Key points on primary election day in six states
President Donald Trump’s Republican winning streak came to an end in Iowa, while the Democratic Party won a historic nomination in New Mexico.
It’s been a busy month of primaries across the United States.
Four states across the country are scheduled to hold local elections, particularly the House of Representatives, Senate, and gubernatorial elections, on Tuesday, June 9th. The winner will launch a busy campaign ahead of November’s midterm elections, where Republicans will aim to maintain a narrow majority on Capitol Hill.
“The early June primaries can be used to predict what will happen in the November midterm elections,” said Chase Meyer, a senior lecturer in political science at the University of South Carolina.
Here’s a look at this week’s primaries and some of the key races that follow.
Which states will have elections on June 9th?
- Maine: US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor
- Nevada: US House of Representatives, Governor
- North Dakota: usa house
- South Carolina: US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor
Race to watch: Who will replace Lindsey Graham?
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is seeking a fifth term. While some senior senators have received reprimands from presidents this election cycle, Mr. Graham has the support of President Donald Trump.
But he faces a crowded field of Republican competitors, including Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, Horry County businessman Pat Herman, author Thomas Dismukes, Duncan City Councilman Calvin Cowen and Columbia content creator Darius Mitchell, USA TODAY Network’s Greenville News reports. A Citadel newspaper poll in late May found the race to be between Graham and Lynch, with 46% of Republicans backing Graham and 36% backing Lynch.
If Graham wins the nomination, he will likely face the Democratic front-runner, pediatrician Annie Andrews, who is firmly in the running to flip the red seat.
Race to watch: Nancy Mace runs for governor of South Carolina
In the Republican primary for governor of South Carolina, President Trump endorsed Lt. Governor Sam Evett, the first female governor in the state’s history. Evett is facing a leading Republican challenger, Rep. Nancy Mace, who cited her push to release files on Jeffrey Epstein as a reason the president did not support her campaign.
A group of prominent candidates to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster have assembled, including Mace and Evett, as well as state Attorney General Alan Wilson, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and business executive Ron Ready. For most of the last two months of the campaign, polls have shown each candidate within shooting distance of each other.
“It’s very rare in recent elections that we actually have five-person elections, so this is very unusual,” Meyer said. Many South Carolina Republicans have not yet made up their minds, so “it could be anyone who finishes first,” he said.
But primaries so far this season have shown that the influence of support for Trump cannot be ignored, Meyer said.
“President Trump’s influence is definitely being felt in the state,” Meyer said. “His support matters to Republican primary voters.”
Meyer said one of the concerns for South Carolinians is the state’s record population growth, which is raising new concerns about housing, employment and health care.
“Many candidates running from both parties touch on the need to hire more teachers (Republicans are particularly focused on school choice) and improve roads and infrastructure to accommodate this significant growth,” Meyer said.
Race to watch: Graham Platner makes debut in Maine Senate primary
The focus of attention in the Senate race is Graham Platner’s candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Maine.
Mr. Platner, an oyster farmer who is almost certain to win his race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, attracted the support of fellow Northeast Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders before his archrival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her Senate campaign on April 30. The move came as a surprise after some political watchers had previously suggested that the Plattner-Mills race could signal the direction of the Democratic Party.
However, Platner’s performance in the primary will continue to be closely watched as he battles multiple controversies. He came under fire last year for getting a tattoo of a skull and crossbones, which resembles a Nazi symbol, and for old Reddit posts in which he made controversial comments about topics such as sexual assault and race. On May 30, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported that Mr. Platner’s wife, Amy Gartner, notified his campaign of sexual messages he had exchanged with several women before the start of his campaign.
The June primary is expected to bring another high-profile race between Mr. Platner and Mr. Collins this November. A general election poll released by the University of New Hampshire on May 27 showed Mr. Platner leading Mr. Collins by 9 points.
Races to watch: Nevada open house seats
A retiring Republican lawmaker from Nevada opposes Trump’s choice of successor.
President Trump on Friday, May 29, endorsed David Flippo in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
However, Amodei responded to Trump by saying he “made a mistake” and expressed support for James Settelmeyer. According to his campaign website, Mr. Setelmeyer served in the Nevada State Legislature for 16 years and served as director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before running for Congress.
Thirteen Republicans are participating in the race. The winner of the June 9 Republican primary is likely to be the frontrunner to win the seat in the red-leaning district, which is mostly rural in the northern half of the state.
More from USA TODAY Network: Q&A with a Republican running for Nevada’s CD2 U.S. House seat.
Contributor: Margie Cullen, USA TODAY Network – New England
