What to Watch in the June 14 Primaries
Bolts is tracking 21 elections in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina. Plus, Texas holds a special election.
Former President Donald Trump’s effort to defeat a pair of Republican members of Congress in South Carolina headlines the June 14 elections, but voters will settle many other competitive primaries across Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina. On the ballot are far-right candidates seeking the Republican nomination in Nevada, prosecutor primaries in Las Vegas and Portland, Maine, and mayoral elections for most of Nevada’s most populous cities. And keep an eye on Texas, which hosts a special election for Congress.
Here are 21 elections to watch on June 14, and why they matter, as prepared by Bolts editor Daniel Nichanian. More may be added to our cheat sheet through Election Day.
Check back on Election Night as we fill in each result. And support us to sustain this work.
Governor
Nevada (GOP) Former Senator Dean Heller is mounting a comeback after losing in 2018, though the Trump-endorsed Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo has led in polls and many other candidates are running. | Lombardo |
| South Carolina (Dem) A hotly contested primary to take on the Republican governor is led by former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham and state Senator Mia McLeod. The Post and Courier previews. | Cunningham |
U.S. Senate
| Nevada (GOP) Adam Laxalt, the state’s former attorney general, has been the favorite to secure the GOP nomination, and has Trump’s strong support, though Sam Brown has drawn attention in the campaign’s final stretch. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Mastro in one of the nation’s top Senate races. | Laxalt |
Other statewide elections
| Nevada | Treasurer (GOP) Michele Fiore, a local politician who regularly grabs national headlines for her ultra-conservative politics, is one of several Republicans running to take on the Democratic incumbent. | Fiore |
| Nevada | Lieut. Governor (Dem) In Nevada’s most hotly contested statewide Democratic primary, the recently-appointed incumbent Lisa Cano-Burkhead faces a challenge from Henderson mayor Debra March. The Las Vegas Sun previews. | Cano-Burkhead |
| South Carolina | Attorney General (GOP) Incumbent Alan Wilson is facing a challenge from his right by Lauren Martel, who among other issues says that Wilson hasn’t done enough to protect Confederate monuments. The Post and Courier previews. | Wilson |
Judges
| Two of the four states that hold their primaries today have supreme court elections this year, but none of the seats that are on the ballots have more than one candidate running. North Dakota Justice Daniel Crothers is sure to be re-elected, as is Nevada Justice Ron Parraguirre. In Nevada’s second election, Linda Bell, who is not even an incumbent, is the only candidate. (See our full preview of supreme court elections.) |
U.S. House: Special
| TX-34 Democrats are defending this vacant South Texas seat under the old congressional map, and Republicans are heavily investing in the special to flip the seat and strengthen their case that the region is trending in their direction. The Texas Tribune previews. | GOP |
U.S. House primaries
| ME-02 (GOP) Bruce Poliquin is seeking his old seat back, but he has to beat Liz Caruso before facing the incumbent. | Poliquin |
| NV-01 (Dem) Incumbent Dina Titus faces a challenger from her left, Amy Vilena. | Titus |
| NV-02 (GOP) Danny Tarkanian has run for Congress many times, falling short each time, but he finally made it into public office in 2020 as a county commissioner. He immediately launched yet another congressional bid, challenging incumbent Mark Amodei. | Amodei |
| NV-04 (GOP) Annie Black, a state lawmaker active in “stop the steal” circles who was present at the Jan. 6 march in D.C., is one of several Republicans running for GOP nomination to face Democratic incumbent Steven Horsford. | Sam Peters |
| SC-01 (GOP) Republican incumbent Nancy Mace has drawn heat from the right for some criticism of Trump, and faces a primary against Katie Arrington, a former lawmaker endorsed by Trump. | Mace |
| SC-07 (GOP) Republican incumbent Tom Rice voted to impeach Trump last year, and now he faces a crowded field of challengers, including the Trump-endorsed Russell Fry, a state lawmaker. (This race could go to a runoff.) | Fry |
Legislative: Special
| Maine Democrats are defending Senate District 7, which the GOP is contesting fiercely. (The chamber will remain Democratic regardless.) | Dem |
Prosecutors
| Maine | Cumberland County (Dem) In Maine’s most populous county, home to Portland, incumbent Jonathan Sahrbeck faces Jackie Sartoris, who has claimed the reformer mantle and wants to decrease convictions over drug offenses. Local reform advocates want Maine to go further. Bolts previews. | Sartoris |
| Nevada | Clark County (Dem) Home to Las Vegas, this county is one of the nation’s most prone to imposing death sentences, which has made for a stark contrast in this primary between DA Steve Wolfson and Ozzie Fumo. Bolts previews. | Wolfson |
Election Admin.
| Nevada | Secretary of State (GOP) Mike Lindell, a staunch purveyor of false claims about the 2020 election, has endorsed Jim Marchant, who has helped organize a slate of election deniers to run for secretary of state nationwide. Others are also echoing false claims regarding election fraud for this GOP-held open seat. (Democrats have a presumptive nominee, Cisco Aguilar.) | Marchant |
| North Dakota | Secretary of State (GOP) Republicans are choosing their nominee for the state’s top official. (The nominee will be favored against Democrat Jeffrey Powell.) Candidates are Michael Howe and Marvin Lepp, who has been more prone to echo Big Lie rhetoric. The Bismark Tribune previews. | Howe |
Sheriffs
| Nevada | Clark County As the incumbent sheriff of Las Vegas runs for governor, three candidates are facing off to replace him. The Nevada Independent previews. | McMahill |
Mayoral Elections
| Nevada | Henderson The incumbent mayor in Nevada’s second most-populous city is running for lieutenant governor as a Democrat, opening up the office. The Review Journal previews the race to replace her. | Romero |
| Nevada | North Las Vegas Nevada’s fourth most populous city has been run for years by a conservative Democrat who is now running for governor as a Republican. Voters are choosing amid a crowded field, and the winner is likely to be the city’s first Black mayor. The Nevada Independent previews. | Runoff |