NationalWatch

Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral who was fired by Pete Hegseth, and Mac Deford, a local attorney, advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday evening amid a crowded Democratic primary to fill a congressional vacancy left behind by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.

Because no candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright, the primary now heads to a runoff that’s slated to take place on June 23. 

Once having cleared the primary, the final candidate will look to become just the second Democrat to hold South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in over 40 years by highlighting her military record as well as how she was removed from her post by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

FOX NEWS PROJECTS DEMOCRATIC REP. DON DAVIS WILL WIN NORTH CAROLINA’S 1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

The vacancy first came about when Mace, a firebrand conservative, announced her decision to run for governor of the Palmetto State.

During her time in Congress, Mace has attracted attention for her willingness to break with her own party on high-profile issues. She was one of the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 and one of four GOP lawmakers who forced a vote on releasing the Epstein Files earlier this year.

Mace said she would look to continue her work as a political maverick at the state level.

“South Carolina needs a governor who will drag the truth into sunlight and flip the tables,” Mace said during her announcement speech.

WATCH: MACE SAYS TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT HASN’T SEALED SC GUBERNATORIAL RACE: ‘IT’S A DOG FIGHT’

S.C.’s first, a relatively safe Republican district, has been held by the GOP for much of the past 40 years. Aside from Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., who held the seat from 2019 to 2021, Republicans have controlled the district since 1981.

Mace last won re-election in 2024 in a 58.2% to 41.6% victory over Democratic challenger Michael Moore, a businessman.

To turn the tables and flip the seat, Lacore has pitched herself as an anti-politics civil servant.

Lacore originally served as a Navy pilot and finished her career as a three-star admiral before being removed by Hegseth, a decision Lacore has characterized as “without cause.” Her firing came as the Trump administration carried out efforts to reform the Department of Defense and coincided with the dismissals of other high-level figures like Lt. Gen. Kennedy Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command.

All three were relieved of their duties on Aug. 22, 2025.

NAVY VETERAN ROCKY ROCHFORD SEEKS TO TURN TAMPA BAY RED, UNSEAT 20-YEAR HOUSE INCUMBENT

“For 35 years, I served in the United States Navy with the belief that service, honor and integrity matter; that these are the qualities of true leaders,” Lacore said in a campaign video.

“But it’s not what our political leaders believe today.”

She has raised $1.4 million as of late May, according to FEC records.

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Deford, for his own part, presented himself to voters as a pragmatic candidate. On his website, he highlighted a track record serving as the Town of Mount Pleasant’s Associate General Counsel and advising it through the COVID-19 Pandemic, a housing initiative and navigating federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“This isn’t a political stop for me. This is home and I want to serve as your next representative in Washington,” Deford said in a campaign video.

According to FEC records, Deford raised $547,800.

BLUE HILL, Maine — He’s been facing one of the roughest stretches of his bid for the U.S. Senate, but Graham Platner on Tuesday captured the Democratic Party’s Senate nomination.

Platner, a military combat veteran and oyster farmer who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, defeated two longshot rivals in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary, the Associated Press reports.

“Susan Collins said she would only serve two terms, she’s now running for her sixth,” Platner told the crowd at the Blue Hill YMCA after he was declared the winner.

“She has worked in politics longer than Joe Biden,” Platner said, positioning his campaign as a rebuke to the political establishment of both parties. “The truth is, Susan Collins doesn’t serve us. She serves Donald Trump. She serves the Epstein class.”

The embattled Platner, who is facing numerous controversies, will now challenge moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who was unopposed for the GOP nomination, in left-leaning Maine in this year’s midterm elections. The race is one of a handful across the country that will determine whether the GOP keeps control of its slim Senate majority.

THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY

Platner, who advocates an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class, also topped two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in the primary. The governor’s name remained on the ballot even though Mills, who had been backed by longtime Democratic Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, suspended her bid earlier this spring after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling.

“We’re going to win in November and we’re going to take power back for the people in this country,” Platner predicted Sunday night, at his final rally ahead of the primary.

Platner has been playing defense the past month, amid multiple controversies. They include inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, recent reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married, and new allegations last week from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes. Platner has called the latest allegations of violence untrue.

On Monday, a day before the primary election, a former high-level staffer from the Planter campaign wrote in the Washington Post that Platner “is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.”

While the mounting controversies triggered some Democrats in the nation’s capital to question whether Platner was damaged goods, the candidate this past weekend thanked Maine voters for continuing to support him.

“When hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth. Maine had my back,” Platner said at a rally Friday not far from his hometown in Down East Maine. “Now, as every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back. And when politically motivated, serious and false accusations are made against me. Maine, you have my back.”

PLATNER TO SUPPORTERS: ‘MAINE, YOU HAVE MY BACK’

Platner, who has acknowledged his battle with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from his three tours of duty in the war in Iraq with the Marines and one tour with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after some of them made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.

And Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. But new allegations from an ex-girlfriend raise questions about Platner’s timeline regarding knowledge of the tattoo.

Khanna, who organized Friday’s rally with Platner, was asked by Fox News Digital whether he’s concerned if the current allegations, and any potential future ones, could sink Platner’s campaign and hurt Democrats’ hopes of winning back the Senate.

“I’m more concerned about making it clear that we’re opposed to misogyny, those relationships were toxic and volatile, there’s no excuse for that,” Khanna said. “I talked to Graham and he says he was at a very dark period, he had come back from two tours of duty in Iraq as an infantryman seeing violence and death. That doesn’t excuse it.”

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But Khanna added that Platner said “he really grew as a person when he came back to Maine and he was an oyster farmer and he found peace and he is ashamed of that period. To me that suggests someone taking accountability and improving their lives and we need that redemption in this country. And I agree with a lot of his economic policies, that we should be taxing the billionaires, we should be focusing on the working class.”

In his speech on Tuesday night, Platner attempted to frame himself as a changed man. 

“If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change,” Platner told the crowd. “And the reason I believe that is because I have lived it. And the reason that I have lived it is because of my wife.”

Maine voters Fox News reporters spoke with ahead of the rally were divided on whether Platner’s controversies would impact their opinions of the candidate.

Jeff from Waterboro, Maine said “it’s not a good situation” as he pointed to Platner. “I think it’s somebody who shouldn’t be in the mix. I am a conservative, but he’s just got so much damage, if the Democrats want to have a winner, they’re going to have to find somebody else. He’s not the guy. It’s just too much.”

Ellen from Acton, Maine, who said she is a registered Republican, said, “Is he a perfect person? Heck no.”

But she added, “I think he will go in and do a good job.”

Collins, returning to Maine on Friday after a busy week on Capitol Hill where she reached a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive vote in the Senate, was asked by reporters about the latest allegations facing Platner.

“The allegations in the latest story are troubling,” Collins responded. “And I believe that Graham Platner has a lot of questions to answer.”

SEE IT: DEM SENATORS DODGE ON BACKING PLATNER AS MAINE CANDIDATE’S SCANDAL CLOUDS FINAL DAYS BEFORE PRIMARY

Platner is facing plenty of incoming political fire from Republican groups, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) who released a scathing statement after Platner’s primary victory.

“Today marks the beginning of the end for Graham Platner,” NRSC Chair Sen. Tim Scott posted on X. “He will be exposed, his agenda destroyed, and Mainers will reject him. No amount of DC Democrat support or left-wing billionaire backing will save him. The choice in Maine is clear and nothing will be taken for granted.”

And the Republican National Committee (RNC) also targeted Platner.

“Graham Platner says his violent and erratic past is being ‘weaponized’ against him. Platner said he would rape someone to show his dominance and ‘rape was about power,'” the RNC research team recently wrote on X, pointing to the latest allegations against the candidate.

Despite the allegations and the incoming fire from the GOP, no Democratic politicians who have backed Platner have rescinded their endorsements.

“We need to unite and realize that the goal is defeating Susan Collins. And everyone from Schumer to Sanders is unified around that goal,” Khanna told Fox News Digital.

Platner has drawn large crowds and built a healthy fundraising war chest, and Democrats see Maine as a crucial pickup opportunity as they aim to win back the Senate majority.

But beating Collins won’t be easy. Six years ago, public opinion polls indicated the senator was headed to defeat, but Collins defied expectations and won re-election by topping then-Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon by nine points.

Collins, a moderate Republican who at times votes against President Donald Trump’s agenda, is running for a sixth six-year term in the Senate.

The senator voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, in 2021 soon after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. And early last year she opposed the confirmation of now-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

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But she is also remembered for her 2018 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which eventually helped the court’s conservative majority overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling which had legalized abortion nationwide.

Europe’s most ambitious effort to build a homegrown sixth-generation fighter jet has collapsed, dealing a major blow to the continent’s push for military independence just as NATO allies pledge historic increases in defense spending.

France and Germany have abandoned the fighter jet portion of the Future Combat Air System project (FCAS), according to French and German officials — a roughly $116 billion project launched in 2017 to develop a next-generation combat aircraft intended to replace France’s Rafale fighter and Germany and Spain’s Eurofighter fleets by 2040. 

“The German authorities considered that it was not possible to put further pressure on the companies concerned,” the Élysée Palace, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron, said in a statement.

The program was envisioned as Europe’s answer to future U.S. and Chinese airpower, combining a stealth fighter with advanced networking capabilities, artificial intelligence and accompanying drone aircraft. European leaders also viewed it as a cornerstone of the continent’s push for greater defense autonomy and a stronger domestic defense-industrial base.

TRUMP PUSHED NATO TO SPEND BIG — NOW COMES THE HARDER QUESTION: CAN EUROPE ACTUALLY FIGHT?

Concerns about the project’s viability had been building for months. Earlier in 2026, European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius described the program as a “failure” and warned that Europe lacked successful examples of major multinational defense projects.

Its collapse now raises fresh questions about whether Europe can translate promises of rearmament and strategic autonomy into the complex multinational weapons programs needed to compete with the United States and China.

Sixth-generation fighters are expected to combine stealth technology, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, networking systems and teams of accompanying drones. Military planners view them as the future of air combat and a key capability in potential conflicts involving major powers such as China or Russia. 

European leaders viewed the program as a test of whether Europe could develop cutting-edge military technology without relying on American defense contractors, making its collapse a setback for broader ambitions of defense self-sufficiency and strategic autonomy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had publicly questioned whether Germany would even need a manned sixth-generation fighter by the time the aircraft entered service and argued that Berlin’s requirements differed from France’s, which wanted a future jet capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from aircraft carriers.

The collapse comes at a pivotal moment for NATO, as alliance members have committed to sharply increase defense spending and expand military capabilities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing concerns about long-term European security.

“It’s hardly ideal signalling either to Washington or to Moscow,” Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Reuters.

PENTAGON SLASHES NATO COMBAT COMMITMENTS AS TRUMP PUSHES EUROPE TO DEFEND ITSELF

The collapse underscored the depth of disagreements between the governments and industrial partners involved in the program.

Macron’s office said France would continue pursuing European defense cooperation despite the setback.

“The French authorities will continue to encourage our companies and armed forces to explore ways and means of pursuing ambitious European projects that are consistent with our national security interests,” it added.

The fighter program’s collapse also is raising questions about the future of other major European defense initiatives. 

France and Germany have struggled to maintain momentum on the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), a next-generation tank project, while several other joint defense efforts have faced delays, restructuring or cancellation in recent years.

Defense analysts say the Future Combat Air System failure is the latest example of Europe’s struggle to convert political commitments to military self-sufficiency into large-scale multinational defense programs, despite growing pressure to reduce reliance on U.S. military capabilities.

German War Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin already is evaluating alternatives following the program’s collapse. 

“One is ordering more F-35s as a bridge solution or for whatever reason,” Pistorius told reporters Tuesday. Other options include joining another international fighter program already underway or pursuing a separate aircraft effort under German leadership with Airbus and other partners.

Pistorius also offered a blunt assessment of the failed effort. 

“With what we know today, we would no longer launch this project in the way it was originally set up,” he said, describing FCAS as “an ambitious European project” that had “crashed into reality.” 

He attributed the collapse largely to tensions between Airbus and Dassault and differing military requirements between France and Germany.

Germany and France launched the Future Combat Air System project in 2017, with Spain joining two years later. The aircraft was designed to operate alongside drones and a highly networked “combat cloud,” but the program had been edging toward collapse for months amid disputes over design authority, technology sharing and industrial control.

French President Emmanuel Macron has long championed the concept of European “strategic autonomy,” arguing that Europe should reduce its dependence on the United States for critical defense capabilities. The Future Combat Air System was widely viewed as one of the most important tests of that vision.

But disagreements emerged over industrial leadership, intellectual property rights, technology sharing and the future design of the aircraft itself. France sought to preserve key sovereign capabilities tied to its nuclear deterrent and aircraft carrier operations, while Germany pushed for a more equal industrial partnership.

The program’s failure leaves uncertainty over how France, Germany and Spain will pursue future air combat capabilities. It also comes as a rival sixth-generation fighter effort — the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), led by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan — continues to advance.

The failure could also reinforce Europe’s dependence on American defense technology at a time when many European leaders say they want to reduce it.

Germany already has committed to purchasing U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, while numerous NATO allies have turned to American-made aircraft, missile defenses and long-range weapons systems since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

INSIDE AMERICA’S 6TH-GEN ARSENAL: B-21, F-47, AND THE FUTURE OF AIR DOMINANCE

While France is unlikely to abandon its domestic aerospace industry, analysts say the demise of the Future Combat Air System project could make it harder for European governments seeking alternatives to American defense technology in the coming decades.

The Pentagon repeatedly has welcomed greater European defense spending but also has emphasized the need for allies to deliver tangible capabilities rather than make promises that take decades to materialize.

The Pentagon and NATO could not immediately be reached for comment. 

The U.S. is pursuing multiple next-generation combat aircraft programs. 

Earlier in 2026, President Donald Trump announced the Air Force’s new F-47 fighter jet, while the Navy continues development of its separate F/A-XX carrier-based fighter program.

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China also is pursuing next-generation air combat systems and has conducted highly publicized test flights of advanced aircraft that defense analysts believe could be connected to Beijing’s sixth-generation fighter efforts.

The collapse leaves Europe without a clear continental path toward a sixth-generation fighter capability while both the United States and China continue advancing next-generation combat aircraft programs. 

France, Germany and Spain must now decide whether to pursue separate national efforts, seek new industrial partners or deepen reliance on existing aircraft and foreign-made systems as pressure mounts to deliver on Europe’s rearmament ambitions.

House lawmakers are turning their focus to billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates as congressional investigators press ahead with their probe into Jeffrey Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. 

Gates will participate in a voluntary interview with the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. Members on the panel are expected to pepper him with questions about his relationship with Epstein, which occurred years after Epstein’s 2008 prison term for soliciting a minor for prostitution. 

The interview will take place behind closed doors, though a transcript is expected to be made available at a later date.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited Gates to testify before the committee after he appeared multiple times across millions of documents released by the federal government as part of its criminal probe against Epstein.

EPSTEIN FALLOUT GROWS AS DOJ WATCHDOG DIGS DEEPER INTO HANDLING OF THE CASE

Gates and Epstein were shown corresponding, including discussions about the tech billionaire’s philanthropy work and socializing between 2011 and 2014. Epstein later killed himself in 2019 after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. 

According to the files, Epstein appeared to discover Gates’ extramarital affairs with two Russian women during his marriage to Melinda French Gates, which the tech billionaire has said did not involve Epstein’s victims.

Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has denied knowledge about Epstein’s sex crimes against minors.

“I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, according to a town hall recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, adding it was a “huge mistake” to spend time with Epstein.

BILL GATES: ‘FOOLISH’ TO SPEND TIME WITH JEFFREY EPSTEIN

A spokesperson for Gates previously told Fox News Digital that he welcomed the opportunity to testify before the committee.

“While he never witnessed or participated in any of Epstein’s illegal conduct, he is looking forward to answering all the committee’s questions to support their important work,” the spokesperson said.

The Microsoft founder is the latest influential figure to testify before the oversight panel in connection to the Epstein probe. Billionaire businessman Les Wexner, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have also participated in interviews with the committee.

Kathryn Ruemmler, former White House counsel to former President Barack Obama, and Leon Black, co-founder of investment firm Apollo Global Management, are expected to sit for interviews in the coming weeks.

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Lawmakers have pointed to Gates’ association with Epstein after his conviction as a key focus of their inquiry.

“We’ve said we don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat or who you are, the fact that Mr. Gates still had a relationship with Mr. Epstein, even after knowing about the conviction, knowing actually what he had done, I think is very concerning,” House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told reporters Tuesday. “So we want to know what did Mr. Gates know, who else was around that orbit and why Mr. Gates continued to have a relationship with Mr. Epstein. I think those are important questions.”

Fox News’ Dan Scully contributed to this report.

As she runs for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate in left-leaning Maine, Republican Sen. Susan Collins is now officially her party’s nominee in a crucial race that’s one of a handful across the country that will determine whether Republicans keep control of their slim Senate majority.

Collins can toss the “presumptive nominee” title after formally landing her party’s nomination on Tuesday by running unopposed in Maine’s Senate GOP primary.

As she fights for re-election, the 73-year-old Collins is once again a top target for Democrats as they aim to win back the Senate majority in this year’s midterms.

“I have been the No. 1 target of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, not only in this campaign, but the last two campaigns as well. I’m always his No. 1 target,” Collins said in a recent Fox News Digital interview.

SIX MONTHS TILL MIDTERMS: THE TEN RACES THAT WILL DETERMINE THE SENATE’S MAJORITY

Facing Collins will be military veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee after two-term Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Schumer and the Democratic Party establishment, dropped out of the race earlier this spring after significantly trailing Platner in fundraising and polling.

While Collins has focused on her Senate agenda, and on Friday she received bipartisan praise after reaching a milestone by casting her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote, Platner has been playing defense amid multiple controversies, ranging from inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, to new allegations last week from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes.

Platner, who has acknowledged his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his four tours of duty in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has said he’s “been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend.”

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“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated,” Platner added. “I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”

The candidate apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign. Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. But new allegations raise questions about Platner’s timeline regarding knowledge of the tattoo.

‘HE HATED WOMEN’: EXPLOSIVE ABUSE, NEW NAZI TATTOO ALLEGATIONS FROM EXES ROCK PLATNER’S CAMPAIGN

Platner, who is supported by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, is pushing an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class.

Asked if Platner is too far to the left for voters in her northern New England state, Collins recently told Fox News Digital, “I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters. But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted.”

Collins said that when it comes to her Democratic challenger’s growing political baggage, “Obviously, I’m going to be contrasting my record of achievement and accomplishments with Graham Platner’s approach.”

An outside political group aligned with the senator has already been blasting Platner, running ads spotlighting his multiple controversies.

Platner, who is running as an outsider, emphasizes that Collins is part of a “broken Washington” and “a generation of politicians who have failed us.”

He has described Collins’ moderate Republican image as a “charade,” highlights her support for some of President Donald Trump’s agenda and accuses her of being part of a political system that benefits the wealthy. 

“She and Republican politicians like her have prioritized the interests of billionaires and corporations over people,” he has charged.

Republicans — as the party currently in power in Washington, D.C. — were already up against traditional political headwinds that typically lead to a loss of congressional seats. Add to that the challenging climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s underwater approval ratings.

Asked how she can overcome the blame pointed at Republicans over the high cost of living, Collins recently told Fox News Digital she’s championed the low-income heating assistance program, which “helps low-income families and seniors stay warm during the cold winter months. I just recently made sure the final tranche of money was released because there is a lot of need in the state of Maine, and the cost of living is high here.”

Collins also emphasized her opposition to cuts “in food stamp benefits and in other programs that are designed for low-income families because I know how important they are.”

The latest public opinion polls point to a competitive contest between Collins and Platner.

But Collins has a history of defeating the Democrats’ efforts to oust her from the Senate.

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Six years ago, she trailed Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, the then-Maine House speaker, but the senator ended up winning re-election by nearly nine points.

Pointing to the expected wave of attack ads targeting her, Collins said, “Fortunately, the people of Maine are smart, and they know lies and distortions when they see it.”

Incumbent Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., won Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary Tuesday.

Lee’s district, comprising the southern end of the Las Vegas metro area and extending through sparsely populated communities like the late Sen. Harry Reid’s hometown of Searchlight, is one of the West’s most competitive swing districts, with a Cook Political Report rating of D+1.

Lee, whom Georgetown University’s Lugar Center deems one of the 10 most bipartisan members of Congress, faced James Lally, Terrill Robinson and Brandon West in the primary.

While the Lugar Center credited her bipartisanship, Republicans have criticized her opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, according to reports, included hundreds of millions of dollars in support for entities in rural Nevada.

Lee has received support from AIPAC and corporate interests such as Boeing, according to The Center Square.

MINIVAN MOM PUTS DEM INCUMBENT ON NOTICE IN TOP GOP TARGET DISTRICT: ‘SHE HAS DONE NOTHING FOR US’

Lally, a cardiologist, told the outlet that Lee’s reputation as a bipartisan lawmaker is a misnomer, saying that she cannot “appease an authoritarian cult” — in an apparent reference to Republican voters and Trump supporters.

Trump’s “No Tax On Tips” has been a rallying cry for Republicans in the district — which hosts some of the largest numbers of tipped workers of any precinct given its proximity to the Strip.

Robinson, meanwhile, is a Marine Corps veteran and former staffer for neighboring Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.

LOMBARDO BUILDS MASSIVE $15M WAR CHEST IN CRITICAL NEVADA GOVERNOR SHOWDOWN

“Terrill is running for Congress because he believes Washington has stopped working for ordinary Americans. He is deeply concerned about the growing influence of corporate money, political self-interest, and the erosion of transparency across government institutions,” his campaign said in a statement on his website.

West recounted his time working several jobs earlier in life — from Carl’s Jr., the Transportation Safety Administration and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where he became a steward.

“I’ve always been someone who learns by being in it, not watching from the outside. My background has taken me through different environments and perspectives, and that’s shaped how I understand people,” West said.

I’M SAM BROWN: THIS IS WHY I WANT NEVADA’S VOTE FOR SENATE

“I learned early how to adapt, how to listen, and how to recognize that everyone is coming from a different place. Las Vegas is where I’ve built my life and where I feel grounded.”

West’s top-listed priority, if elected, is ending all U.S. aid to Israel. He has also said he wants to see ICE “decommissioned.”

Meanwhile, Lee got in hot water recently for a now-deleted expletive-laden X rant against Trump — when the president suggested he would attend oral arguments in the birthright citizenship Supreme Court case.

“So f—ing f—ed up. I’ll pray they f— him to his face,” Lee wrote shortly before 11 p.m. Mountain Time on March 31. “Sorry, I say f— a lot these days.”

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Lee later pushed back on allegations she was a “mentally-deranged psycho” among other retorts from critics, saying in a statement that “clearly my language touched a nerve — my nerve was touched by the attacks on our Constitution and its separation of powers. I took an oath to protect and defend it.”

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.

BLUE HILL, Maine – Graham Platner, the progressive left, and Donald Trump appear to be the big winners in Tuesday’s high-profile primaries in Maine and South Carolina.

Platner, the oyster farmer and military combat veteran who has been facing plenty of incoming fire amid mounting controversies, cruised to the Democratic nomination Tuesday in left-leaning Maine and will now face longtime moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a key race that is among a handful which will likely determine if Republicans hold their Senate majority in the midterm elections.

Meanwhile, in solidly red South Carolina, Trump-backed Sen. Lindsey Graham won a majority of the vote in the Senate GOP primary and will avoid a runoff against a primary challenger from the right.

And the candidate the president endorsed in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished on top of a crowded field of contenders and will advance to a runoff election in two weeks against longtime South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who came in second.

Here’s what we learned in the key June 9th primaries.

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The left storms back

The convincing victory by Platner, who was backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, looks to be another feather in the cap for the left in their intra-party face-off with the establishment.

The primary in Maine was held a week after Iowa state Rep. John Turek, who was supported by longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, won the Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in another crucial midterm showdown.

Turek, a wheelchair basketball player who won two Paralympic gold medals, defeated the more progressive candidate, state Sen. Zach Wahls. The divisive and expensive primary battle was viewed as a proxy war between the establishment and anti-establishment wings of the party.

Fast-forward a week and the ballot box performance by Platner, who promotes an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class, gives a boost to the left.

“The Democratic establishment and powerful interests spent months trying to stop Graham Platner. Instead, they demonstrated that voters in Maine and across America want to elect shake-up-the-system outsiders,” Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green emphasized.

And Green warned that Platner’s victory “should be a wake-up call for a Democratic establishment that has spent too long underestimating the appeal of economic populism and outsider politics.”

EMBATTLED PLATNER WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TO TEE UP CRUCIAL MIDTERM SHOWDOWN

What controversies?

Platner in recent weeks has been facing one of the roughest stretches of his bid for the U.S. Senate.

The candidate has been playing defense the past month, amid multiple controversies. They include inflammatory online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, recent reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married, and new allegations last week from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes. Platner has called the latest allegations of violence untrue.

On Monday, a day before the primary election, a former high-level staffer from the Platner campaign wrote in the Washington Post that Platner “is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.”

While the mounting controversies triggered some Democrats in the nation’s capital to question whether Platner was damaged goods and needed to be replaced, the candidate this past weekend thanked Maine voters for continuing to support him.

“When hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth. Maine had my back,” Platner said at a rally Friday not far from his hometown in Down East Maine. “Now, as every single piece of that past and journey gets dug up, litigated, and weaponized, you have my back. And when politically motivated, serious and false accusations are made against me. Maine, you have my back.”

THE GROWING LIST OF CONTROVERSIES THREATENING DEMOCRAT GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

And voters in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary seemed to shrug off the controversies.

“In trying so hard to understand me, they failed to understand that this is not about me at all,” Platner said in his victory speech as he dismissed news reports about his past misdeeds as immaterial to the Senate election.

“This is a movement about us, about the far too many working far too hard and struggling far too much.”

Trump has a big night

The president wasn’t on the ballot in South Carolina, but he had plenty on the line in the GOP Senate and gubernatorial primaries.

One week after Trump’s endorsement-winning streak in high-profile Republican primaries was snapped, the president’s immense clout over the GOP was on the line again, this time in South Carolina.

And the president easily passed the test.

The candidate Trump endorsed in the Palmetto State’s GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished first in a crowded field of candidates and clinched one of the two tickets in the race for the nomination.

TRUMP ALLY LINDSEY GRAHAM SURVIVES CHALLENGE FROM GOP’S ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT WING

Evette, who repeatedly spotlighted Trump’s support, now advances to a Republican runoff election in two weeks against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, the second place finisher, in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Henry McMaster. 

Since no candidate topped 50% of the primary vote to land a majority, Evette and Wilson will battle for the nomination in the June 23 runoff, and the winner will be considered the clear favorite in the general election in the solidly red southeastern state.

Meanwhile, in the South Carolina GOP Senate primary, longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham did win a majority of the vote, and will avoid a runoff, the Associated Press reported.

Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president.

Graham’s campaign and allied political groups spent nearly $20 million to highlight Trump’s support. And the president joined Graham and Evette for a primary eve tele-rally.

The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past month, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention.

But his 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa a week and a half ago — which came on the same day he also backed Evette — in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to muscle the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

In the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, the major contenders had long been highlighting their support for Trump and his agenda, in hopes of landing his support.

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Trump, after staying neutral for months, endorsed Evette, praising her as an “America First Patriot” and a “WINNER” in his announcement.

In her primary night speech, Evette thanks the president and touted that she’s a “Trump-endorsed businesswoman and conservative who’s going to take the fight to the radical left.”

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, advancing to a showdown with Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo in one of the nation’s most competitive governor’s races.

Ford entered the race as the Democratic frontrunner in a field that included Hill, Sunshine Arterburn, Miqehl Bayfield, Emile Bouari and James Cooper. Before becoming Nevada’s first Black attorney general, he served in the Nevada Legislature, where he led the chamber as majority leader.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS LAUNCHES RE-ELECTION BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

Housing affordability emerged as a key issue in Ford’s campaign, with Ford pledging to lower costs and expand access to housing, according to his campaign website.

Ford’s primary victory comes as the two-term attorney general faces growing criticism over his extensive travel record.

DEM SENATOR REVEALS HOW SHE NARROWLY WON KEY STATE THAT TRUMP FLIPPED: ‘BE PRACTICAL TO FIND RESULTS’

State records reviewed by Fox News Digital in March found Ford accumulated more than $410,000 in travel costs since taking office in 2019, while local outlets have reported he spent more than 100 days outside Nevada during his tenure.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office defended the travel, saying the trips were tied to Ford’s official duties and campaign activities, including coordinating with law enforcement agencies across the country, and were permitted under Nevada law.

REPUBLICANS CUT INTO DEM VOTER REGISTRATION ADVANTAGE IN CRUCIAL SWING STATE AS EARLY VOTE WRAPS UP

Ford is also under investigation by the Nevada Commission on Ethics over whether he solicited improper gifts or used his office to improperly benefit himself, according to documents recovered by local outlets.

Nevada’s gubernatorial race is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests of the midterm elections as Democrats attempt to reclaim control of the governor’s office in the Silver State.

Lombardo, who defeated Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in 2022, is seeking a second term and will face the Democratic nominee in November.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus won the Democratic primary in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating challengers Gabriel Cornejo, Joy Hoover and Luis Paniagua to secure her party’s nomination for an eighth term in Congress.

Titus, who has represented the Las Vegas-area district since 2013, entered the race as the clear frontrunner, backed by labor unions and Democratic organizations while also holding significant advantages in fundraising.

The veteran lawmaker faced a challenge from candidates who argued Democrats should embrace a new generation of leadership, a criticism Titus largely dismissed during the campaign. Titus pointed to her experience in Congress and her record on issues important to Southern Nevada voters, including tourism, transportation and veterans affairs, helping her win the Democratic primary.

MINIVAN MOM PUTS DEM INCUMBENT ON NOTICE IN TOP GOP TARGET DISTRICT: ‘SHE HAS DONE NOTHING FOR US’

First elected to Congress in 2008 from Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, Titus returned to the House in 2012 after redistricting reshaped Nevada’s congressional map. Before serving in Congress, she spent two decades in the Nevada Senate and worked as a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Her primary opponents struggled to gain significant traction in a race largely overshadowed by higher-profile statewide contests. Hoover, a businesswoman and nonprofit founder, Cornejo and Paniagua all sought to present themselves as alternatives to the longtime incumbent but ultimately failed to beat Titus.

NEW GUARD OF GOP WOMEN SAYS DEMOCRATS CAN’T ‘PIGEONHOLE’ FEMALE VOTERS AS THEY TARGET KEY HOUSE RACES

The focus now turns to the general election, where Titus is expected to face the Republican nominee in a district that has become more competitive in recent years following redistricting. Still, the Cook Political Report rates Nevada’s 1st Congressional District as “Likely Democrat,” reflecting both the district’s Democratic lean and Titus’ incumbency advantage.

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Nevada’s 1st District includes much of eastern Las Vegas, Henderson, Paradise and surrounding communities in Clark County. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the district carries a D+2 rating. Republicans have not held the seat since former Rep. John Ensign left Congress in 1999.

Trump-endorsed candidate Marty O’Donnell advanced in a crowded GOP primary race to face off against Democratic incumbent Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada’s 3rd congressional district.

O’Donnell is best known as the composer for the popular “Halo” and “Destiny” video game franchises and has run his campaign on putting “families first,” as well as promoting small businesses and community safety.

The district is among Nevada’s most fiercely contested battlegrounds, with its suburban electorate often deciding close races. President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 and again in 2024, while former President Joe Biden flipped it in 2020.

O’Donnell entered the primary with major GOP backing after securing endorsements from Trump and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.

‘HALO’ COMPOSER RUNNING FOR CONGRESS DRAWS PARALLELS TO DECLINE OF WOKENESS IN GAMING TO TRUMP’S RE-ELECTION

“Susie Lee wants Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, Defund the Police, and wants to take away your Second Amendment, meaning, your guns. Sadly, she voted against the Biggest Tax Cut in History (including NO TAX ON TIPS!), and fought ferociously to knock out Rural Healthcare, a big factor in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District,” wrote Trump in his endorsement on Truth Social in April.

“In contrast, Marty O’Donnell is a World-Class Composer and Entrepreneur who knows the America First Policies required to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote NO TAX ON TIPS, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Champion our Nation’s Golden Age. As your next Congressman, Marty will fight tirelessly to Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Brave Military/Veterans, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,” said Trump.

The video game composer has compared the battles against “woke” ideology in both video games and politics during his run for Congress.

“I believe the enthusiasm for the re-release of the original ‘Halo’ is in large part due to the wokification of the gaming industry,” he wrote in 2025 of “woke” ideology in gaming. “After years of gamers fighting the infiltration of DEI in the industry, we are finally winning.”

“I saw firsthand the beginning of DEI in the industry,” he continued, describing how the industry has faced backlash over games that alienated players with identity politics. “How did gamers react to having things forced on them by non-gamers developing these characters in the studio? They revolted.”

The “Halo” games, centered on humanity’s war against alien invaders, have sold tens of millions of copies, becoming one of the most recognizable and enduring video game franchises since 2001. 

DEM SENATOR REVEALS HOW SHE NARROWLY WON KEY STATE THAT TRUMP FLIPPED: ‘BE PRACTICAL TO FIND RESULTS’

The large suburban electorate voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election even as Lee narrowly won the congressional race — a seat she has held since 2019.

Lee, a former second-grade teacher, has strongly opposed Trump’s call to eliminate the Department of Education, advocating instead for increased federal funding for public schools, special education and after-school programs.

The self-proclaimed moderate Lee also campaigned on the cost of living and healthcare, pushing to lower costs for families.

DEM TIED TO CARTEL OPERATIVE SAYS ‘WHITE NATIONALISTS’ JOINING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT TO ‘HUNT DOWN PEOPLE’

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O’Donnell supports strict border control, a finished border wall and targeting human and drug trafficking.

Lee has occasionally supported tougher border-security measures but is against Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship and has criticized some aspects of his immigration policies.

Nevada state Sen. Carrie Buck won the Republican nomination for Nevada’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating businessman Michael Boris and other candidates in a closely watched primary contest to challenge Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in November.

Buck’s victory comes after receiving endorsements from President Donald Trump and Gov. Joe Lombardo, as well as backing from national Republican groups focused on protecting and expanding the party’s House majority.

Buck, an educator and former school principal who represents a Henderson-area district in the Nevada Senate, entered the race in 2025, arguing her experience in education and state government prepared her to take on Titus.

MINIVAN MOM PUTS DEM INCUMBENT ON NOTICE IN TOP GOP TARGET DISTRICT: ‘SHE HAS DONE NOTHING FOR US’

The Republican primary field also included appliance repair contractor Michael Boris, former pastor and educator Jim Blockey, Rick Saga and Marie Encar Arnold. 

Buck’s campaign held a significant fundraising advantage throughout much of the race and was viewed by many Nevada political observers as the frontrunner entering Election Day.

Boris had argued that Republicans needed an outsider candidate to defeat Titus, criticizing Buck as an establishment-backed contender.

SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES

The general election now shifts to a district that has long favored Democrats, though it has become more competitive following recent redistricting. The Cook Political Report has rated the race as “Likely Democrat,” reflecting Titus’ incumbency and the district’s Democratic lean despite growing Republican optimism.

Nevada’s 1st District, which includes much of eastern Las Vegas, Henderson and surrounding communities, carries a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+2 and has been represented by Titus since 2013. Republicans have not won the seat since former Rep. John Ensign left office in 1999.

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Titus, who faced primary opposition of her own, is expected to begin the general election campaign with a substantial fundraising advantage. Republicans believe Buck gives the party its strongest chance to compete in a district that has become more competitive in recent years.

Attention now turns to the general election against Titus, a veteran Democrat who has represented the district since 2013 and remains one of Nevada’s most established political figures.

Jenny Honeycutt, a business owner, and Mark Smith, a state legislator, advanced in a crowded GOP primary to replace outgoing Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Tuesday evening.

Because no candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright, the primary now heads to a runoff that’s slated to take place on June 23.

The vacancy arose when Mace, a firebrand conservative, announced her decision to run for governor of the Palmetto State.

During her time in Congress, Mace has attracted attention for being one of the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023, for championing legislation on cybersecurity and forcing a vote on releasing the Epstein Files earlier this year.

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Mace, who has taken on a national profile, said she would look to continue her work at the state level.

“South Carolina needs a governor who will drag the truth into sunlight and flip the tables,” Mace said during her announcement speech.

S.C. 01, a safely Republican district, has been held by the GOP for much of the past forty years. Aside from Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., who held the seat from 2019 to 2021, Republicans have controlled the district since 1981.

FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN FIREBRAND NANCY MACE LAUNCHES BID FOR SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR

Mace last won reelection in 2024 in a 58.2% to 41.6% victory over Democratic challenger Michel Moore, a businessman.

Honeycutt, who runs a law firm that helps clients navigate regulations, has positioned herself as a pro-family political outsider, highlighting issues like law and order, the country’s fiscal picture and family finances as key priorities on her website.

According to FEC records, Honeycutt raised just north of $345,600 as of the end of May.

Mark Smith, also a small business owner, led a funeral home service before running for the South Carolina House of Representatives. He has served in state legislator since 2020, and, according to his biography, helped cut taxes and support local law enforcement in that role.

Smith garnered $750,700 in campaign donations, according to FEC records.

WATCH: MACE SAYS TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT HASN’T SEALED SC GUBERNATORIAL RACE: ‘IT’S A DOG FIGHT’

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A third contender in the race, Jay Byars, raised $220,600. He began a political career in 2011 when he was elected to the Dorchester County Council and has remained in the job for four terms. On the private side, Byars began several companies, including a storage service and Good Faith Caregivers, a home care business.

Notably, Mace has not endorsed in the race to replace her.

The State Department will begin offering a “premium” expedited service allowing foreign business and tourist visa applicants to come to the U.S. to secure interview appointments within 10 days at select U.S. embassies and consulates for an additional $750 fee.

The department will unveil a pilot program that will allow applicants to pay the $750 fee on top of the standard $185 visa application fee to schedule an interview at select embassies and consulates within 10 days of payment, according to a notice set to be published in the Federal Register this week, The Associated Press reported.

The program will run from July 1 to Dec. 31 but could be extended depending on demand, according to the outlet.

STATE DEPARTMENT TO ASK FOR BONDS OF UP TO $15,000 FOR VISA APPLICATION FROM A DOZEN MORE COUNTRIES

The embassies and consulates participating in the program are expected to be announced before July 1.

The new expedited service could help reduce visa interview wait times amid broader Trump administration changes to visa screening and compliance rules.

FOREIGN TRAVELERS SOON TO PAY ‘VISA INTEGRITY FEE’ TO VISIT US COSTING $250

The federal government has expanded several visa screening and compliance measures, including requiring bonds of up to $15,000 for visa processing in some countries it says have high overstay rates and requiring years of personal history information, such as social media accounts, to be disclosed.

Those new requirements have contributed to delays in visa processing for foreigners in countries around the world.

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The fee for the expedited service does not guarantee that a person will receive a visa, but it could cut down on wait times for visa interviews for people in countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver Program, which can be at least several months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tom Steyer conceded California’s governor’s race Tuesday, saying it was clear he lacked the votes needed to move on to November.

“It’s now clear that we do not have the votes necessary to advance to the general election in November,” Steyer wrote in a letter posted on X.

A week after California’s jungle primary, the field has narrowed to two candidates. Former Fox News host Steve Hilton will face former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in the November gubernatorial election.

The billionaire hedge fund founder-turned-environmental activist entered the race after spending more than a decade involved mostly in state politics and environmental activism. Steyer, who has spent more than $200 million of his own fortune on his gubernatorial campaign, previously lost his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

FORMER HHS SECRETARY XAVIER BECERRA ADVANCES TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GENERAL ELECTION, AP PROJECTS

During the gubernatorial campaign, he embraced a progressive platform, calling for the abolition of ICE, hefty taxes on the wealthy and universal healthcare. He earned the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has previously railed against billionaires being involved in politics.

Steyer argued that powerful corporate interests played a major role in the outcome of the race in his concession message.

“By spending $55 million – the most ever against a single candidate in a California primary – they showed the lengths they would go to in order to protect a status quo that only serves them and their profits,” he wrote, referring to opposition spending by corporations including Chevron, PG&E and Meta.

TRUMP-BACKED HILTON ADVANCES TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SHOWDOWN WITH EX-BIDEN CABINET SECRETARY BECERRA

“This campaign proved that business-as-usual depends on politics-as-usual, and there is no going back,” Steyer wrote. “We must continue to fight for a system where democracy serves Californians, not corporations – and where you do not have to be a billionaire to run on single-payer, or on breaking up monopolies, or on calling out a corrupt system when you see it.”

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California’s governor’s race is decided through a “jungle primary” system that pits all candidates against one another on the same ballot, regardless of party. The top two finishers advance to November’s general election, meaning candidates from the same party can ultimately face off in the final contest.

.

Republican Steve Hilton has won one of the two tickets to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, will advance to the general election, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

Democrat-dominated California holds what’s known as a jungle primary in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.

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The big question is who Hilton will face in November.

His top two rivals heading into primary day were Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration and would make history as California’s first Latino governor in modern history, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination and who has shelled out over $200 million of his own money in his bid for governor.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, as well as Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, were among the whopping 61 candidates on the ballot.

Hilton is hoping to become the first California Republican to win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election two decades ago.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter century.

MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS DOG SWALWELL AS DEM RIVALS SEIZE OPENING IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE

And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the Los Angeles-area wildfires and President Donald Trump’s immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.

But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress following a political implosion after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.

Swalwell’s exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls.

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Steyer, who unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, spent more than $200 million of his own money to blanket the airwaves and the internet with ads. Meanwhile, more than $80 million in outside money has also been spent on the race.

Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in early April blunted his momentum.

A top Jewish Democrat and member of the House Intelligence Committee called for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to exit the race, adding that if the scandal-plagued oyster farmer were running in New Jersey, he would be “buried under the Meadowlands.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the subject of a recent profile that compared him to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and said he wants to be a “bulwark” against Democrats’ newfound leftist impulses, suggested there is no room for Platner on the party’s midterm ticket.

When asked by CNN if his aversion to Platner should be read as a recommendation that Democrats instead vote for moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Gottheimer offered another off-ramp.

“No, what I would suggest is that Graham Platner get off if he wins today, which I assume he will because there’s no one actively campaigning against him, that he get off the ballot and let another Democrat step in,” Gottheimer said.

SEE IT: MAINE VOTERS SOUND OFF ON PLATNER’S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AS CRUCIAL PRIMARY NEARS: ‘HE’S A DISGRACE’

Platner is the frontrunner in Tuesday’s primary, as Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign and other candidates, including Bangor’s David Costello, have failed to gain traction.

“If this were Jersey and you had a candidate who abused women, obviously has a Nazi tattoo that — now it’s clear that he knew was a Nazi tattoo: not to mention many of his other lies and his comments and extremist comments; pro Hamas — a terrorist organization — other things of that nature. He should get off the ballot.”

Gottheimer, who represents Bergen County’s deep-blue New York City suburbs and the rural ruby-red Skylands of the state’s northwest, said that if Platner tried to run in the Garden State, “we’d throw him off the ballot or bury him under the Meadowlands.”

PLATNER CONTROVERSIES FUEL SPECULATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN MAINE BALLOT REPLACEMENT PROVISION

Former Teamsters President James Hoffa Sr. was also purportedly buried beneath Giants Stadium after his disappearance decades ago.

Gottheimer said Platner should leave the ballot when he wins Tuesday, and let someone more “qualified” replace him.

He said separately that socialists should not be considered true members of the Democratic Party no matter their cataloged affiliation, and that the hard left wing is not where the mainstream of the U.S. is.

“I think it’s really important that we speak out when we see some of these issues that are a challenge,” he said, referring again to Platner.

He said he doesn’t believe Platner will be the ultimate contender for the Democrats against Collins by November.

He alluded to Mills’ statement that her campaign is not over, but only suspended.

FORMER PRIMARY RIVAL RESURFACES TO CHALLENGE SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER IN MAINE SENATE RACE

“Hopefully today you’ll see Janet Mills, even though she is the governor, left the race, her name is still on the ballot. We’ll see how well she does. And I think that’s going to be a sign of the frustration,” he said, while questioning how female voters could support someone facing allegations of violence against women.

He also appeared to blame President Donald Trump for the New York Knicks’ narrow loss to the San Antonio Spurs at home on Monday.

The president was loudly booed by the largely liberal fan base but at the same time was welcomed into Madison Square Garden by team owner and Republican donor James Dolan and some faint “U-S-A” chants could be heard under the rancor on the ABC broadcast.

“[Trump] brought in some bad mojo into the Garden last night and p—ed off a lot of people — but don’t worry,” he said of the Knicks’ chances in the finals overall.

While Gottheimer joins Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman in ridiculing Platner, he retains support from 1992 Clinton campaign architect James Carville, who said on his podcast that, as a Louisianan, he understands oyster farming is “hard a—work” and that Platner’s apparent PTSD is something voters should better understand.

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“Maybe we need a combat veteran right on that Senate floor who is [expletive] up, who every time these [expletives] go to vote for another war … Maybe they need to look at this guy before they start sending young people off to fight wars and see what the consequence of it is,” he said, according to RCP.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.

President Donald Trump moved one step closer Tuesday to locking in immigration enforcement funding through the end of his presidency. 

Republicans’ $70 billion immigration enforcement and border security measure advanced along party lines during a test vote of 213-211. All Democrats present voted “no” during the procedural vote, which tend to be party-line.

The Senate-passed measure now heads to a vote on final passage in the House, where it is expected to be approved as early as Tuesday evening. Given Republicans’ slim majority in the lower chamber, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can afford to spare just a handful of votes.

“We need to fully fund this department, especially at a time of heightened security threats,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Tuesday. 

DOZEN GOP REBELS FAIL TO PERMANENTLY KILL TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND

Some conservatives who want commitments from leadership to vote on legislation codifying Trump’s executive orders targeting illegal immigration and border security initially withheld their support during the test vote. However, the GOP lawmakers ultimately supported the measure’s advancement following discussions with leadership.

“We need to codify what the president has done across the board,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told reporters Tuesday. “So we’re going to fund the people who will try to keep the bad guys out, but we haven’t codified the actions to prevent them to do to come back here in three years or so.”

Tuesday’s vote came after the Senate approved the GOP-authored measure largely along party lines 52-47 last week, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joining Democrats to vote against the package. House Republicans chose to leave Washington for the weekend rather than begin advancing the bill Friday. 

Republicans have sought to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for months amid entrenched opposition from Democrats, who refused to sign off on new funding without sweeping reforms. 

“Giving a $70 billion blank check to ICE, who has a history of brutalizing, terrorizing communities, killing U.S. citizens, is not what we should be doing,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Wednesday. “Those agencies need accountability and oversight. We should not be giving them more resources without also conditioning accountability.”

Democrats’ objections helped spark the longest shutdown in American history, though, in the end, the party secured no reforms.

GOP leadership ultimately decided to pursue the partisan budget reconciliation process to fund both agencies through fiscal year 2029, allowing the party to steer around Democrats’ opposition.

Trump initially gave congressional Republicans a June 1 deadline to secure funding for ICE and CBP, but intra-party opposition to the president’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” delayed the measure’s passage. Some Republicans feared people convicted of violent offenses, including assaulting police officers, in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot could access taxpayer funds.

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Meanwhile, Democrats labeled the funding pot a “slush fund” designed to pay off the president’s political allies.

A coalition of congressional Republicans also rebelled against the inclusion of $1 billion in security upgrades for the president’s ballroom project, which is already under construction. The president has previously said the East Wing project would be funded through private donations.

Republicans’ sweeping immigration enforcement and border security package cleared the House on Tuesday, ending a months-long standoff with Democrats over funding President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown agenda. 

The $70 billion immigration enforcement measure passed 214-212 over the fierce objections of Democrats, who unanimously voted against the package. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also joined Democrats in opposing the measure.

Meanwhile, every GOP lawmaker present voted for the Senate-passed legislation, which funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through fiscal year 2029.

Tuesday’s vote is a major victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who could spare just a handful of defections given Republicans’ fragile majority.

TRUMP ON VERGE OF SECURING $70B ICE FUNDING VICTORY AFTER HOUSE CLEARS HURDLE

The measure now heads to Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.

The GOP-authored bill, known as the Secure America Act, provides $38 billion for ICE and a $26 billion infusion for the Border Patrol. It would also create a $5 billion funding pool to be controlled by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Kiley, who recently switched his party affiliation to independent, said he opposed the bill because it lacked reforms to immigration enforcement and bypassed the traditional appropriations process, which requires some buy-in from Democrats.

“The idea that we’re actually going to now weaken one of the few pillars of sanity we have, which is the annual bipartisan appropriations process, and set this precedent that when you don’t reach bipartisan agreement, you can just do an end run around it … that’s hugely problematic to me,” the California lawmaker told reporters.

“The whole reason I became an independent is because I think that extreme partisanship here has completely run amok, and it’s doing real damage to the country,” he added.

Republican leaders argued they were forced to use the partisan budget reconciliation process after Democrats repeatedly blocked Homeland Security funding bills. The legislative tool allowed GOP leadership to steer around Democrats’ opposition and pass the legislation at a simple majority threshold in the upper chamber.

DEMOCRAT WHO BROKE WITH PARTY SAYS HIS DHS FUNDING VOTE A ‘MISTAKE’ AFTER 2ND MINNEAPOLIS ICE SHOOTING

“This is a piece that Democrats have said they don’t want to fund because they want open borders,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Tuesday. “They have made it crystal clear, the Democrat Party in Washington, that they want to go back to open borders. And we’re not going to do that.”

For months, Democratic lawmakers refused to fund ICE and the Border Patrol unless it was paired with policy reforms. The party’s hardball tactics sparked the longest government shutdown in history, which largely ended after Trump signed a partial DHS bill in April.

Top Democrats initially took a hard turn against new ICE funding beginning in January after two Americans were killed by federal law enforcement officers during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis.

Their message stayed largely the same heading into Tuesday’s vote.

“Republicans are pouring your hard-earned tax dollars into an agency that has brutalized and terrorized communities and even killed American citizens,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Tuesday. “Republican leadership likes to talk a lot about common sense, but where is the common sense in giving this federal agency essentially unlimited funds without a single reform in place?”

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Though Republicans stayed largely united in the ICE funding fight, some conservative lawmakers argued the spending measure should be paired with policy reforms codifying some of the president’s executive orders.

Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., were among the GOP lawmakers who withheld their support for the package during a procedural test vote earlier on Tuesday. Johnson promised the conservative group a vote on border security legislation in the coming weeks, prompting holdouts to support the measure’s advancement, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

The budget reconciliation bill’s passage comes after congressional Republicans failed to meet a June 1 deadline set by Trump to send the measure to his desk.

The quick timeline fell apart after a cohort of Republicans in both chambers revolted against Trump’s roughly $2 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” Some GOP lawmakers, including moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., have since proposed legislation that would curtail the president’s authority to establish the fund.

Southern Poverty Law Center head Bryan Fair defended the left-wing organization’s decision to list mainstream conservative groups on its “hate map” during a fiery hearing Tuesday.

Fair, SPLC’s interim executive, doubled down on the group’s designation of Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, as extremist when pressed by GOP lawmakers. Turning Point was listed alongside White supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in the law center’s 2025 “Year in Hate & Extremism” report released Tuesday. 

The exchange comes as Republicans scrutinize the law center’s close ties to the Biden administration amid the Department of Justice’s pending criminal case against the nonprofit over alleged financial crimes.

“Will you recant it, or are you going to double down and say that these people, including the martyred Charlie Kirk, in fact, somehow deserve to be on your hate list?” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., asked Fair.

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE RETIRES GLOSSARY OF EXTREMIST GROUPS AFTER BACKLASH FOR INCLUDING CHARLIE KIRK’S TPUSA

“Congressman, as I said in my statement,” Fair began answering, referring to his opening remarks in which he said he could not address certain topics due to the ongoing criminal probe. 

“No, wait a second,” Issa interjected. “I heard your statement. I only want an answer to your question in the 11 seconds left. Are you going to recant, yes or no? And if you’re not going to, please don’t tell me it’s because now you’re under charges.”

“Your organization did it as much as 16 years ago. Will you take back any part of that?” the California lawmaker continued.

Fair replied, “The SPLC will continue to expose hate and extremism.”

The nonprofit head also defended Turning Point’s “hate map” designation when questioned by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.

“It is our position that TPUSA expresses views and vilifies other people based on immutable characteristics, exposing them to our listing,” Fair told Roy.

Roy said he would introduce legislation to revoke the law center’s tax-exempt status following the exchange.

INDICTED SPLC CHIEF FACES HOUSE GRILLING OVER ALLEGED SECRET PAYMENTS TO KKK MEMBERS

Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet slammed Fair’s remarks in a post on social media. “Badge of honor,” Kolvet wrote in a statement following the exchange. “Screw the SPLC.”

The hearing came after the Justice Department filed an 11-count indictment against the law center in April over allegedly defrauding its donors by concealing payments to informants within extremist organizations while publicly professing to combat racism.

Fair has denied any wrongdoing and has argued the DOJ charges are politically motivated.

He also dismissed GOP criticisms that the organization has unfairly labeled conservative groups as extremist while ignoring left-wing groups that espouse antisemitism. 

Fair struggled to answer Tuesday when asked by Roy if the law center has labeled any anti-Israel or Islamist groups as extremist.

“Some say we’ve lost our way,” Fair told lawmakers. “That’s false. We’ve never lost our North Star: a fair and just society for every person. All our programs advance that mission.”

Democrats largely defended the law center during the contentious hearing.

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“The SPLC is an enduring institutional beacon of hope for millions of people seeking to create a more perfect union,” House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in his opening statement. “The Trump administration is thus naturally trying to tear it down.”

Fox News Digital reached out to TPUSA for comment.

Former President Barack Obama’s new presidential center will honor late chef Tafari Campbell — a longtime family friend and trusted member of the Obama household — with the launch of a comfort-food restaurant.

“It honors the award-winning former White House culinary team member and beloved personal chef to the Obama family who tragically passed away in 2023,” the Obama Foundation announced in a press release Monday.

Campbell, 45, drowned while paddle boarding on the Edgartown Great Pond near the former president’s Martha’s Vineyard home in July 2023. He was not wearing a life vest during the tragic accident, police reported. 

The Obamas have called Campbell a “beloved part of our family.”

OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER TO ADD AUTOGRAPHED MUHAMMAD ALI BOXING GLOVES

“Tafari Campbell was known as a warm, fun-loving, and humble soul who used his immense gifts and passion for food to spread joy and bring people together, and a painting of him by Kate Capshaw will hang in the restaurant,” the release added.

Tafari’s Kitchen will feature food inspired by the Obama’s personal stories, such as “Mrs. Robinson’s Red Rice,” which is the family recipe of Michelle Obama’s late mother Marian Robinson.

Chicago-based chef Cliff Rome and Bon Appétit Management will spearhead the menu.

Campbell was first hired by the George W. Bush administration to work at the White House and continued on during the Obama presidency, before building a friendship with the 44th president. 

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He became Obama’s personal chef, leaving the White House at the end of the administration in 2017.

At the time of the accident, a paddleboarder with Campbell told investigators they had seen him standing on his paddleboard and lose his balance before falling into the water.

“When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House – creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter,” the Obamas said in a statement at the time of his death. 

“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone,” the statement continued. 

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The Obama Presidential Center will have a grand opening on June 19 after being in development for over a decade and facing scrutiny for its design, price and costs to taxpayers.

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Taxpayers footed hundreds of millions of dollars in public infrastructure costs that constructed roads, transit, and utility updates around the campus, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Obama Foundation for comment.