Angela Alsobrooks prevails in Maryland Senate primary: Five takeaways

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Allbrooks defeated Rep. David Tron (D-Md.) in the Maryland Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman to represent the Old Line State in the Senate. Another step closer.

But first she must defeat popular former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), which is by no means certain. Both men are vying for the seat held by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a race that was supposed to be relatively drama-free for Democrats, but Hogan’s election has made it even more unpredictable. .

Meanwhile, prominent moderate Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) fended off a challenge to conservative candidate Dan Frye. At the same time, breakout potential Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who defended members of Congress during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, will partner with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the Democratic primary. He lost to a candidate backed by a super PAC. (AIPAC)

At the top of the ticket, President Biden and Donald Trump led to easy victories. But there is a potential problem for both candidates, with Nikki Haley garnering significant votes in all three Republican primaries.

Here are five takeaways from the Maryland, West Virginia, and Nebraska primaries.

Tron’s deep pockets weren’t enough to win

Mr. Allbrooks, who enjoyed the support of prominent Maryland Democrats, won the Democratic contest for Mr. Cardin’s seat despite Mr. Trone spending tens of millions of dollars in the primary. .

Trone, co-owner of Total Wine, spent at least $61 million of his own money for the chance to face Hogan this fall. While the Maryland House of Representatives had a clear financial advantage, Mr. Alsobrooks had the advantage of Gov. Wes Moore (D), Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jamie. It had the support of party establishment members such as Congressman Raskin (D-Maryland). Among other things. Tron was endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Tron also aired a commercial in which one of his supporters suggested that Alsobrooks needed “training wheels,” and accidentally used a racial slur during a House hearing. I also stumbled.

In other words, it was emphasized that no matter how much money a candidate has in a primary election, victory is not guaranteed.

Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapping paper, rates the seat as “likely to go to the Democratic Party,” but with Mr. Hogan’s announcement of his candidacy, the Democratic Party is losing money that should have been a safe blue seat. will be forced to spend.

President Trump’s Haley issue won’t go away

Several of Tuesday’s primaries also highlighted a troubling issue for Trump: the ongoing protest campaign supporting his former rival, Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the race in March.

In both Maryland and Nebraska, Haley had received 20% of the Republican primary vote by late Tuesday night.

Haley fared even worse in deep-red West Virginia, receiving only about 9% of the primary vote, with a reported 89% of the vote as of press time. All of these numbers can still fluctuate, but they highlight a lingering problem for the former president as he struggles to penetrate factions of the Republican Party that remain skeptical or loathe. ing.

It’s worth noting that Haley won 22 percent of the vote in Indiana last week. Republican support was surprisingly high considering the former UN ambassador had been out of the race for two months at that point.

While many of these states are unlikely to be close races between Trump and Biden this fall, Haley’s vote could be a significant boost for the former president in battleground states where even a narrow margin could ultimately make a difference. May be a warning.

But at the same time, Biden had to contend with a strong vote of protest over his administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, which threatened his reelection.

AIPAC wins Maryland

A super PAC affiliated with AIPAC supported Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D) in the Democratic race to replace retiring Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), winning the Old Line state.

Mr. Elfreth’s most prominent Democratic challenger is Mr. Dunn, who became famous several years ago for testifying before the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot. Both candidates pledged support for Israel.

Dunn lambasted the United Democracy Project for entering this competition. Post to X Last month, a super PAC funded by MAGA extremist donors who also donated to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Lauren Boebert just dropped $500,000 on our election. They want to take over. They’re going to fail.”

Elfreth he told Maryland Matters last month. He said he did not know that a super PAC was involved in the race. Still, the super PAC shows how pro-Israel groups are stepping up ahead of the pivotal election in November.

Moderate Republicans block right-wing challenge

Bacon defeated Frey on Tuesday in the Republican race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, surviving a primary challenge from the right.

Mr. Frey was supported by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) and the Republican Party of Nebraska, and Mr. Bacon was supported by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). Given the swinging nature of the state’s 2nd District, Mr. Bacon’s victory would come as a relief to House Republicans.

Mr. Bacon has held his seat for four terms, despite losing to Mr. Biden by more than 6 points in 2020.

Bacon is currently preparing for a rematch in 2022 with state Sen. Tony Vargas (D), whom he defeated by more than two points.

Manchin’s likely successor is on track for victory

Gov. Jim Justice (R), who won Tuesday night’s Senate Republican primary, is almost certain to succeed Manchin this fall, given the state’s Republican leanings.

This leaves the Senate already split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. If Trump wins the presidency in November, Justice’s victory alone would be enough for Republicans to flip the Senate.

The current governor will face off in November against Glenn Elliott, the mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, who handily won Tuesday’s Democratic primary with the support of Sen. Joe Manchin (Virginia).