.
What鈥檚 at stake in Maine鈥檚 US Senate race
The road for the Democrats to goes through Maine. That road starts today.
The Democratic Party needs to net four seats to retake the Senate majority, and thinks some of its best chances are in states like Maine, North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio. The party is set to officially pick its nominee in Maine on Tuesday.
Oyster farmer and combat veteran is the party鈥檚 presumptive nominee because his main rival, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign weeks ago. Mills remains on the ballot. David Costello, who hasn’t campaigned aggressively, is also on the ballot.
Evette calls Trump endorsement 鈥榞olden ticket鈥� in her South Carolina gubernatorial campaign
After voting at her precinct in Taylors on Tuesday, South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette said she was confident about how her campaign for governor had gone.
But if she doesn鈥檛 win the primary outright and has to campaign for two more weeks in a runoff, the Republican said she鈥檇 work hard to win over voters who didn鈥檛 initially support her.
President Donald Trump is backing Evette鈥檚 bid and the candidate said that, while she thinks that will help her in this 鈥減roud Trump state,鈥� she鈥檒l focus primarily on her own stances, like cutting taxes and regulations.
Graham 笔濒补迟苍别谤鈥檚 tattoo and social media controversies, explained
笔濒补迟苍别谤鈥檚 campaign has spent months about a tattoo of a Nazi symbol that he had covered up and his history of inflammatory online postings.
Platner has said he was drunk on leave with some fellow Marines many years ago when he got a skull and crossbones tattoo on his chest. He had it covered up last year after saying he learned that it was a Nazi image.
There has also been much attention on his former social media and , which were dismissive of military sexual assaults, insulting of police and rural residents and used homophobic slurs, for which he’s apologized.
Trump鈥檚 hold on Nevada GOP to be tested
Nevada鈥檚 primary will give an indication of the influence the president maintains in the battleground state.
In 2024, Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate in 20 years to win Nevada. For Tuesday鈥檚 primary, he’s backed candidates in three of the state鈥檚 four congressional races:
Trump has a string of victories for his endorsed candidates so far this primary season. That includes those he endorsed in Republicans he deemed insufficiently loyal.
The GOP primary for the 2nd District appears to be the most contentious. Trump鈥檚 endorsed candidate faces James Settelmeyer, a rancher with a long political resume who has the backing of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and the retiring incumbent.
South Carolina鈥檚 Republican governor primary was all about Trump鈥檚 support
Trump鈥檚 endorsement is a powerful factor in a state where Republicans dominate politics.
U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette all showcased their proximity to the president. Mace worked for his 2016 campaign, Norman votes with him in the House, Wilson traveled to New York City when Trump was on trial, and Evette hired one of his advisers for her campaign.
In the end, Trump endorsed Evette in the primary鈥檚 closing days, also saying on social media that 鈥淎 BIG added plus鈥� was that Henry McMaster Jr. 鈥� the sitting governor鈥檚 son 鈥� could be Evette鈥檚 running mate.
McMaster is close to Trump, backing him in 2016 when much of the Republican establishment was hesitant to embrace the New York businessman and reality television star. So when in February, it was a sign that Trump鈥檚 support could be on the way.
4 Democrats running for crucial Maine congressional seat
Many Maine Democrats are voting to pick a candidate for the , which Republicans see as a key chance to pick up a seat in the narrowly divided chamber.
Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, is not seeking reelection. The 2nd District includes much of rural Maine and Trump has had great success there at the top of the ticket in the last three presidential elections.
The Republicans鈥� presumptive nominee is former . Democrats will choose between former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap; state Sen. Joe Baldacci; former U.S. Senate candidate Jordan Wood; and social worker Paige Loud.
Nevada website shows the status of mail ballots
The Nevada Secretary of State鈥檚 Office has launched a website designed to provide transparency around mail ballots.
The shows how many were mailed, returned and accepted. It also notes the number requiring fixes by voters. Nevada mails a ballot to every registered voter unless a voter opts out.
It鈥檚 one of several swing states where Trump disputed his loss in 2020 with false claims of fraud. The secretary of state at the time, a Republican, investigated various claims and found no evidence of any widespread fraud. Trump also has repeatedly attacked the use of mail ballots generally.
Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, said he created the website to increase transparency around Nevada鈥檚 elections and provide a way for voters to see in real-time how many ballots are outstanding.
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