Today's Primaries

 

There are primaries today in four States:  Maine, South Carolina, Nevada, and North Dakota. Those in Maine and South Carolina will be the most watched by observers:

Four states in all four corners of the country are set to hold elections on Tuesday, June 9, for U.S. House, Senate and governor races, among other local contests. The winners will head into a busy campaign season leading up to the November midterm elections, when Republicans will aim to hold onto to a narrow majority on Capitol Hill.

"These early June primaries can be used as tea-leaves to help predict what will happen in the November midterm election," says Chase Meyer, senior lecturer of political science at the University of South Carolina.  

South Carolina

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is seeking a fifth term. While some senior senators have seen rebuke from the president this election cycle, Graham has received President Donald Trump's endorsement.

But he faces a crowded roster of GOP competitors: Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, Horry County businessman Pat Herrmann, author Thomas Dismukes, Duncan Town Councilmember Calvin Cowen and Columbia content creator Darius Mitchell, reports the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Late May polling from The Citadel shows between Graham or Lynch, 46% of Republicans supported Graham and 36% supported Lynch.

If he wins the nomination, Graham is likely to face Democratic frontrunner, Annie Andrews, a pediatrician looking to flip the reliably red seat.

In the Republican primary for South Carolina governor, Trump has endorsed state Lt. Gov. Sam Evette, the first woman to hold the position in the state's history. Evette faces top Republican challenger Rep. Nancy Mace, who pointed to her push to release files pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein as a reason why the president did not back her campaign.

The field to succeed Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is term limited, attracted a notable group that includes Mace and Evette, but also state Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Ralph Norman and business executive Ron Reddy. For much of the campaign's final two-month stretch, polls have shown the contenders within striking distance of each other...

Maine 

A Senate race to watch will be Graham Platner's bid for the Democratic nomination in Maine.

Platner, an oyster farmer who will almost assuredly win the bid to face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November, rallied the support of fellow Northeast Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders before his top competitor, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her Senate campaign on April 30. The move came as a surprise after some political watchers previously pointed to the Platner vs. Mills race as a possible proxy for the direction of the Democratic Party.

However, Platner's performance in the primary will still be followed as he battles multiple controversies. He faced criticism last year for a tattoo he had of a skull and crossbones that resembled a Nazi symbol, as well as old Reddit posts in which he made controversial comments on topics including sexual assault and race. On May 30, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported that Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, notified his campaign of sexual messages he had exchanged with several women before his campaign launched.

The June primary is expected to set up another closely-watched race between Platner and Collins this November. A general election poll released May 27 by the University of New Hampshire showed Platner with a 9-point lead over Collins.

Voting needs to be a habit, so we want to see sustained Democratic turnout in primaries and, of course, general elections.