On Tuesday, May 14th, Republican voters in Maryland and West Virginia elected strong candidates for the Senate race, significantly boosting the Republican Party’s quest for control of the U.S. Senate.
In Maryland, former governor Larry Hogan secured the Republican nomination in a crucial election. His Democratic opponent is local official Angela Alsobrooks, who could potentially become the fourth black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, another popular Republican, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, won the Senate nomination in this deeply red state, becoming the overwhelming favorite candidate in what is considered the best election for the Republican Party nationwide.
Although Maryland and West Virginia border each other, their political stances are starkly different. Republican candidates will face stiff challenges from Democrats in the upcoming elections as they seek to defend seats won by former President Trump four years ago, given that the Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate.
On Tuesday, primary elections were held in Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia, where both Republicans and Democrats selected nominees for the series of elections scheduled for November, which will determine control of the presidency and Congress.
In Maryland, Hogan presented Republicans with a legitimate opportunity to win a Senate seat in this deeply blue state for the first time in over forty years.
Overcoming years of criticism towards Trump, Hogan’s stance on the former president had caused divisions among Republican primary voters. Nevertheless, this will undoubtedly aid his chances in winning the election this fall as Maryland voters had overwhelmingly favored Biden by 33 points four years ago.
On the Democratic side of the Senate race, voters nominated Arthur Alsobrooks, the top official of Prince George’s County in the Washington suburbs. The 53-year-old African American county executive garnered support from many senior officials in the state, including Governor Wes Moore, Senator Chris Van Hollen, and Congressman Steny Hoyer.
In the primaries, Alsobrooks competed fiercely against Congressman David Trone, engaging in a costly battle before emerging victorious.
Racial issues were a key concern in the Democratic primaries and could continue to be a significant factor in the upcoming months. In Maryland, one in every three residents identifies as African American, and Alsobrooks is striving to become the state’s first black female Senator.
On social media platform X, Hogan congratulated Alsobrooks, stating, “Voters have a clear choice: maintain the dysfunctional status quo or true independent bipartisan leadership.”
Alsobrooks, on the X social network, pledged to “defeat Larry Hogan, keep Maryland blue, and continue Democratic control of the Senate.”
In the primary, Justice defeated Congressman Alex Mooney in a landslide victory. With Democratic Senator Joe Manchin retiring, this seat is almost certain to turn red in November.
Endorsed by Trump, Justice, a down-to-earth former billionaire, is immensely popular in West Virginia. He was previously a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2017 and announcing this change at a Trump rally.
Despite his ties to Trump, Justice does not wholeheartedly align with the former president like most of the state’s Republican officials. He largely steers clear of hot-button cultural issues such as transgender rights.
Mooney attempted to label Justice as a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only) in an effort to gain support from conservatives. Justice did support Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill, believing West Virginia couldn’t pass on the funding it offered.
At a polling station in the capital of West Virginia, voter Steve Ervin, who works at an unemployment office, connected his vote on Tuesday directly to Trump. “I really did a deep dive into the sample ballot, figuring out who Trump supports, and that’s who I support,” he said. “That’s how I made my entire decision.”
In the 2018 Senate race against Manchin, Republican nominee Patrick Morrisey won the gubernatorial nomination in West Virginia.
Both Biden and Trump have amassed enough delegate support from both parties to secure their respective presidential nominations at their national conventions later this summer. On Tuesday, their victories in Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia further bolstered their delegate counts.
However, some voters on both sides hoped to make a significant protest statement by casting important protest votes on Tuesday, aiming to express dissatisfaction with the idea of reelection for Biden and Trump.
Democratic voter Everett Bellamy in Annapolis stated he cast a “no endorsement vote” instead of voting for Biden, protesting the killing of women, children, and non-combatants in Gaza. After leaving the polling center, the 74-year-old Bellamy said, “I wanted to send a message.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican critics couldn’t choose an option for “no endorsement.” However, they could opt to vote for Nikki Haley, whose name appeared on the ballots in Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia, even though she officially suspended her campaign over two months ago.
Independent voter Derek Faux from Charleston, West Virginia, expressed his support for Haley, stating that in other Republican races, he voted for candidates least resembling Trump.
Faux, a librarian, said, “I prefer to see moderate, reasonable Republicans over others.”
Tuesday’s elections also included two candidates closely associated with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In Maryland, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn was one of nearly twenty Democratic candidates for the third congressional district. The 40-year-old Democrat lost to State Senator Sarah Elfreth.
In West Virginia, former state Delegate Derrick Evans, who live-streamed his involvement in the Capitol incident, ran for the first congressional district against incumbent Republican Congresswoman Carol Miller and lost. Evans, aged 39, was sentenced to three months in jail for his actions.
In Nebraska, Republican Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Rickett won their respective elections. Both secured victories in the primary, a rare occurrence where two senators from the same state participate in a vote simultaneously. In Nebraska’s second congressional district, Republican Congressman Don Bacon defeated a challenge from the right.
In North Carolina, voters in the 13th congressional district Republican primary ultimately elected Brad Knott, who had received Trump’s endorsement.