A first test for Platner and other key races to watch in Tuesday’s primaries in Maine and beyond

By Terence Burlij, Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Primaries in four states on Tuesday will offer clues about how much tolerance voters have for candidates embroiled in controversies, while testing President Donald Trump’s sway in a crowded Republican primary and setting up a key race for governor in one of the country’s premier presidential battleground states.

Elections will be held in Maine, South Carolina, Nevada and North Dakota.

The marquee contest is the race for US Senate in Maine. Not because there is much uncertainty around the outcome Tuesday, but because of the swirl of scandal surrounding expected Democratic nominee Graham Platner and what it could mean for the party’s hopes of flipping the seat and winning control of the chamber in November.

Here are some key storylines to watch as results come in Tuesday:

An early measure of Platner’s support

The Democratic Senate primary in Maine offers the first opportunity for voters to weigh in on the controversies that have surrounded Platner’s candidacy for months. Whether primary participants signal they have reservations with his campaign will be closely watched in what is a must-win contest if Democrats hope to flip control of the Senate this fall.

Despite revelations last fall about his past online comments and a tattoo tied to Nazi symbolism, which he has since had covered, Platner held a commanding lead in primary polls, prompting Democratic Gov. Janet Mills — the favorite of the party establishment, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — to suspend her bid.

Amid recent reports about Platner sending sexually explicit messages to women who weren’t his wife and allegations of “unsettling,” and in at least one case physically threatening, behavior toward former partners, Mills reminded Maine voters that her name is still on the primary ballot. Despite some encouragement from her supporters, however, the 78-year-old has not resumed an active campaign.

If there is a sizable share of primary voters who turn out to vote for Mills, that could be an early warning sign for the progressive oyster farmer and Marine veteran that he has work to do in allaying concerns about his past conduct. Platner has disputed claims of physical intimidation and said the most serious allegations were false and politically motivated.

A pair of recent polls conducted before the latest revelations showed a competitive general election matchup between Platner and five-term GOP Sen. Susan Collins, with one giving Platner an advantage and the other finding no clear leader. As more Maine voters tune in to the race in the weeks and months to come, keep an eye on any shift in those numbers.

Do Trump’s picks in South Carolina get the nod?

There is a crowded Republican primary for governor in the key early presidential primary state of South Carolina that stands to serve as the next test of Trump’s ability to sway the minds of GOP voters.

It’s a significant question as the party charts its path toward a future in which Trump will never again appear at the top of a ballot. Republican primary voters have largely followed Trump’s lead this spring, ousting two senators, a Kentucky congressman and a handful of Indiana state lawmakers whom Trump had opposed.

While Trump remains the most dominant force in Republican politics, his endorsed candidate in last week’s Iowa GOP governor primary — Rep. Randy Feenstra — lost to businessman Zach Lahn. In Georgia last month, Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones advanced to a runoff in the GOP primary for governor against businessman Rick Jackson, placing first but failing to clear 50%.

In the Palmetto State, the president endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette over state Attorney General Alan Wilson, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, and businessman Rom Reddy.

If no candidate clears 50% Tuesday, the top two vote-getters will advance to a June 23 runoff. The performance of Evette, who also has the backing of term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster, a longtime Trump ally, might offer clues on much the president’s preference matters to GOP voters looking ahead to the 2028 presidential nominating fight, when the state could play a crucial role.

The contest is also reprising a bit of 2024 intrigue, with former Gov. Nikki Haley endorsing Norman’s bid after the staunch conservative backed her presidential campaign against Trump. Another House Republican who has broken with Trump, Mace, has cast the president’s support for Evette as punishment for her push for the Justice Department to release records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Also worth watching Tuesday night in South Carolina is Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bid for reelection. Trump participated in a tele-rally Monday night for Graham, a staunch supporter of the president’s war with Iran. He faces five opponents, including Mark Lynch, a self-funding businessman who faults Graham for what Lynch describers as out-of-control federal spending. The big question is whether Graham will clear the 50% threshold, or face a runoff.

A Bush on the ballot in Maine

Once dominant in Republican politics, the Bush family has not had a member in elected office since George P. Bush, the oldest child of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, lost his bid for Texas attorney general in 2022 and ended his second term as Texas land commissioner in 2023.

The family’s brand might be out of step with the modern GOP, after Trump was elected in 2016 by vanquishing Jeb Bush in the Republican primary with a message that rejected many positions dominant within the party during George W. Bush’s presidency.

But Jonathan Bush, the nephew of former President George H.W. Bush and cousin of George W. Bush, is seeking a revival in the Maine governor’s race. The former healthcare technology executive is one of eight Republicans running for the party’s nomination in the race to succeed the term-limited Mills.

Former Navy intelligence officer Bobby Charles, who served in George W. Bush’s administration, is seen as the front-runner — though with such a big field, the state’s ranked-choice voting is likely to be a factor in the outcome.

The same holds true for the Democratic primary, where five candidates are vying for the nomination, with former state Sen. Troy Jackson; Nirav Shah, former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention; and Hannah Pingree, a former state House speaker and daughter of US Rep. Chellie Pingree, seen as the leading contenders.

Call it a comeback

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden’s retirement has created an open seat in a district that Trump carried by roughly 10 points in 2024. Republican former Gov. Paul LePage is trying to stage a political comeback, while Democrats face a contested primary between state Sen. Joe Baldacci, state Auditor Matt Dunlap and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood.

The 2nd District seat will be a focus of both parties this fall. Golden had an established history of convincing voters to split their ballots. But without him on the ballot, it could represent a pickup opportunity for Republicans, who are battling political headwinds as they seek to maintain their slim House majority.

A favorable national environment could buoy the Democratic nominee, but whether it will be enough to carry Tuesday’s winner past a universally known former governor in a district Trump won twice is a major question.

Setting up a matchup in the Silver State

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, was the only person to topple an incumbent governor anywhere in the country in 2022. As he seeks a second term, he’ll first need to move past a field of six primary challengers.

The Silver State’s governor’s race is expected to be a hard-fought one between Lombardo and Democrat Aaron Ford, the state attorney general. Ford, too, needs primary voters’ approval on Tuesday. He faces five other Democrats, including Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill.

Nevada voters will also set the matchups for three Democratic-held US House seats that could all be competitive in November.

Another familiar name will appear on Republican primary ballots: Sharron Angle. The tea party candidate who lost a 2010 Senate race against the late Sen. Harry Reid is one of four Republicans running for secretary of state. The primary winner will take on Democratic incumbent Cisco Aguilar.

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