Pictured: Mark Sanford (left) and Katie Arrington (right)
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC, 1st) lost his primary Tuesday to Katie Arrington (R), a pro-Trump state legislator who President Donald Trump endorsed on Twitter hours before the votes were tallied.
Sanford was first elected to Congress in 1994 and served two terms as governor. He was seen by some as a presidential contender before he lost the GOP’s favor when he admitted to an extramarital affair in 2009 and resigned in disgrace.
He won a special election in South Carolina’s First Congressional District in 2013 and was reelected in 2014 and again in 2016. Sanford has criticized President Trump’s manner and rhetoric; Arrington promised to support the president and promote his policies.
Sanford is the second incumbent Republican to lose his seat this primary season; Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC, 9th) was defeated in May by a conservative pastor.
Pictured: Jacky Rosen
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV, 3rd) easily won the Democratic nomination for Senate and will face Sen. Dean Heller (D-NV) in November’s general election.
Heller is the only incumbent Republican senator up for re-election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Democrats see his seat as a prime pickup opportunity this fall.
He avoided any serious primary challenge when President Trump urged Danny Tarkanian (R) to suspend his campaign; Tarkanian instead won the Republican nomination for Nevada’s Third District, the seat Rosen is leaving to run for Senate.
Pictured: Corey Stewart
Corey Stewart, a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and champion of Confederate symbols, won Virginia’s Republican Senate primary and will face Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the general election.
Stewart defeated State Legislator Nick Freitas and Minister E.W. Jackson, to the chagrin of establishment Republicans concerned about how his victory would reflect on other candidates and the party at large.
Pictured: Kevin Cramer
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND, At Large) won the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) in November.
Heitkamp, one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, will have a challenging re-election campaign in a state that voted for President Trump in 2016.
