Primary Tuesday: South Carolina, Donald Trump, Nevada, abortion, Senate control

WASHINGTON – Voters in four primary states on Tuesday weigh in on issues that will animate general elections across the country this fall, from abortion to Donald Trump's political power to battles for control of Congress.

Most political eyes are on South Carolina, where two incumbent Republican House members who earned Trump's wrath face prominent challengers backed by the ex-president.

Voters in Nevada, meanwhile, will decide the nominees in a fall Senate race that could turn on the abortion issue – and decide control of the U.S. Senate.

A Republican senator in North Dakota faces a primary challenge, while voters in Maine set up an interesting governor's race in the fall.

Texas rounds out the day with a special congressional election in the southern part of the Lone Star State.

Georgia, Georgia: Trump called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp a 'turncoat' and fought to defeat him. Here's why he won anyway.

June 7 primaries:Could California be a warning sign for Democrats in the fall? Here are takeaways from the latest primaries.

During a recent tele-rally for his pair of candidates in South Carolina, Trump noted that the state's primary falls on his 76th birthday.

"Give me a birthday present, please," Trump said. "Two birthday presents.”

Among the items to keep an eye on:

South Carolina Two-Step

Trump's "revenge tour" travels to the Palmetto State, where he is backing GOP opponents to incumbent House members who criticized him over the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., one of ten House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection, faces state representative Russell Fry. There are also a number of minor candidates on the ballot, and the race would go to a June 28 runoff if no one gets more than 50% of the vote.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who opposed impeachment but criticized Trump for his conduct, will face former state legislator Katie Arrington. Mace also drew Trump's ire by voting to confirm the results of the 2020 presidential election that he lost to President Joe Biden.

Mace vs. Trump: GOP Rep. Mace voted to certify the 2020 election but says she backs Trump. Can she win her S.C. primary?

While Trump visited South Carolina to campaign against the two House Republicans, Rice has not backed off his criticism and has described Trump as a politician of "the past."

“I hope he doesn’t run again," Rice told The New York Times. "And I think if he does run again, he hurts the Republican Party."

The Trump factor

South Carolina gives Trump and the Republican Party in general another chance to assess the true value of his endorsement.

In previous primaries, Trump's endorsement has benefited the chosen Republicans – with limits.

Trump's nod fueled J.D. Vance's win in a Senate primary in Ohio, but Vance won only around 32% of the vote in a crowded field. The Trump endorsement also boosted Pennsylvania Senate nominee Mehmet Oz, but he won his GOP primary only after a tight recount.

Trump outright failed, badly, in his bid to take down Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The ex-president's recruited candidate, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, carried less than 22% of the vote against Kemp.

The former Republican president also failed to dislodge Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who won his primary without a runoff.

Looking ahead to South Carolina, Mace – who has the support of prominent Republicans like former governor and Trump aide Nikki Haley – predicted to NBC News she would hold her House seat because "you’re seeing in our election what folks saw in Georgia."

Nevada: Abortion rights battlefield

In a pivotal Senate race, former state attorney general Adam Laxalt, the grandson of former Sen. Paul Laxalt, is favored to win the Republican nomination to run in the November general election against incumbent Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.

Laxalt, who has Trump's endorsement, faces a tougher-than-expected primary against Army veteran Sam Brown, who has raised enough money and appears to have run well enough to make this a credible race.

The Silver State:Adam Laxalt is running for Senate in Nevada. What to know.

Masto is already making abortion a major issue in the fall race. The primary comes as the U.S. Supreme considers whether to strike down the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling, which would give states and Congress the right to restrict or ban abortion procedures.

"Far-right politicians will try to dictate women’s health care decisions across America if they retake the Senate," Masto tweeted over the weekend. "I’m not going to let that happen."

Abortion politics:Would Roe v. Wade's demise reshape the midterm elections? Ask that question in October.

The Senate is currently divided 50-50, with the Democrats in control because of the tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Any one state could tip the balance, and Republicans believe Nevada is their best shot to flip a Democratic seat.

"This is absolutely the majority-making race in the U.S. Senate," Laxalt told Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures."

Gubernatorial domestic drama in South Carolina

A late-breaking development in South Carolina: Democratic state senator and gubernatorial candidate Mia McLeod received a big endorsement Monday in her Democratic primary race against former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham.

It came from Amanda Cunningham – the candidate's ex-wife.

"The system is long overdue to have women in places their PowHERful voices are heard to create, nurture and enact policies that drive all humankind forward," Amanda Cunningham said in a statement.

The winner of the Democratic primary faces an uphill fight against incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster, who is heavily favored to win the Republican nomination.

Hoeven and the conservatives

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., is the latest Republican to find himself facing challengers who claim he is not conservative enough, in this case an oil worker named Riley Kuntz.

Hoeven is favored, having defeated a more conservative lawmaker in April to win the endorsement at the state Republican Party convention.

State of Maine

As in many states, the biggest fall race in Maine is already set: Two governors opposing each other.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and former Republican Gov. Paul LePage did not draw primary opponents, so they will face off in the fall.

LaPage, an outspoken conservative who has made offensive remarks about gay people, abortion and racial minorities, won gubernatorial races in 2010 and 2014.

Term limits prevented him from running again in 2018, when Mills won the job.

A Texas special

South Texas voters will decide an open primary for a U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas.

Republicans who are trying to make inroads among voters believe they have a chance to pick off a seat that normally goes to Democrats.

The leading contenders are Republican Mayra Flores, a respiratory care practitioner, and Democrat Dan Sanchez, a Harlingen lawyer who has been heavily outspent. Two other candidates are also on the ballot, however, and could force a runoff later this summer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Primary Tuesday: South Carolina, Donald Trump, Nevada, abortion