2025/26/27/28 Elections

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Tuesday’s takeaways: Platner’s big night, Clyburn carries on and Trump’s support gets mixed results Graham Platner secured Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination, setting up a high-stakes battle against longtime incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could determine party control of the U.S. Senate. Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota also hosted primary elections. Read more. Why this matters: Whilst Platner never faced serious opposition for the Democratic nomination, Tuesday marked an especially significant moment for Platner, who is fighting to rebuild his credibility following a campaign rocked by personal controversies.   His victory — and his party's response — underscores how much the Democratic 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.    In South Carolina, 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. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Full election results   WATCH: Platner’s victory speech   Photos of primary elections across 4 states   Evette and Wilson advance to runoff for South Carolina governor   Nevada is set to have one of nation’s premier races for governor as Democrats seek to reclaim seat    Defying Trump ended some Republicans’ careers. It could help Susan Collins win reelection in Maine    Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will face off in California governor’s race

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‼️ Next bitter primary

The political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is quietly putting massive sums into helping the group's chair, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), win his primary.

Why it matters: The spending signals how much peril Espaillat's allies think he is facing from democratic socialist challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier.

• The race in New York's 13th District, which covers parts of Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx, has attracted huge independent expenditures from outside groups and national media attention.
• Avila Chevalier has leaned heavily into her endorsement from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The big picture: This is one of several races pitting Mamdani against the NYC establishment, most notably House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is supporting Espaillat.

• Mamdani has endorsed NYC Comptroller Brad Lander in his primary challenge against Jeffries-backed Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.)
• He is also backing State Assembly member Claire Valdez in the race to succeed Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who is supporting Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Jeffries has not endorsed in that race.

Driving the news: Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), who chairs the CHC's BOLD PAC, told us in a brief Capitol Hill interview yesterday that the group is "heavily invested" in helping Espaillat secure reelection.

• Sanchez confirmed in a follow-up interview that her group is routing most of its spending through another PAC, BOLD America.
• That group was launched in 2023 by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and former Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Filemon Vela (D-Texas) to help elect Hispanic Democrats to Congress.
• A newly released Data for Progress poll commissioned by Justice Democrats, a group supporting Avila Chevalier, has her leading Espaillat 39% to 35%, according to Semafor.

By the numbers: BOLD America is, by far, the largest spender in the primary, having invested more than $2.5 million in the race, according to its FEC filings.

• Avila Chevalier's biggest outside backer, pro-Palestinian super PAC American Priorities, has reported spending $500,000 on the race so far.
• Asked about BOLD America's spending on his behalf at the Axios AM Live Summit on Tuesday, Espaillat pointed to Texas businessman Hussein Mahrouq's financial support for American Priorities.
• "We've got to have campaign finance reform ... because as long as we have Citizens United, you'll have an unlimited amount of money coming in from a bunch of places," the Hispanic Caucus chair added.

What's next: Early voting in New York begins Saturday, with primary day set for June 23.

— Andrew Solender

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🛑 House Republicans hit a ceiling

Data: Axios research; Chart: Kathleen Hunter/Axios The next viability test for House Republicans seeking statewide office comes Tuesday with Senate contests in Georgia and Oklahoma. In Georgia, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who finished first in the May 19 Senate GOP primary, is facing former University of Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley in the runoff. The winner will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. In Oklahoma, Rep. Kevin Hern is favored to win the GOP nomination to replace Markwayne Mullin, who President Trump named as DHS secretary in March. That race could go to an Aug. 25 runoff if no candidate wins a majority on Tuesday. Why it matters: At least seven House Republicans who opted against seeking reelection to pursue statewide office this year have fallen short in their primaries. That should flash warning bells for incumbents across the board. Serving in the House has historically been viewed as a solid stepping stone to higher office. The House has broken the record this year for the most retirements in the 2000s (you'd have to go back to 1992 to find more). — Kathleen Hunter

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Cruz readies '28 run

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is declaring independence from President Trump ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run, backing rivals to Trump-endorsed candidates in two high-profile GOP primaries, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports.

Cruz announced he's backing Rick Jackson for Georgia governor and Alan Wilson for South Carolina governor.

• Jackson, a wealthy health care executive, faces Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia's June 16 runoff.
• Wilson, South Carolina's attorney general, is up against Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in a June 23 runoff.
• Cruz appears to be the only potential 2028 GOP contender to publicly break with Trump in either race, underscoring how reluctant other ambitious Republicans are to cross the president.

🔎 Behind the scenes: Cruz is laying groundwork for a '28 run. He's delivering high-profile speeches, and hosting a podcast and syndicated radio show, giving him entrée to small donors.

• Cruz privately told donors last year that Trump's tariffs would damage the economy and potentially cost Republicans control of Congress, Axios reported in January.

In talks with donors, Cruz has trashed Vice President Vance.

• Keep reading.

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😈 Republicans take revenge

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

House Democrats are seething over what is, by all indications, a nationwide Republican effort to elevate Democratic primary candidates viewed as more beatable in November. Why it matters: This once-rare practice is becoming commonplace. Democrats did it in 2022 and 2024, and one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told us it "seems like the new normal." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has publicly blasted Republicans on the subject, writing in a post on X last week: "Stay the Hell out of our races with your malignant and desperate scheming." Driving the news: A trio of obscure super PACs with progressive-sounding names have cropped up in recent months to support more left-leaning or scandal-tarnished candidates in key battleground districts. Lead Left PAC played in Nebraska's 2nd District, Pennsylvania's 7th and — most infamously — Texas' 35th, where it reported spending over $1 million to boost Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist whose comments widely seen as antisemitic became a major flashpoint before she lost in a primary runoff. Real Change PAC spent big to oppose the more moderate Democratic primary candidates in New Jersey's 7th, Maine's 2nd and California's 22nd. Progressive Champions PAC is spending at least $1.5 million against centrist Cait Conley in New York's 17th district. Between the lines: Republicans have played coy about their alleged role in these efforts, but there are clues pointing to their involvement. Lead Left PAC's website — which says the group "stands against MAGA extremists" and — included a link to the GOP fundraising site WinRed in its metadata, according to Punchbowl News. When one signs up for Real Change PAC's email list, the group responds with an email from GOP consulting firm Cavalry LLC, as Axios first reported. Progressive Champions PAC and Real Change PAC list the same bank of record on their FEC filings, with both reportedly using the same, Republican-affiliated compliance filing software. What we're hearing: One former House Republican with knowledge of the effort, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details, told us this is simply the GOP fighting fire with fire. "After Dems ran these fake PACs two years ago, Republicans have entered the fray with the same strategy," the former lawmaker told Axios. New York's 17th District, they added, is "one of the districts [where] it's being employed." Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told us that GOP spending in Democratic primaries is "awful" but was "inevitable" after Democrats adopted the tactic in the Biden years. Yes, but: A former House Democrat involved in the 2022 and 2024 elections noted there were "no fake shell Dem PACs from those years." In 2022, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC meddled directly in GOP primaries. In 2024, a group called Duty and Country — which had public ties to Democrats' Senate Majority PAC — supported now-Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) in his GOP primary. What they're saying: Democrats "aren't happy" that Republicans are "trying to help the far left," a senior House Democrat told us. "This type of spending is as prevalent as it is awful — by Dems and Republicans," Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) told us. The bottom line: This is all made possible in part by campaign finance laws allowing these groups to keep their funding sources hidden until after primary day. "If only Congress had the ability to do something about these super PACs," Olszewski told us sarcastically, adding, "Oh wait." — Andrew Solender

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Campaign ad fakery

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images

Campaign ads featuring AI-generated clips and images are now everywhere, with attack ads that place candidates in a wide variety of compromising and fictitious situations, Axios' Andrew Solender writes. Why it matters: This largely unregulated practice is blurring the line between truth and fiction. The latest spot to push the envelope is an attack ad against Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico from a Trump-aligned group called Citizens for Sanity. The ad depicts Talarico in a dress singing an abridged version of "Favorite Things" about transgender children. 🔎 Zoom in: Last month's GOP primary in Kentucky's 4th district, which Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lost after being savaged by President Trump, saw widespread AI use by both sides. That included a "throuple" ad containing deepfakes of dining, checking into a hotel and holding hands with Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Pro-Massie spots used AI to depict an elephant with Trump-like hair and a MAGA cap, and Ed Gallrein, Massie's challenger, abandoning Trump in a foxhole. AI-generated image. Screenshot: AdImpact 🍑 In Georgia, gubernatorial candidate Brad Raffensperger used AI in multiple ads to depict his GOP primary opponents wildly shooting guns in the air and fighting each other with pugil sticks. A new ad from another Georgia gubernatorial candidate, Burt Jones, is entirely AI-generated and portrays his GOP primary runoff opponent, Rick Jackson, shoveling money into a furnace. Democrats are also using AI: In Texas, Crockett used AI to inflate the crowd size in one of her ads and posted an AI video to social media of herself, Trump and others as babies. In New York City, Andrew Cuomo used AI in the mayoral election in an ad that portrayed him performing various jobs, including subway conductor, stockbroker, stagehand, and window washer. 🔮 What's next: Some campaigns voluntarily disclose this AI use, but it's not required. Democrats want to change that if they retake control of Congress in November.

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Primaries

Voters head to the polls today in primaries across Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma and Washington, DC. Much of the attention is on Georgia, where Republicans are set to pick nominees in a high-stakes contest to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of November's most closely watched races. Read more.

MORE: New CNN poll shows nearly half of Americans don't consider themselves Democrats or Republicans