Tuesday saw a variety of primary election results in several states. The results of these races included a controversial Democrat moving forward in Maine, while a divisive Republican lost in her quest to become the next governor of South Carolina, even as two longtime members of Congress from that state moved forward in their reelection bids.
Who is Graham Platner, the controversial Democrat looking to flip a GOP Senate seat?
As expected, Democrat Graham Platner of Maine won the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race in that state. Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, easily won the primary given that his main opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her Senate campaign. Platner will now face longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November in a race that Democrats see as one of the best chances to flip a GOP Senate seat and possibly retake Congress. Platner has largely run as a populist focused on issues of inequality and health care, and he has gained the support of many progressives in the Democratic Party, including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
Platner’s campaign, however, has had to deal with a growing set of controversies. At the beginning of his campaign, he covered a tattoo of a Nazi symbol that he has had for years; Platner has claimed that he didn’t know the meaning of the symbol, though that excuse has been disputed by a former girlfriend. Platner’s internet history includes offensive posts dismissing sexual assault in the military and using homophobic slurs, for which he has apologized. More recently, it was revealed that Platner, who is married, had sent sexually explicit texts to other women; Platner and his wife have sought marital counseling over the issue. Furthermore, The New York Times recently published a story in which several of Platner’s previous girlfriends discussed volatile behavior during their relationships, including one woman who claimed Platner once twisted her arm and prevented her from leaving their bedroom during an argument; Platner has denied the allegation. Despite the scandals, Maine voters and high-profile Democrats have continued to support him.
Mace loses, Graham and Clyburn advance in South Carolina
South Carolina also held its primaries on Tuesday. In one of the biggest defeats for a high-profile candidate, Rep. Nancy Mace failed to qualify for a runoff in the Republican primary for the state’s governor’s race. Mace, who has represented South Carolina’s 1st District since 2021, started as a moderate Republican but later became a far-right Trump supporter; Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas once called her an “attention seeking loser” after a heated exchange during a committee hearing. Despite her right-wing views, Mace split with Trump by pushing for the release of the Epstein files. The break with Trump appears to have cost Mace, who finished far behind South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a Trump supporter who gained the president’s endorsement, and Attorney General Alan Wilson; Evette and Wilson will compete in a runoff for the Republican nomination.
Mace, meanwhile, gave up her reelection campaign for Congress to run for governor. The Republican race to replace her is heading to a runoff between former Navy Adm. Nancy Lacore, one of the women or minority leaders fired under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford. While Mace will not be returning to Congress, two other prominent South Carolina politicians moved closer to reelection. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s closest congressional allies, survived a Republican primary challenge and is likely to win his fifth term as senator from the heavily Republican state. And longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn easily won his primary race after Republicans in the state declined to redraw the lines of his heavily Democratic 6th District.
Nevada also held primaries Tuesday, setting up what is expected to be a close governor’s race between Trump-endorsed incumbent Joe Lombardo and Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford. Overall, Tuesday’s elections pushed several Trump-backed candidates forward while also giving Democrats hope of flipping a key Senate seat in Maine and the governor’s position in Nevada.