Polls close in South Carolina with two Trump-backed candidates facing off
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The polls have closed in South Carolina, which along with New York, Maryland, and Utah are holding primary elections and runoffs on Tuesday.New York City Mayor Zohran...
By Fox News · Fox News
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The polls have closed in South Carolina, which along with New York, Maryland, and Utah are holding primary elections and runoffs on Tuesday. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump are not on the ballot in any of the contests, but their sway over the Democratic and Republican parties will be tested Tuesday. Trump, seemingly aiming to hedge his bets, made an 11th hour endorsement ahead of the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoff and is now backing both candidates in the showdown to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. Meanwhile, Mamdani is testing the limits of political power as he takes on the party establishment one year after sending political shock waves across the country with his New York City Democratic primary victory en route to winning election as mayor of the nation's most populous city. The 34-year-old socialist mayor is backing a slate of candidates in the primary, including a trio of left-wing congressional contenders who are taking on the Democratic Party's old guard. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB At the top of this list is political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Mamdani-backed primary challenger taking on Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair, in New York’ s 13th U.S. House District, which covers the northern third of Manhattan and a sliver of the Bronx. Chevalier, 32, says a victory on Tuesday could be the "domino" that falls and builds a "socialist power" nationwide. The 71-year-old Espaillat, who has been in Congress for a decade, is supported by a slew of party leaders, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul . The mayor is also backing former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani last year in the crowded primary field but became one of his biggest backers. Lander is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and parts of Broo…