Trump splits with a VP contender in one of Tuesday’s top primaries

Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has emerged as a top contender to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate. But the two are at odds in one contentious and expensive race on Tuesday.

Burgum, who unsuccessfully ran for president, chose not to run for a third term this year, kicking off a competitive primary between Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller and Rep. Kelly Armstrong . Burgum and Trump are on opposite sides: Burgum is backing Miller, while the former president is supporting Armstrong.

That is just one dynamic to watch in Tuesday’s busy set of state and congressional primaries.

Today will also be stop No. 1 on former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s revenge tour, as South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace — one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust him — is the first to face a primary competitor. Also in South Carolina, yet another Republican is facing a primary challenge from the right in a safe GOP seat, the latest example of the intraparty divisions that have been playing out all cycle.

Matchups will also be set in battleground congressional races in Nevada and Maine, and a new member of Congress will be chosen in a special election for a safe Republican Ohio House seat.

Here are the races to watch:

— Maine: State Reps. Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, and Mike Soboleski are competing for the GOP nod to challenge Democratic Rep. Jared Golden — one of a handful of Democrats representing a district that Trump won in 2020 — in the battleground 2nd District. Theriault benefits from major national support, including Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and the leadership-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund, as well as a substantial fundraising advantage over Soboleski. But Conservative Outsider PAC, a super PAC with ties to the Club for Growth, has spent around $100,000 in recent days in support of Soboleski.

Independent Sen. Angus King is up for reelection this year, although he won’t appear on the primary ballot due to his party affiliation. Republican Demi Kouzounas, the former state GOP chair, and Democrat David Costello, who has worked in energy and climate policy, are both uncontested.

Polls close at 8 p.m. EST.

— Nevada: Establishment Republicans’ strength is again being put to the test in the crowded GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen , one of this year’s most vulnerable Democratic incumbents. (Rosen faces two primary opponents, although she has vastly outraised them.)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is banking on Sam Brown, an Army veteran who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022. Brown also received an eleventh-hour endorsement from Trump — a blow to Jeff Gunter, the former U.S. ambassador to Iceland under Trump who has emerged as Brown’s biggest competitor. Gunter is largely self-funding his bid, and has claimed the anti-establishment lane.

Republicans are also jockeying for the chance to unseat three vulnerable House Democrats: Reps. Dina Titus , Susie Lee and Steven Horsford .

The GOP race for Lee’s 3rd District has been the most eventful: Last year, national Republicans were counting on state Assemblymember Heidi Kasama, who earned the backing of then-Speaker McCarthy and Gov. Joe Lombardo. But earlier this year, Kasama dropped her bid to run for reelection to the state legislature. Lombardo has since thrown his backing behind Marty O’Donnell, a composer who’s best known for his work on the “Halo” video games. O’Donnell is facing a busy field, including former state Treasurer Dan Schwartz, who has boosted himself with close to a $1 million personal loan, as well as policy analyst Drew Johnson and former state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien.

In the 1st District, held by Titus, restaurant chain owner Flemming Larsen has a financial advantage over the rest of the field — including 2022 GOP nominee Mark Robertson, who lost to Titus by around 6 points — thanks to a hefty personal loan. And in the 4th District, former North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee snagged the Trump endorsement to take on Horsford. He faces Air Force veteran David Flippo, who has a slight lead over him in fundraising, and businessperson Bruce Frazey.

Polls close at 10 p.m. EST.

— North Dakota: Trump and Burgum may not be on the same page when it comes to their gubernatorial endorsements, but they have both backed Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak for the state’s open at-large House seat. Fedorchak’s most prominent opponent is former state Rep. Rick Becker, who has the backing of the Club for Growth and the House Freedom Fund, the House Freedom Caucus’ political arm. Conservatives for American Excellence, a super PAC that has poured millions into safe-seat GOP House races this cycle to block rabble-rousers from joining the conference, has spent six figures in an attempt to block Becker.

In the gubernatorial race, Armstrong and Miller have spent more than $5 million combined on advertisements, per AdImpact, many of which hurl attacks at each other. In addition to Trump, Armstrong earned the endorsement of the state Republican Party. He also benefits from the name recognition for running statewide campaigns as the at-large House member, while Miller was appointed lieutenant governor less than two years ago.

The victors of the Republican primaries are favored to win in the fall.

Most polls close at 8 p.m. EST, and at 9 p.m. EST in the rest of the state.

— South Carolina: Two incumbents are at risk of being unseated in the Palmetto State — and McCarthy is looming over both of them.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who represents the Charleston-based 1st District, is the first of the eight who voted to oust the former speaker to face a primary challenge this year. Her biggest threat is Catherine Templeton, the former head of the state health and environment department who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018. A third candidate, Bill Young, is also running. If no one clears a 50 percent hurdle, the race will go to a runoff in two weeks.

Outside groups — including some affiliated with McCarthy — have spent more than $4 million on advertisements in an attempt to oust Mace, according AdImpact. But she has the support of Trump, along with the deep-pocketed Club for Growth.

In the 4th District, Republican Rep. William Timmons faces a challenge from his right from state Rep. Adam Morgan, chair of the state’s Freedom Caucus. When Morgan launched his bid last November, he hit Timmons for not bucking McCarthy . Some establishment forces have come to Timmons’ aid, and he also has Trump’s backing. (Timmons’ alleged extramarital affair could also prove to be an issue among some voters.)

Republicans are also parsing through a crowded field in the 3rd District, a safe red seat that is open because Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan is retiring. Air National Guard lieutenant colonel Sheri Biggs has the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, while pastor Mark Burns has Trump’s endorsement. With more than half a dozen candidates on the ballot, it’s likely the race goes to a runoff.

Polls close at 7 p.m. EST.

— Ohio: Voters in Ohio’s 6th District will choose their next representative. Republican state Sen. Michael Rulli is the favorite to succeed former Republican Rep. Bill Johnson, who left Congress earlier this year to serve as a university president, in this safe GOP eastern Ohio seat. Democrat Michael Kripchak, a businessperson, is also vying for the seat. The two will face off again in the November general election for a full term.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Jessica Piper contributed to this report.

A version of this story first appeared in POLITICO Pro’s Morning Score newsletter. Sign up for POLITICO Pro .