Voters in South Carolina, Virginia, Maine, North Dakota, and Nevada will vote in primaries tonight, as pro-Trump candidates once again take center stage in the GOP primaries.
Polls close in South Carolina at 7 p.m. eastern time, and anti-Trump Rep. and former Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) is facing a fierce primary challenge from pro-Trump candidate Katie Arrington. Trump endorsed Arrington hours before polls closed, saying Sanford would be “better off in Argentina,” a reference to the time in 2009 when Sanford’s staff claimed Sanford was hiking the “Appalachian trail” when he was actually having an affair with an Argentinian journalist an Argentinian journalist in Buenos Aires.
Governor Henry McMaster was the first statewide official to endorse Trump when he was the Palmetto’s State’s lieutenant governor, and he is hoping his strong ties to Trump will help him cross the 50% threshold in a crowded field to serve a full term. The establishment Republican governor endorsed moderate-liberal Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman during the 2012 GOP presidential primaries, but his support for Trump has pushed him to the front of the pack with the state’s conservative primary voters.
McMaster appeared on Breitbart News Daily on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125 on Tuesday morning and told host and Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow that enthusiasm for Trump in South Carolina compares to a Beatles concert. McMaster became governor after Trump selected then-South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to be his Ambassador to the United Nations.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates of all of the key contests throughout the evening. All times eastern.
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12:39 AM: Shawn Moody wins GOP gubernatorial nomination in Maine.
BREAKING: Shawn Moody wins Republican nomination for governor in Maine primary election. #APracecall at 12:32 a.m. EDT. #Election2018 #MEprimary pic.twitter.com/RXU69qfMYR
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 13, 2018
12:13 AM: Anti-Trump Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) suffers his first ever loss as Katie Arrington wins the GOP nomination for SC-1 without having to go to a runoff.
BREAKING: Katie Arrington wins Republican nomination for U.S. House in South Carolina's 1st congressional district. #APracecall at 12:09 a.m. EDT. #Election2018 #SCprimary pic.twitter.com/T4RqkrmubV
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 13, 2018
Katie Arrington: "We are the party of President Donald J. Trump." https://t.co/PzdSlpzj6Y #sc01 #sc1 pic.twitter.com/Pbfj7DsAp5
— Greg Giroux (@greggiroux) June 13, 2018
12:01 AM: Victorious pro-Trump candidate Danny Tarkanian addresses supporters after primary win in NV-3.
WATCH: @DannyTarkanian addresses supporters following Republican Primary victory in Nevada's third congressional district.
We're live at 9 on @8NewsNow with an election special. #8NN #NVPrimary pic.twitter.com/cueDYZw9UX
— Darlene Melendez (@DarleneMelendez) June 13, 2018
11:20 PM: Danny Tarkanian projected to win GOP nomination for NV-3 and will face Democrat Susie Lee in the fall.
11:10 PM: Adam Laxalt wins GOP gubernatorial nomination in Nevada.
BREAKING: Adam Laxalt wins Republican nomination for governor in Nevada primary election. #APracecall at 7:54 p.m. PDT. #Election2018 #NVprimary pic.twitter.com/eue4aL71ed
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 13, 2018
10:45 PM: Sanford sees writing on the wall.
HAPPENING NOW: Congressman Mark Sanford says based off numbers he sees he will end up losing this election. pic.twitter.com/Vz9vtw8c9O
— Kolbie Satterfield (@KolbieLive5) June 13, 2018
Mark Sanford concedes, saying he is a realist: “The numbers indicate I am not going to win this race.” #SC01 pic.twitter.com/zXHzYpw5J0
— Caitlin Byrd (@MaryCaitlinByrd) June 13, 2018
10:00 PM: Polls closed in Nevada as pro-Trump candidates Tarkanian and Laxalt look for big wins.
9:55 PM: CNN projects Sanford will not finish first tonight in SC-1. If Arrington gets more than 50% of the vote and wins outright, it will be Sanford’s first ever loss.
.@CNN projects GOP Rep. Mark Sanford will NOT finish first in the GOP primary for his House seat tonight in the South Carolina 1st District.
The best Sanford can hope for is to make a runoff election.
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) June 13, 2018
Katie Arrington’s campaign manager Michael Mule said “at the end of the night, we’re going to have more votes than Mark Sanford” but predicts it could go to runoff. Promises Katie will come out within the hour.
— Abigail Darlington (@A_Big_Gail) June 13, 2018
9:45 PM: Arrington (52.1%) still above the 50% threshold against Sanford (45.1%) with 65% reporting.
9:35 PM: Kevin Cramer wins GOP Senate nomination in North Dakota.
BREAKING: Kevin Cramer wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in North Dakota primary election. #APracecall at 8:11 p.m. CDT. #Election2018 #NDprimary pic.twitter.com/BogCXa0O2s
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 13, 2018
9:30: In South Carolina, with 48% reporting, Arrington (51.9%) leads Sanford (45.3%).
9:25 PM: Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster will head to a runoff against John Warren.
9:00 PM: In South Carolina, Katie Arrington (50.6%) leads Sanford (46.5%) with 15% reporting.
8:55 PM: AP Calls Race for Corey Stewart in Virginia. He’ll face Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the general election.
BREAKING: Corey Stewart wins Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Virginia primary election. #APracecall at 8:51 p.m. EDT. #Election2018 #VAprimary pic.twitter.com/D0d9GsWKpB
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 13, 2018
8:40 PM: In Virginia, Corey Stewart has the lead in the GOP Senate primary (44.4%, 126, 042 votes) over Nick Freitas (43.6%, 123, 809 votes) and E.W. Jackson (12%, 34, 078 votes)–92% reporting (2,368 of 2,569 precincts).
8:35 PM: In South Carolina, with 6% of the votes in, Arrington (48.9%, 2,267 votes) with a slim lead over Sanford (48%, 2,224 votes) in SC-1. In South Carolina’s gubernatorial primary, McMaster (45%) leads Warren (25%) and Templeton (21%) with 16% of the votes in.
A view of Henry McMaster’s election watch party. More supporters are showing up. Most seem to be very upbeat as results trickle in. @ABCNews4 #chsnews #scpol #SCVotes pic.twitter.com/5xirZXc3x0
— Bill Burr (@BBonTV) June 13, 2018
SC guv hopeful Catherine Templeton is gaining to within 5 points of John Warren in the returns, and the food has arrived to her watch party. So far: Henry McMaster 45%, Warren 26%, Templeton 21%. #scvotes, #primaryelection, @GreenvilleNews pic.twitter.com/bGA3rLML4f
— Anna B. Mitchell (@AnnaBard2U) June 13, 2018
Crowd is growing at the John Warren watch party in Greenville. Results slowly coming in. @wis10 pic.twitter.com/B9Zc7S44Nq
— Caroline Hecker (@CHecker_WIS) June 12, 2018
8:00 PM: Polls now closed in Maine. Only first-choice results will be released tonight.
7:45 PM: In South Carolina (SC-1), Sanford and Arrington tied at 48% after the first 1,000 votes. In the gubernatorial contest, McMaster leads (36.7%) John Warren (32%) and Catherine Templeton (21%) after roughly 3,000 votes have been counted.
7:15 PM: Polls close in about an hour in Maine, the first state to use ranked-choice voting. Maine Governor Paul LePage is reportedly considering not certifying the results.
#BREAKING: @Governor_LePage tells me he will 'PROBABLY NOT' certify the results of today's election, will 'leave it up to the courts to decide'—calling ranked-choice voting the 'most horrific thing in the world.' #NEWSCENTERmaine pic.twitter.com/wrKSofz7ov
— Zach Blanchard (@ZachBlanchard) June 12, 2018
7 PM: Polls are closed in South Carolina and Virginia. Trump urged South Carolinians to vote for McMaster and Arrington hours before polls closed. He also supported Nevada Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt. House Speaker Paul Ryan (D-WI) let it be known that he is supporting Sanford, who Trump said “has been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to MAGA.”
Henry McMaster loves the people of South Carolina and was with me from the beginning. He is strong on Crime and Borders, great for our Military and our Vets. He is doing a fantastic job as your Governor, and has my full endorsement, a special guy. Vote on Tuesday!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2018
.@realDonaldTrump – thank you, Mr. President! Together we will continue to Make America Great Again! https://t.co/LSBnFPYQ7G
— Rep. Katie Arrington (@karringtonsc) June 12, 2018
Mark Sanford has been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to MAGA. He is MIA and nothing but trouble. He is better off in Argentina. I fully endorse Katie Arrington for Congress in SC, a state I love. She is tough on crime and will continue our fight to lower taxes. VOTE Katie!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018
New: A source on Speaker Ryan’s political team tells NBC News the Speaker supports Mark Sanford in keeping with his policy of supporting all GOP incumbents for re-election.
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) June 12, 2018
I strongly endorse Adam Laxalt for Governor of Nevada. Adam is smart, works hard, and knows how to win. He will be a great Governor. Also, will fight hard to lower your taxes and is tough on crime!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2018
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