Tuesday's takeaways: Platner's big night, Clyburn carries on and Trump's
support gets mixed results
[June 10, 2026]
By STEVE PEOPLES and JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota hosted primary
elections Tuesday, but much of the political world was focused on
Maine's high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.
The results were never in question. Neither Republican incumbent Sen.
Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faced serious
opposition for their party's nomination. And yet Tuesday marked an
especially significant moment for Platner, the embattled veteran and
oyster farmer, who is fighting to rebuild his credibility in a campaign
rocked by controversy.
Elsewhere, President Donald Trump's clout within his party was tested
anew in states like South Carolina and Nevada, where he endorsed his
favored candidates. Democrats hoped to build momentum in Nevada as part
of a broader push to reclaim key governor's seats.
Here's some of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday's primaries.
Platner tries to shift the conversation
There is no question that Platner has repair work to do.
The Maine Democrat openly acknowledged as much Tuesday night, telling a
room packed with cheering supporters that “people can change.”
“Any of those who feel let down or disappointed or disillusioned, it is
my job to earn your trust, faith and support,” Platner said. He later
added, “I’ve made mistakes in my life, mistakes that I regret, that I
live with, that I continue to learn from.”
It was hardly a defiant message for a man who sits at the very center of
the Democratic Party's fight to reclaim the Senate majority. Although he
spent the closing minutes of his election-night speech attacking
Collins, much of the night was choreographed to address other
controversies.
It was barely a week ago when revelations surfaced that Platner had
engaged in sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married.
Allies wondered if more baggage would emerge, and then The New York
Times reported new allegations about his behavior during previous
relationships.
Platner's mother took the stage before he spoke. She declared: "I am
very, very proud of my son. I’m proud of who he is." And then Platner's
wife appeared at his side before and after his speech. They held hands,
touched foreheads and kissed.
Platner's rival for the Democratic nomination, Maine Gov. Janet Mills,
suspended her campaign in April after it became clear Platner was in a
commanding position.
A much more difficult challenge lies ahead: earning his own party's
trust as he tries to defeat Collins, who is running for her sixth term.
Maine race tests Democrats’ standards
As the controversies surrounding Platner have mounted, his support among
Democrats has remained intact.
His victory — and his party's response — underscores how much the party
has changed in the Trump era. Democrats who once embraced a
near-zero-tolerance approach to serious allegations of personal
misconduct are increasingly prioritizing electability in their quest to
return to power in Washington.
Jim Messina, who led former President Barack Obama’s reelection
campaign, said “a star is born” after Platner's speech Tuesday night.
Few lawmakers illustrated the Democratic Party's evolution more clearly
than Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith. On Monday night, Smith offered an
unequivocal endorsement of Platner, saying that if she lived in Maine,
“he’d have my support, no question.”
Smith arrived in the Senate in 2018 after replacing Sen. Al Franken, who
resigned amid allegations of inappropriate touching and kissing during
the height of the #MeToo movement.
She is joined by other Democrats who once derided Republicans’
acceptance of Trump and other controversial nominees, but now back
Platner. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been — and
continue to be — key supporters of Platner.
But not all Democrats appear comfortable. Sen. John Fetterman of
Pennsylvania had pushed Maine voters to support Mills, even though she
dropped out. Mills issued a statement Tuesday night that did not mention
Platner's name. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey pushed Platner to
“get off” the ballot in a CNN interview.
Expect Democratic leaders to face a new round of difficult questions
about their own standards in the days and weeks ahead.
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U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks to attendees at the South
Carolina Democratic Party's Blue Palmetto Dinner on Friday, May 29,
2026, in Columbia S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Trump's endorsement doesn't deliver clean win in South Carolina
The president was looking to rebound Tuesday from an embarrassing
loss in Iowa last week, where his preferred candidate for governor
was defeated in a rare rebuke from Republican primary voters.
But South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial primary offered only
an incomplete victory.
Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette was unable to secure a majority
of the vote in the five-candidate field needed to avoid a runoff.
She will face state Attorney General Alan Wilson on June 23.
As the results came in, Trump called Evette and pledged to help her
over the next two weeks, according to a person familiar with the
private conversation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The night produced a more decisive result for one of Trump’s closest
allies in Congress. Sen. Lindsey Graham avoided a runoff and secured
the Republican Senate nomination over businessman Mark Lynch. Trump
had warned that it would be a “DISASTER for the Republican Party” if
Lynch won.
Meanwhile in Nevada’s 2nd congressional district, Trump-backed
retired Lt. Col. David Flippo faced former state Sen. James
Settelmeyer in a GOP primary that was too early to call Tuesday
night. Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, who announced his retirement
from the seat, has endorsed Settelmeyer, as has the state’s
governor, Republican Joe Lombardo.
Clyburn cruises to primary win after South Carolina redistricting
scare
Longtime South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, who holds significant
national political clout as the state’s lone Democratic House
member, easily fended off a little-known primary challenger Tuesday.
Just weeks ago, it was unclear if Clyburn would make it to a 18th
term in office. Republican lawmakers, backed by Trump, considered a
congressional map that would have significantly altered Clyburn’s
majority-Black district and made it harder for him to hold onto the
seat. But the Republican-led state Senate rejected the effort,
leaving his district largely intact.
Two Republicans are still competing for the chance to face Clyburn
in November, but he is expected to be the overwhelming favorite in
the general election. A win would likely ensure he plays a
significant role in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential race.
The US election system can be slow
It took a full week for California's general election matchup for
governor to become clear. The final results for Maine could take
even longer. And key primary contests in South Carolina are headed
to a June 23 runoff.
Despite what you may be reading on the internet, this is how U.S.
democracy works. These differences in how votes are counted — and
how long it takes — exist because the Constitution sets out broad
principles for electing a national government, but leaves the
details to the states.
Tallying votes collected by local officials in individual precincts
can take a long time — especially in states like Maine that offer
ranked-choice voting, or South Carolina, which requires a runoff if
none of the candidates earn more than 50% of the vote.
In California, which held its primary elections last week,
Republican Steve Hilton joined Democrat Xavier Becerra in qualifying
for the November ballot for governor on Tuesday. Elections often
take a long time to sort in the state, the nation's most populous,
largely because officials designed their system to prioritize
accessibility over speed.
In Maine's crowded primary for governor, five Democrats were in the
running and the state will move to its ranked-choice system to
determine the winner. Historically, the process has taken more than
a week to resolve. And in South Carolina, the Trump-backed Lt. Gov.
Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson emerged from
the crowded primary on Tuesday and will compete in a runoff election
in two weeks.
___
Peoples reported from New York.
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