AP tracks primary races in four states as Trump influence tested

Primary voters in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina were deciding nominees in races that could shape the November map well beyond state lines. The Associated Press was tracking the contests with real-time vote counts, county-level maps and race calls, treating the four-state slate as one of the most consequential primary days left on the calendar.

South Carolina drew the sharpest national attention because several contests there were being read as a test of President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican voters. State voters were choosing nominees for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and other offices, and AP’s live governor coverage showed Trump backing Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette over a crowded Republican field that included Rep. Nancy Mace. That race, to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, offered one of the clearest signs of whether Trump’s endorsement still moved enough votes to settle a competitive intraparty fight.

The stakes extended well past any single state. AP’s 2026 election calendar says the midterm elections will determine the final two years of Trump’s second term, with roughly one-third of the U.S. Senate and all of the U.S. House on the ballot in November. That makes every primary, especially in states with competitive general-election prospects, part of the fight to define control of Congress and the shape of the next two years of governing.

Maine added another nationally watched contest: its Democratic U.S. Senate primary was set to produce a challenger to Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Ballotpedia listed David Costello and Graham Platner as the Democratic candidates in that race, giving Maine a clear test of whether Democrats could settle on a nominee with enough energy to compete in a state that often rewards moderation and strong retail politics.

AP said Maine and Nevada could take longer to report because of early and mail ballots, while South Carolina and North Dakota typically put a significant share of their results on the board earlier on election night. AP’s race calls were to come only once local election officials had provided enough data and the trailing candidate no longer had a path to victory, a standard that made the live results page both a scoreboard and an early read on party strength, turnout and the balance of power inside the parties heading into November.