Republican voters in South Carolina and Oklahoma returned to the polls Tuesday for a set of primary runoffs, the second round of contests held when no candidate wins an outright majority in the first vote.

In South Carolina, the runoff centered on a U.S. Senate nomination, a race that drew national attention in part because of its potential connection to President Donald Trump. Politico framed the outcome as carrying significance for Trump, describing a contest that could deliver either a win or a defeat tied to his political standing.

One candidate, Darline Graham, drew notice for her own profile. The Atlantic examined her candidacy and her efforts to define herself on her own terms rather than through family associations.

In Oklahoma, a proposed aluminum smelter emerged as a point of contention in the closing stretch of the campaign. NPR reported that the smelter figured into the final arguments of the race, with the candidates taking differing positions on the project.

Runoffs in both states follow the same basic rule: when no candidate in a primary secures a majority of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a second contest, and the winner carries the party's line into the general election in the fall.

Polls closed Tuesday evening in both states, with results expected to follow as ballots were counted.

References

1. 1.Politico — framed the South Carolina Senate race as significant to President Trump's political standing
2. 2.The Atlantic — profiled Darline Graham's candidacy and her efforts to define herself on her own terms
3. 3.NPR — reported that a proposed aluminum smelter figured into the closing arguments of the Oklahoma race