BALTIMORE—Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks won the Democrat Senate primary in Maryland on May 14, while April McClain-Delaney and Neil Parrott won the Democrat and Republican primary, respectively, in the state’s Sixth Congressional District —races that could determine which party controls Congress next year.
Ms. Alsobrooks defeated Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) to take on former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who easily won the GOP primary.
The winner of the November race will succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Maryland hasn’t had a Republican in the Senate for nearly four decades.
Incumbent Rep. Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) swept past a conservative challenge, and State Treasurer Riley Moore emerged victorious from a five-candidate field in West Virginia’s two May 14 congressional primary races.
Ms. Miller was declared the winner in her Congressional District 1 (CD 1) primary against former state lawmaker Derrick Evans by the Associated Press at 9:03 p.m. with 60 percent of results counted. At that point, she had garnered 64.7 percent of the tally, or 29,544 votes, to Mr. Evans’ 35.3 percent, or 16,093 votes.
She will be an overwhelming favorite to notch a fourth term in her November race against independent Wes Holden and Democrat James Milton Umberger.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), the incumbent in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, on May 14 secured the Republican nomination in a district that gave its Electoral College vote to President Joe Biden in 2020. Mr. Bacon prevailed over challenger Dan Frei, a businessman and former U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter pilot, by a vote of 18,406 to 7,804.
This came to 70.2 percent for Mr. Bacon and 29.8 percent for Mr. Frei. The businessman, who campaigned as a staunch conservative to the right of the incumbent, was endorsed by the state Republican party and by House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.)
Election watchers say that the 2nd district vote could be the deciding factor in what is expected to be an extremely close presidential race.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, recruited by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to enter politics as a Democrat in 2016, is now the overwhelming favorite to succeed the retiring Mr. Manchin in the U.S. Senate in 2025 as a Trump-endorsed Republican.
Mr. Justice easily outpaced Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) in the May 14 GOP Senate primary in a race called by the Associated Press, among others, with less than 10 percent of the tally counted around 8:15 p.m.
Mr. Justice is the prohibitive front-runner in November’s general election against Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, an aide to the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), whp notched the Democrat nomination by edging progressive Zach Shrewsbury and former coal company CEO Don Blankenship in the Democrat primary.
Former Gov. Larry Hogan won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, the Associated Press projected shortly after polls closed on May 14.
Mr. Hogan will either take on Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) or Prince George’s Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Gov. Jim Justice won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia, the Associated Press projected shortly after polls closed in the Mountain State on May 14.
![[caption id="attachment_5650181" align="alignnone" width="640"] Attendees of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s watch party after winning the GOP primary election in Annapolis, Md., on May 14, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F05%2F15%2Fid5650181-05142024-DSC05244-Larry-Hogan-attendees-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
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Eric Newsome, a 43-year-old who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, doesn’t think he’ll do so again this time.
“I am not a Biden fan,” he said, though he avoided committing to a vote for former President Donald Trump.
Asked whether he might vote differently this time, Mr. Newsome said: “Yes.”
Today’s primaries mark the first election under Nebraska’s new “Photo Voter Identification Initiative,” which voters approved on Nov. 8, 2022.
Despite predictions by some that the new rule would disenfranchise and confuse some voters on election day, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Robert Evnen said the rollout of the new procedure appears to have gone well.
Under the new law, voters must present identification that provides their legal name and a photograph. The document can be expired, and for this first election, it need not have an accurate address.
As the war in Israel continues to divide public opinion among Democrats, several Democrats in Maryland gave their assessment of the issue.
Josh Getto, a 35-year-old engineer, said that Israel was one of his top issues as a voter, and expressed support for President Biden’s foreign policy toward Israel.
Asked whether he was worried about how the president has handled Palestine, Mr. Getto said, “No I am not. I think he’s done a good job there.”
Polls in the three states holding their primaries today will begin closing over the next few hours.
In West Virginia, where voters are making their picks for the president, senator, and governor, as well as the state’s two congressional districts, polls close at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
First results can likely be expected within 30 minutes of polls closing.
![<span style="font-weight: 400;">Voters in Maryland are making their picks for senator in a Democratic primary that’s become an unusually difficult fight for both candidates. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) is facing off against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, seen as representing the more progressive wing of the party. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Mr. Trone is seen as the favorite for the nomination, Ms. Alsobrooks has put up a tough fight, leading in some of the state’s most recent polls. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Josh Getto, a 35-year-old engineer, said he voted for Mr. Trone. Asked whether he was backing the candidate because he liked him or because he was more electable, Mr. Getto said it was “probably a little of both.” </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">“I felt like I got more communication from his campaign,” Mr. Getto said. “So I thought that was probably more likely to translate over to the general [election].</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Kevin Baity, a 67-year-old federal government employee said he voted for Ms. Alsobrooks strictly based on her endorsement by the Washington Post. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">He also expressed concern over U.S. involvement in Israel, but said that President Biden still had his confidence, and his vote.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">“It's a mess over there, I think,” Mr. Baity said. “I don't know any president that would have a good time over there right now. So I think Biden is doing the best you can with a really crappy hand.”</span>
[caption id="attachment_5649784" align="alignnone" width="640"] Kevin Baity, 67, a federal government worker, after voting in the primary election in Elkridge, Md., on May 14, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F05%2F14%2Fid5649784-05142024-DSC05169-Kevin-Baity-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Barron Holmes, a 50-year-old postal worker, is also backing Ms. Alsobrooks.
“I just feel as though she may have a little more insight and touch with the people in our party,” he said.
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![<span style="font-weight: 400;">Beth Roberts, a 60-year-old retiree said she was feeling the impact of the inflation. </span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">“I'm a school teacher. I just retired and I know I'm on a fixed income at the moment. I definitely see an increase in my groceries, my gas.</span>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">“Taxes have gone up where I live. My son has type one diabetes and the medications for type one diabetes are extremely high, and “we help him out. He's a young adult just trying to make it and we help him with that.”</span>
[caption id="attachment_5649786" align="alignnone" width="640"] Beth Roberts, 60, retired school teacher, after voting in the primary election in Elkridge, Md., on May 14, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F05%2F14%2Fid5649786-05142024-DSC05181-Beth-Roberts-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
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CUMBERLAND, Md.—The lunchtime voting at Allegany High School, where there is a drizzle outside, is underway. So far, 100 people have shown up on Election Day, according to a couple of poll workers.
A handful of voters who spoke with The Epoch Times said they cast their ballot for Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) in the Democrat Senate primary with one of the voters citing his experience in Congress, where he has been since January 2019.
A young Republican voter, Jake, told The Epoch Times that he cast his vote for former Gov. Larry Hogan, who is all but a lock-in to get the GOP nomination in the Senate race. He said that Mr. Hogan “was a great governor and I’d think he’d be a really great senator.”
POTOMAC, Md.— Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), who is running for the U.S. Senate, cast his ballot at Potomac Elementary School. After he voted, Mr. Trone, a millionaire, told the press that he feels confident about his chances and about the need to take on special interests. He has been leading Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in the polls, though Ms. Alsobrooks has the support of major figures including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Voters in three states—Maryland, Nebraska, and West Virginia—will go to the polls today to pick their party’s nominees for the general election, with control of various state and federal offices on the line.
The contests for president will be largely uneventful, as former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are already their party’s presumptive nominees.
Also on the ballot for Republicans will be former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley who, despite dropping out of the race at the beginning of March, has continued to rake in double-digit support in Republican contests.
If polls and fundraising are reliable indicators, then term-limited West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice should win his May 14 Republican primary in convincing fashion against Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) to contend for retiring Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) open U.S. Senate seat.
In a May 2-5 survey of 558 likely voters by Emerson College for The Hill and Nexstar, those queried preferred Mr. Justice two-to-one—60 percent to 30 percent—over Mr. Mooney. A FiveThirtyEight average of four April polls gives the governor a consistent 60-to-26.2 percent bulge over the five-term House rep.
Mr. Justice, a billionaire whose family owns coal operations and the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, where House Republicans staged their “energy week” retreat in March, has also outpaced Mr. Mooney in fundraising.