Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Trump Makes Mark on Primaries as Voters Select Candidates

Five states held primary elections Tuesday, with two key GOP races marked by the candidates' willingness to follow President Donald Trump’s policies.

(CN) – Five states held primary elections Tuesday, with two key GOP races marked by the candidates' willingness to follow President Donald Trump’s policies.

The standouts Tuesday were Corey Stewart, a far-right Trump supporter who won the GOP nod for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat, and Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, a more moderate conservative who failed to place first in South Carolina’s 1st District.

Unlike Stewart, Sanford was openly critical of Trump. Hours before the polls closed, President Trump denounced Sanford, saying in a tweet the incumbent was “nothing but trouble.” Sanford came in second to Katie Arrington, who Trump said he supported in the same tweet.

Although Stewart managed to win the GOP primary, in the fall he’ll face former vice-presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine, a popular fixture in Virginia.

Virginia’s 10th District, seen as one of the most important battlegrounds for control of the U.S. House, will see Democratic nominee Jennifer Wexton go up against incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock.

In the South Carolina gubernatorial primaries, Democratic candidate James Smith won his party’s race, while Gov. Henry McMaster failed to capture 50 percent of the GOP vote. McMaster will face off against second-place finisher John Warren in a runoff scheduled for June 26.

In Maine, voters used a new ranked-choice system which slowed down the vote reporting. As of 9 p.m. PST, Janet Mills led the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 58 percent of precincts reporting in, while Shawn Moody captured 55 percent. Results are likely to be known by Wednesday.

In California, a week after elections were held, San Francisco residents may finally have a clearer picture of who their next mayor will be. San Francisco Supervisor London Breed has increased her lead over Mark Leno, signaling a possible end to the race. According to the city's department of elections, Breed is now ahead of Leno by 1,861 votes. More than 9,300 votes remain to be counted, including about 6,700 provisional ballots.

Categories / National, Politics

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...