Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. Backed by Trump, Darline Graham moved forward from a 10-way field that included two congressmen and a former governor, despite being a first-time candidate. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
And the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
Here's the latest:
No cheers when Graham’s advancement apparent — just media setting up for live shots
Election night watch parties are usually all about crowd reaction when the news of race calls ripples across a ballroom or restaurant crowd.
As news spread of the AP race call that Sen. Darline Graham would advance to a special Senate GOP primary runoff in two weeks, reporters started scrambling for television live hits.
Graham is nearby watching results with family and campaign staffers. She’s said she expected to be in a runoff and has been treating Tuesday’s primary as just the first iteration of the election balloting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wins Democratic primary
Lamont defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott as the governor seeks his third term in office.
Lamont, 71, ran a largely comfortable campaign against Elliott, who is 41 and ran to the governor’s political left.
Lamont will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the general election in November. Fazio has promised that if elected he would work to lower taxes and assist the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Connecticut hasn’t had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in early 2011.
Darline Graham advances to special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace late brother Lindsey Graham
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
Polls have closed in Alabama and Connecticut
In-person Election Day voting has ended in Alabama and Connecticut. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In Alabama’s state primary on May 19, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
In the 2024 general election in Connecticut, the AP first reported results at 8:12 p.m. ET, or 12 minutes after polls closed. The vote count reached the halfway mark at 12:25 a.m. ET. By 2:06 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the total vote had been counted.
See live results in Alabama and Connecticut.
Graham’s primary night setup reflects focus on anticipated runoff
Nothing is official from Tuesday’s special South Carolina GOP Senate primary, but Sen. Darline Graham has been saying for several days she’s looking forward to an anticipated runoff.
That was reflected in the interim senator’s election night setup. Dozens of reporters gathered in a Columbia studio space, while Graham and supporters gathered nearby in what had been her late brother’s reelection campaign headquarters.
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
Darline Graham’s election night event is all press
She may be meeting with supporters elsewhere, but the election night event where members of the media were allowed is a small room set up only with a podium, simple backdrop and lots of television cameras.
The space, in the same Columbia strip mall that had housed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign office, is a studio of sorts with photos of various South Carolina notables and politicos on the wall.
One of those is Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic National Committee chairman whose 2020 challenge to Lindsey Graham prompted a record-breaking fundraising race.
Polls have closed in South Carolina and Vermont
In-person Election Day voting has ended in South Carolina and Vermont. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In South Carolina’s June 9 primary election, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:22 p.m. ET, or 22 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.
In Vermont’s 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 7:18 p.m. ET, or 18 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:45 p.m. ET with about 87% of total votes counted.
See live results in South Carolina and Vermont.
Sanford’s no-frills victory party is no surprise
Three of his plywood signs with “Sanford 4 Senate” spray-painted on them in black joined a handful of regular campaign signs at the Kickin’ Chicken in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Mark Sanford didn’t rent out the venue. His party was crammed into a back corner. There was no open bar or hors d’oeuvres. Many customers eating nearby had no idea what was going on.
Sanford is famously frugal. He wore suits until they got holes and slept on a futon in his U.S. House office in Washington.
Sanford voters keep casting ballots for him decades later
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lived near Charleston for a long time, and voters in the area still have the habit of casting their votes for him.
Randall Stoney voted for him the first time he ran for U.S. House in the early 1990s. Sanford has been on about a dozen ballots since, and Stoney cast another vote for him for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I’ve known him for a good many years. I think he’s done a great job as a public servant,” Stoney said. “He’s fiscally responsible, and he’s not a Trump sycophant.”
Ben LeClerq said Sanford is a “beenya” — someone who has lived in Charleston all his life — not a “comeya” like so many politicians he now sees in South Carolina. LeClerq said that means Sanford is willing to stand up to Republicans when they aren’t acting conservative.
“He’s not a yes-man,” LeClerq said.
Only 4 of Alabama’s 7 congressional districts have primaries today
Primaries for all seven congressional districts were originally scheduled for May 19, but Republican