Former President Donald Trump’s backing played a significant role in the primary victories of Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Maine State Representative Austin Theriault (R. Both candidates secured their nominations for the upcoming election on Tuesday night.
Mace emerged triumphant with 21,030 votes, or 57.8% of the total count, according to the Associated Press. The victory was declared at around 8:40 p.m., with Mace’s Republican opponents trailing behind. Catherine Templeton, a former director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, secured 10,486 votes or 28.6% of the vote, while Marine veteran William Young garnered 5,090 votes or 13.7.
In March, Trump publicly endorsed Mace for re-election on his social media platform, Truth Social. The former president commended her efforts in campaigning across South Carolina and highlighted that she had been fighting to secure the border, strengthen the military, support veterans, and prevent political weaponization, among other things.
Similarly, Theriault’s primary victory was also backed by Trump’s endorsement in March for his run in Maine’s second congressional district. He secured approximately 9,248 votes or 66.0% of the vote, while his opponent Michael Sobeleski obtained 4,756 votes or 34.0. The race was called at 8:52 p.m. on Tuesday night.
In Trump’s endorsement post for Theriault, the former president emphasized that the former NASCAR driver and current Maine state representative for the first district would work tirelessly to secure the border, protect the Second Amendment, stop crime, cut taxes, and support law enforcement, military, and veterans.
Theriault is set to challenge incumbent Jared Golden (D-ME), who has been representing the district since 2019 and is currently running for re-election for his fourth term, as per the Hill’s report.