Last night, voters in Maine, South Carolina, and Nevada headed to the polls. Results also continued to come in from California's June 2 primary. Here is what happened and why it matters.

Primary elections are often the most important in an election cycle, but too many Americans don’t bother to vote in them. Emgage Action’s goal is to help Muslims stay informed and engaged!

U.S. Senate

Graham Platner won the Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, channeling voter frustration over the high cost of living and overcoming revelations about his past to set up a high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Born in Maine, Platner returned and became an oyster farmer after serving three tours of duty in Iraq, and another tour in Afghanistan. Platner's expected win came after days of questions about his past personal conduct that threatened to undermine enthusiasm on the left. Platner apologized for old online comments (Life tip: nothing ever dies on the internet, kids!) and said he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression when he wrote them. Married to a Jewish woman, he has nonetheless faced questions about a skull-and-crossbones tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol. 

Collins, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, is the only GOP senator representing a state carried in 2024 by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, making her perhaps Democrats' top target in the 2026 midterms. The race is expected to be among the most watched of the midterm elections as Democrats look to flip the Senate. 

Governor

Both Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries are headed for a ranked-choice count that could take days to resolve. Fun!

A crowded field of Democrats vied for the nomination, including former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state representative Hannah Pingree, energy executive Angus King III, and former CDC official Nirav Shah.

Bellows, Jackson, and Pingree vowed to rank one another above King and Shah in a formal ranked-choice alliance. Platner endorsed Jackson as his first choice for governor. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Portland Mayor Mark Dion also endorsed Jackson, while outgoing Gov. Janet Mills and famous Maine resident and author Stephen King threw their support behind Pingree.

Former Navy intelligence officer Bobby Charles led the Republican pack, with former Planet Fitness executive Ben Midgley, Jonathan Bush (nephew of former President George H.W. Bush), and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason also in the running. It could be a week or more until a winner is determined.

U.S. Senate

Both major party nominees are now set for a showdown in November. Incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham won his party's primary (56% to 28%) and will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. Graham is running for his fifth term.

Andrews, a pediatrician, won the Democratic primary with 61% of the vote. She previously ran against Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022, losing by 14 points. Andrews founded a political organization focused on children's issues including climate change, gun violence, and childhood poverty after stepping away from her practice at the Medical University of South Carolina. South Carolina is a deeply red state, but Andrews has been one of the most prominent Democratic challengers in the country and has worked to amass a significant war chest.

Governor

Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson will advance to a runoff in the Republican gubernatorial primary. One of the candidates they triumphed over is Rep. Nancy Mace, who touted her strong support for Trump while also defending her decision to vote for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Mace, a rabid member of the gimmicky Sharia Free America caucus, wound up finishing a distant fifth. 

Both Evette and Wilson are MAGA devotees, but Trump only endorsed Evette. The two will face off in a June 23 runoff. On the Democratic side, state House Rep. Jermaine Johnson won his party's primary and will face the Republican runoff winner in November.

Governor

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford won the Democratic nomination for governor. Ford, who previously served as Nevada's Senate majority leader, became the first Black attorney general in Nevada history in 2019. He will face incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Trump-endorsee who won 90% of the primary votes, in November. 

Ford, who won 65% of the primary election vote, is seeking to become the state's first Black governor. His campaign has repeatedly argued Lombardo has not done enough to fight back against Trump's impact on the state, while Ford has joined numerous lawsuits challenging Trump's orders as attorney general.

Attorney General

Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and Gov. Joe Lombardo-backed Republican Adriana Guzman Fralick will face off in the attorney general race in November after winning their respective primaries. Both candidates won their primaries with about 60% of the vote.

Governor's race confirmed

Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton are advancing to the November general election for California governor. With nearly all absentee and mail-in votes now counted, Becerra leads with 28% and Hilton follows with 25%. Tom Steyer has not yet conceded, but the race has been called by multiple outlets. Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, and Antonio Villaraigosa have all conceded.

CA-14 update: Wahab's lead holds, second place still tight

State Sen. Aisha Wahab continues to sit comfortably in first place in the CA-14 regular primary, tallying 36.7% of the vote for an easy first-place finish. Melissa Hernandez has strengthened her hold on second place, now nearly 1,800 votes ahead of Republican Wendy Huang, up from just 94 votes on election night. If Hernandez holds, November's general election in CA-14 will be an all-Democrat contest between Wahab and Hernandez. The second place race is still not officially called.

Note: a separate CA-14 special election to fill the remainder of Swalwell's current term takes place on June 16, with a possible August 18 runoff. Wahab is also a candidate in that race.

Maine is now set as a defining Senate battleground. Platner's primary win, despite significant controversy, reflects the same appetite for insurgent populism that has defined this cycle. Collins is a formidable incumbent in a blue-trending state, but the environment is as favorable for Democrats as it has been in years.

South Carolina's governor's race is a preview of the Trump litmus test. Nancy Mace, who spent years courting Trump's favor, and stoking anti-Muslim bigotry, was crushed for an Epstein files vote he disapproved of. While both Evette and Wilson are running as loyal MAGA candidates, only one has Trump's blessing heading into the June 23 runoff.

Nevada is one of the most genuinely competitive governor's races in the country. Lombardo won by only 1.5 points in 2022. Ford is a strong candidate with a track record of winning statewide. We’re watching this race closely in November.

June 16: Elections in DC and Oklahoma, plus Georgia runoffs for lieutenant governor runoff featuring Muslim candidate Nabilah Parkes. Also: CA-14 special election

June 23: Primary day for New York, Maryland, and Utah

June 30: Colorado gets ready to vote

July 21: Arizona’s primary

July 28: Georgia special election

August 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington, Virginia vote

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And that's it from us, folks. We will see you next week!

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