Primary Elections Highlight Controversies in Maine Senate Race and South Carolina Gubernatorial Contest
Senate candidate Graham Platner faces multiple scandals as Maine voters head to the polls, while South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary sees Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and allegations of campaign-related assault.
Voters in Maine cast ballots Tuesday in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Susan Collins. The leading candidate, Graham Platner, is under scrutiny after reports of sexually explicit messages, offensive social-media posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo and allegations of past violent behavior. Former campaign director Genevieve McDonald, who left the campaign in 2025, said she found Platner’s conduct “disturbing” and warned that he “exhibits a pattern of dishonest behavior.”
Collins declined to comment on the allegations, stating she had “nothing to add.” The Republican side emphasized policy concerns, with State Rep. Laurel Libby warning that Platner’s support for the Green New Deal could raise costs for Mainers and other Americans.
In South Carolina, the Republican gubernatorial primary featured Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who received a late endorsement from former President Donald Trump, describing her as an “America First Patriot.” Evette’s rivals include Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and businessman Rom Reddy. The campaign of Rep. Mace accused an employee of Evette’s campaign, Blake Garrison Kirsch, of assaulting a Mace supporter; Kirsch was arrested on third-degree assault and battery charges and has since resigned from the campaign.
Both primaries are seen as indicators for the upcoming November midterm elections, with the Maine Senate race potentially affecting the narrow Senate majority and the South Carolina contest testing Trump’s influence within the GOP.