What to Watch in Primaries in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada and North Dakota

What to Watch in Primaries in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada and North Dakota


Presidential primary season is over, but primaries are still taking place across the country. Candidates will be on the ballot Tuesday in five states: South Carolina, Nevada, Maine, North Dakota and Ohio, where a special House race will be held.

Rep. Bill Johnson retired from Ohio’s Sixth Congressional District in January, and State Sen. Michael Rulli, the Republican nominee for the seat, will face Michael L. Kripchak, the Democratic nominee. Former President Donald J. Trump won this district by 29 percentage points in 2020.

Here are the area codes to keep an eye on:

Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican running as Mr. Trump’s candidate, faces a primary opponent backed by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who opposes her because she voted to expel him last year to oust the office of speaker. The primary in the state’s First Congressional District comes just days after the House Ethics Committee began investigating Ms. Mace’s use of a congressional reimbursement program.

Catherine Templeton, Ms. Mace’s opponent, worked for Nikki Haley when she was governor of South Carolina, and Ms. Templeton ran for that office in 2018. Ms. Mace was once a moderate ally of Ms. Haley, but switched to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party when her district was redrawn in 2022, making it more conservative.

The third and fourth congressional districts will also have competitive Republican primaries. Rep. Jeff Duncan retired from his seat in the deeply conservative Third District, and in the Fourth District, Rep. William R. Timmons IV, who fended off Republican challengers in the 2022 primary, is being challenged by state Rep. Adam Morgan, chairman of What is her chamber’s version of the far-right Freedom Caucus?

Nevada Republicans will choose their candidate for a U.S. Senate seat from a crowded slate of candidates.

The leading candidate, Sam Brown, a former Army captain, received a last-minute boost in the form of an endorsement from Mr. Trump, who weighed in on the race on Sunday evening, albeit after early voting had already ended.

Still, the confirmation solidifies Mr. Brown’s position as the clear favorite to face Senator Jacky Rosen, the Democratic incumbent, in November. Mr. Brown also enjoys the support of the state’s Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, and he has raised the most money of any candidate in the race.

Mr. Brown will face Jeff Gunter, a wealthy dermatologist who was Mr. Trump’s ambassador to Iceland, as well as Jim Marchant, who supported Mr. Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him, and a number of other minor candidates .

Gov. Doug Burgum, a North Dakota Republican who self-financed a failed presidential campaign and is now a leading contender to become Mr. Trump’s running mate, is not seeking a third term as governor. Two Republicans will face off Tuesday to succeed him.

One of them, Rep. Kelly Armstrong, has held North Dakota’s lone House seat since 2019 and helped lead the House investigation into President Biden’s son Hunter. He meets Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller, who was appointed to office by Mr. Burgum last year and was endorsed by the governor.

The winner will face Democrat Senator Merrill Piepkorn in November. In 2020, Mr. Burgum defeated his Democratic opponent by 42 points.

Rep. Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, has endured tough reelection battles in the state’s rural Second Congressional District, and Republicans will choose from two candidates in this year’s general election vying to give him another nominee.

State Representative Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, will face State Representative Michael Soboleski. Mr Theriault was endorsed by Mr Trump, who urged his supporters to support him on the eve of the election.



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2024-06-11 13:03:57

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