Voters in several states are casting ballots on Tuesday to determine their Republican and Democrat nominees in several key races, but two big races with almost certain outcomes in each state are the ones likeliest to steal the show this week.
South Carolina’s longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham aims to secure the GOP nomination for yet another term, while Maine Democrat Graham Platner aims to win his party’s nomination for the right to face Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in November despite a series of scandals plaguing him in recent weeks.
Both men are likely to walk away with their respective nominations despite earlier questions in each campaign as to whether or not they would, and in the case of South Carolina a win by Graham on Tuesday almost certainly locks up the state for the GOP for November — though he will likely face Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews in November. In the case of Platner in Maine, him winning his party’s nomination easily could send shudders down the spines of Democrats who were hoping for a drama-free shot at finally taking down Collins — no easy opponent for Democrats as the longtime GOP senator regularly significantly outperforms her polling data.
While these two races take the spotlight on Tuesday, other races in Maine and South Carolina — and in North Dakota and Nevada — could determine key indicators ahead of November’s general midterm election. Follow along here on Breitbart News for live breaking news and analysis as results roll in from across the nation.
UPDATE 9:18 p.m. ET:
Calls are beginning to roll in that Democrat Graham Platner has won his primary–no surprise here:
But given all the problems plaguing Platner, the more interesting thing will be the numbers and the margin later on when all the votes are counted. Did he put up a convincing number? Or are Democrats even showing they are worried about him being their party’s new standard bearer? That won’t be clear for a bit, until later tonight or perhaps even tomorrow or later this week sometime.
UPDATE 9:08 p.m. ET:
Still only 1 percent is reporting in Maine, but Platner is way out front with 73.8 percent of the vote compared with Gov. Janet Mills’ 16.5 percent. Mills had previously dropped out of the race. It’s way too early in the count to make anything of these margins yet.
UPDATE 9:05 p.m. ET:
Evette and Wilson are both advancing to the GOP runoff in South Carolina’s governor primary:
UPDATE 9:00 p.m. ET:
The AP has formally called Graham the winner of the South Carolina GOP primary:
UPDATE 8:43 p.m. ET:
Also in South Carolina’s senate race, Democrats nominated Dr. Annie Andrews:
So Andrews will face Graham in November.
UPDATE 8:41 p.m. ET:
It’s beginning to look like South Carolina’s GOP primary for governor is advancing to a runoff between Evette and Wilson:
UPDATE 8:39 p.m. ET:
The very first votes are coming in now in Maine, with Platner out front–but it’s less than a thousand votes so it’s way too early to make anything of it yet.
As for South Carolina’s governor primary, Evette continues to lead with 29.5 percent to Wilson’s 26.2 percent with 39 percent reporting so far.
UPDATE 8:22 p.m. ET:
Calls are beginning to roll in that Graham has won his primary:
UPDATE 8:21 p.m. ET:
We’re still awaiting the first results in Maine, but in South Carolina, Graham still has a healthy lead with now 30 percent reporting. Graham is at 59.1 percent and Lynch is down at 27 percent.
In the governor’s primary, Evette has slightly expanded her lead and now has 28.3 percent to Wilson’s 25.7 percent. Norman has moved into third place with 16.8 percent, and Rom Reddy is at 16.4 percent in fourth place. Mace is way down at 10,9 percent in fifth place.
UPDATE 8:03 p.m. ET:
Polls are closing now in Maine.
In South Carolina, 18 percent are now reporting and Graham is still leading big time with 61.3 percent to Lynch’s 24.7 percent.
The GOP governor primary in South Carolina is much, much closer with Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette at 27.8 percent to Attorney General Alan Wilson’s 25.7 percent. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) are actually way down in fourth and fifth place in the crowded field.
UPDATE 7:46 p.m. ET:
Now, 8 percent is reporting in South Carolina and Graham has expanded his lead somewhat, with 63.1 percent to Lynch’s 23.9 percent. If Graham wins by this amount, it will be yet another testament to the strength of President Donald Trump’s endorsement–and a remarkable turnaround for Graham who was lagging somewhat earlier in the race a few months ago. It looks like Graham is doing much, much better than other GOP incumbent senators like Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) who lost their primary elections earlier this spring.
UPDATE 7:34 p.m. ET:
With 2 percent reporting now in South Carolina’s GOP senate primary, Graham leads his GOP primary challenger Mark Lynch significantly. Graham is at 61.5 percent and Lynch is down at 26.9 percent. It’s still early but if this is a sign of things to come this will be one of Graham’s best performances in his last several primary elections.
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