Voters in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia head to the polls on Tuesday in some competitive and contentious Democrat and Republican primaries.
The most high-profile of the May 14 primary contests is in Maryland, where Republicans are aiming to flip a Senate seat long held by the Democrats in one of the bluest states in the nation. Former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is considered the overwhelming front-runner for the GOP Senate nomination. He is facing competition from a field of more than a half dozen other Republican candidates.
Democrats are hoping to protect their fragile 51-49 majority in the Senate, so Hogan’s late entry into the race in February gave them an unexpected headache in a state that was previously considered safe territory.
With Hogan cruising toward the GOP nomination, the Democrat Senate primary in the race to succeed retiring longtime Sen. Ben Cardin is grabbing the spotlight. It’s a battle between big bucks and high-profile endorsements between the two leading contenders in the 10-candidate field: Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Trone, the co-founder and co-owner of Total Wine and More, has dished out more than $50 million of his own money to his campaign. He is considered the only candidate who can beat Hogan in the general election. Alsobrooks, on the other hand, enjoys the backing of much of the state’s Democrat establishment, including endorsements from Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and five House members.
Hogan says he is ready to face whoever emerges from the Democrat primary.
Republicans are looking at a favorable election map this year with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs in the Senate. They are particularly optimistic about their chances in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election.
Meanwhile, Democrats are looking to take back control of the House, which they lost by a razor-thin margin in the 2022 midterms. They are eyeing several Republican-held seats, including Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which is anchored by Omaha and its surrounding suburbs.
Four-term Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, is facing a challenge from his party’s right flank from candidate Dan Frei, who is backed by Nebraska’s state GOP. A primary victory by Frei would be considered a political gift to Democrats as they aim to flip the district in November.
In West Virginia, with term-limited Gov. Jim Justice running for the Senate, the GOP gubernatorial primary is taking center stage. State attorney general Patrick Morrisey, the 2018 Republican Senate nominee, former state Rep. Moore Capito, auto dealer Chris Miller, and West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner are among the candidates vying for the nomination.
All three states will also be holding presidential primaries, where Biden and Trump – who’ve both long since clinched their respective Democrat and Republican nominations – look to pad their delegate totals. However, Tuesday’s primaries could provide further headaches for both candidates, with the likelihood of more “uncommitted” votes in the Democrat primaries to protest the president’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza.
In the GOP contests, expect a small percentage of continued support for former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the final Trump challenger for the Republican nomination before ending her White House bid more than two months ago.
