Republican Party Selects Senate Candidates in West Virginia and Maryland Who Potentially Could Win Over Democratic Seats
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan emerged victorious in the Republican Senate primaries on Tuesday, showcasing a battle of antithetical politics in neighboring states with significant implications for the upcoming fall Senate majority fight.
Simultaneously, Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump sought to display strength in low-stakes presidential primaries. Additionally, the contentious race between two congressional candidates from opposing sides of the 2021 Capitol attack underscored the profound division that still exists in the nation.
Tuesday saw three states, Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia, hosting statewide primary elections as both Republicans and Democrats selected their nominees for the upcoming fall elections. Of particular interest were the Senate primaries in deep-blue Maryland and deep-red West Virginia, where Republicans eye potential opportunities to flip control of the Senate.
In Maryland, Hogan secured the GOP Senate nomination, offering Republicans a real chance at winning a Senate seat in the Democratic stronghold for the first time in over four decades.
Hogan managed to overcome his past criticism of Trump, a stance that initially distanced him from many Republican primary voters but is likely to benefit him in the general election. Maryland voters had given Biden a significant victory over Trump in the previous election.
On the Democratic side, the race between Rep. David Trone and Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County Executive, remained fiercely competitive and costly.
Trone, co-founder of Total Wine & More, invested over $61 million of his personal funds in the race, positioning himself as a viable progressive Democratic candidate not tethered to special interests, with hopes of challenging Hogan in November.
Meanwhile, in West Virginia, Justice triumphed over U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney in the battle to succeed Sen. Joe Manchin. With Manchin stepping down, the Republican Party is on track to secure the seat in the upcoming elections.
Justice, who enjoys widespread popularity in the state and has earned Trump’s endorsement, switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2017. Despite being labeled a “RINO” by Mooney, Justice’s victory signals a probable shift to a Republican-controlled Senate in November.
Other notable races in Tuesday’s elections include gubernatorial nominations in West Virginia, with Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and former state Rep. Moore Capito vying for the Republican nomination.
As Biden and Trump secure their respective presidential nominations, voters across the states aim to express their discontent with the Biden-Trump rematch through protest votes, notably in Maryland where dissatisfaction with Biden’s support for Israel was palpable.
The primaries also featured candidates intimately involved in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, including former West Virginia House of Delegates member Derrick Evans and former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn
In Nebraska, Republican Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts faced minimal opposition in their respective primaries, while Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon encountered a challenge from the right flank in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.
North Carolina voters finalized their selection of the Trump-endorsed Brad Knott in the one-person Republican primary in the state’s 13th Congressional District.
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