Platner survives – Maine’s Democratic primary victory gave Graham Platner a path forward despite allegations involving sexually explicit messages, while South Carolina’s Republican primary set up a June 23 runoff for Pamela Evette and routed Rep. Nancy Mace, even losing in her h
For Graham Platner, Tuesday night was supposed to be about winning.
Instead, it became about surviving.
In Maine, the political world focused on the state’s primary elections as multiple races tightened and tested reputations. Incumbent Sen. Susan Collins won the Republican nomination. while embattled Democrat Graham Platner won his party’s nomination—an outcome that was widely expected in outcome. but not in its emotional weight for the man at the center of the controversy.
Platner’s weeks-long fight has been about moving past allegations that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married. After the result was called, he faced the choice voters often force in these moments: talk around the storm, or walk straight into it.
In his victory speech, Platner acknowledged the controversies and told supporters he knows he still must rebuild their trust.
“Any of those who feel let down or disappointed or disillusioned, it is my job to earn your trust, faith and support,” Platner said. “And I will spend every day of this campaign, and if I have the privilege, every day in the United States Senate doing exactly that.”
The words landed in a race that isn’t only about party labels or a ballot line. It’s about whether voters will separate what happened from whether a candidate can still hold public office—and whether a promise to rebuild trust counts for enough.
South Carolina’s GOP shakeup turned up the volume on that kind of reckoning.
Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is headed to a June 23 runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson after no candidate won a majority in the five-way Republican field. Evette’s path forward kept Trump’s influence in view, but it also put a spotlight on who lost when the field narrowed.
Rep. Nancy Mace—once a rising star in the GOP—finished fifth. She didn’t just fall behind statewide; she lost even in her home county and district.
Mace was elected to Congress after flipping a Charleston-area district in 2020, and she built a reputation as a moderate. She voted to codify same-sex marriage rights and, at one point, called herself “pro-transgender rights.”
But in the last year, her posture changed sharply. She called transgender people “trannies” and disparaged gay relationships on social media. The story surrounding her campaign has been less about one sudden break and more about a pattern: she spent years isolating herself. rejecting advisers’ counsel. and turning on allies.
Tuesday night’s result wasn’t just a defeat. It was a verdict that came from within her own party—reminding any lawmaker counting on personal brand to translate into votes that primary nights can be unforgiving.
Other Republican contests in South Carolina moved without drama.
Another Trump-backed candidate, incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham, easily won his party’s nomination for re-election. He beat out businessman Mark Lynch, who Trump warned would be a “DISASTER for the Republican Party.”
Democratic Congressman James Clyburn also cruised to victory in his primary.
The South Carolina Republican primary produced a different kind of matchup ahead of November. In the Republican primary, John Peterson beat out Maurice Washington, according to The Associated Press. Peterson will face off against Clyburn in November as he seeks an 18th term.
Nevada, for its part, kept its most consequential question open.
In the Nevada Republican primary, the contest between retired Lt. Col. David Flippo—endorsed by Trump—and former state Sen. James Settelmeyer remains too close to call. Flippo is currently in the lead.
Down the ballot, Democrats and Republicans both pointed to what they want next.
Democrats are hoping to flip the governor’s office, and Tuesday’s results moved the race one step closer. Republican incumbent Joe Lombardo beat out six challengers on Tuesday with Trump’s backing.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford won the Democratic nod.
What ties these races together is the kind of political stress-testing that primaries deliver in real time: loyalty is tested, reputations get weighed, and the path to November gets decided either by a win tonight—or a runoff date that keeps the pressure on.
Graham Platner Susan Collins Maine primary Nancy Mace Pamela Evette Alan Wilson Lindsey Graham Mark Lynch James Clyburn John Peterson Maurice Washington Nevada primary David Flippo James Settelmeyer Joe Lombardo Aaron Ford governor’s race runoff June 23