Here's Everything That Happened In Tuesday’s Primaries
From Maine To South Carolina: Everything That Happened In Tuesday’s Primaries
Primary elections were held on Tuesday in Maine, Nevada, South Carolina, and North Dakota. From Rep. James Clyburn securing a nomination for his 18th term to Rep. Nancy Mace falling well short of success in her gubernatorial bid, here are the big stories from last night’s election.
Perhaps the biggest story of the night came from Maine, where AP reports that Graham Platner secured the Democratic nomination for Senate. This is unsurprising as his main opponent, Janet Mills, dropped out of the race due to a lack of momentum in fundraising.
Platner has been under fire in recent weeks, with stories emerging about sexual text messages he sent to other women while married, as well as former partners speaking out about his behavior during their relationships. Platner didn’t shy away from the controversy when speaking to his supporters on Tuesday night after securing the nomination.
“Any of those who feel let down or disappointed or disillusioned, it is my job to earn your trust, faith, and support,” Platner said. He later added, “I’ve made mistakes in my life, mistakes that I regret, that I live with, that I continue to learn from.”
Platner will go on to face Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in a race that is crucial to the Democrats’ bid to flip control of Congress this November.
In South Carolina, Rep. James Clyburn handily secured a victory over a little-known primary challenger. Clyburn is South Carolina’s only Democratic House representative, though it was unclear if he would secure an 18th term as a result of the state legislature pushing for a last-minute redistricting effort in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to gut the Voting Rights Act. While Clyburn’s seat is secure for the moment, the state legislature has signaled it will revisit redistricting ahead of the 2028 election.
Elsewhere in South Carolina, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace was handed a truly embarrassing L. Mace. Mace decided not to run for reelection in the House to pursue a bid for governor. Her gubernatorial aspirations were cut short last night after placing fifth in the race.
South Carolina’s gubernatorial race also had mixed results for President Donald Trump. Pamela Evette, Trump’s pick for governor, is heading to a runoff election against state Attorney General Alan Wilson after failing to secure the majority of the vote. Evette is ahead of Wilson by nearly three points, so the runoff will likely be a close race.
State Rep. Jermaine Johnson handily secured the Democratic nomination for Governor in South Carolina. While South Carolina has only elected Republican governors for the last 23 years, Johnson is hoping there’s a Blue wave in the state. Should Johnson win in November, it could derail plans by the Republican led state legislature to implement the aforementioned redistricting effort.
The New York Times reports that Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired in his purge of anything he felt represented DEI, advanced to a runoff election for the Democratic nomination in the district Mace formerly represented. The Republican nomination will also advance to a runoff, which is unsurprising given that the field to replace Mace was crowded. The two front-runners, Jenny Costa Honeycutt and state Rep. Mark Smith, received only 22% and 18% of the vote, respectively.
So the night more or less went as expected. As always, the real test is going to come in November, when we’ll see how the Republican-led redistricting efforts will fare against the growing, widespread disapproval of the Trump administration.
SEE ALSO:
Vigil Planned At South Carolina Statehouse For Cyrus Carmack-Belton
South Carolina Redistricting Effort Stalls In State Senate
From Maine To South Carolina: Everything That Happened In Tuesday’s Primaries was originally published on newsone.com
