Today’s primary contests stretch from Maine to North Dakota, South Carolina and Nevada, where voters will decide on races for the U.S. Senate, House, governor and more.
A lot is riding on the Senate race in Maine, where political newcomer Graham Platner, facing a series of controversies, is the presumptive Democratic nominee to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has had the job for 30 years.
Another Republican incumbent, Nevada’s Gov. Joe Lombardo, is facing a tough challenge in November.
And in a field of MAGA-devoted Republicans in South Carolina, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was the one to grab President Trump’s endorsement in the race for governor.
Here, reporters from the NPR network tell us about the key races to watch.
Maine U.S. Senate seat | Maine’s 2nd Congressional District | Maine governor | Nevada governor | South Carolina governor
You can also check out voter resources for the June 9 primaries from the NPR network.
Maine’s primary winners will set up crucial November races
— Kevin Miller and Steve Mistler, Maine Public
Maine’s U.S. Senate seat
If Democrats want control of the U.S. come November, they almost certainly need to take five-term Republican Sen. Collins’ seat in Maine.
The outcome of the pivotal race could hinge on whether voters value Collins’ clout and ability to secure federal dollars over Democratic insurgent Platner’s call to upend a political system he says is rigged against working-class Americans.
The first-time Democratic candidate has so far run a barnstorming campaign that’s already pushed his Democratic rival, Gov. Janet Mills, out of the race.
After recent accusations published by The New York Times that he was physically threatening in a past relationship, and previous revelations that he sexted with several women early in his marriage, some are wondering if he still has enough support to flip the seat in November. In an interview with Maine Public, Platner denied the accusations.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District
In a district that has voted for Trump three times, four Democrats are vying to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jared Golden. Whoever wins the primary will face former Republican Gov. Paul LePage in the fall.
The Democratic nominee in this congressional district will offer a sense of what kind of candidates primary voters think can succeed in hard-to-win seats.
Maine’s governor
The race to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is likely to go to a Democrat, according to an analysis by the Cook Political Report, but it’s still a question of who. There is a five-way Democratic race for the nomination, seven active candidates on the GOP side and both races have the potential to go to a ranked-choice runoff.
The affordable housing crisis, rising property taxes, access to health care and standing up to President Donald Trump have emerged as central themes in the primary contest.
Recent polls show former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah in the lead, though former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears to be surging in popularity ahead of the ranked-choice primary election.
The presumptive frontrunner in the GOP contest is Bobby Charles, an attorney and former Navy intelligence officer.
In November, State Sen. Rick Bennett will also be on the ballot running as an independent.
Nevada’s GOP governor faces a tough November
Paul Boger, Nevada Public Radio
Trump’s economic policies are so unpopular in Nevada that the incumbent governor, Republican Joe Lombardo, is facing what could be a tough November election. Cook rates the race as a toss-up, and the candidate who may have the best shot against Lombardo, former Clark County Sheriff, is the state’s top cop, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford.
With a sizeable war chest, Lombardo should sail through the primary. Still, it may not be enough in November to assuage Nevadans worried about increasing costs in a tourism-based economy that is welcoming fewer domestic and international visitors every month.
Ford’s path to the Democratic nomination isn’t guaranteed. He’s drawn criticism from Republicans for his extensive domestic and international travel as attorney general. And from his main Democratic opponent in the primary, Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, for Ford’s support of data centers, which are an existential concern in the country’s driest state.
The governor’s race in South Carolina tests Trump’s endorsement power
— Gavin Jackson, South Carolina Public Radio
The crowded race for governor in South Carolina doesn’t have a clear frontrunner, even though the president has endorsed Republican Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a longtime supporter of his, in Tuesday’s primary.
Evette’s biggest challenger is another Trump enthusiast, four-term Attorney General Alan Wilson. Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who claims her vote for more transparency of the Epstein files cost her Trump’s endorsement, is also on the ballot. The race is widely expected to go to a runoff.
Three Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination: Columbia state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Charleston lawyer Mullins McLeod and Greenville businessman Billy Webster.
After Trump lost his first primary endorsement race last week in Iowa, political watchers are sure to have a close eye on how votes shake out in South Carolina.
