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Alsobrooks Wins Tense Maryland Senate Primary: Five Takeaways

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Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks won the Maryland Senate Democratic primary over Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) on Tuesday, putting her one step closer to becoming the first Black woman to represent the Old Line State in the Senate.

First, though, she must defeat popular former governor Larry Hogan (R) — by no means a sure thing. The pair are fighting for Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) seat in a race that was expected to be largely undramatic for Democrats but has become more unpredictable with Hogan’s entry.

Meanwhile, prominent moderate Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) fended off a challenge against conservative candidate Dan Frei. At the same time, potential breakout star Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who defended lawmakers during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, lost his Democratic primary to a candidate backed by a super PAC affiliated with the Committee. American Public Affairs Israel. (AIPAC)

At the top of the list, President Biden and Donald Trump easily slid to victory. But trouble lurks for both men, with Nikki Haley notably racking up a lot of votes in all three GOP primaries.

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

Trone’s deep pockets weren’t enough to win

Alsobrooks, who enjoyed the support of prominent Maryland Democrats, won the Democratic race for Cardin’s seat despite the tens of millions of dollars Trone spent 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. Although the Maryland congressman had a clear cash advantage, Alsobrooks had the support of party establishment figures like Gov. Wes Moore (D), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) Md.), among others. Trone has been endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.).

Trone also stumbled repeatedly throughout the campaign, including by airing a commercial in which one of his supporters insinuated that Alsobrooks needed “training wheels” and another time by mistakenly using a racial slur during a House hearing.

In short, the primaries underscored that no amount of money guarantees a candidate’s victory.

Although the nonpartisan election pollster Cook Political Report rates the seat as “likely Democratic,” Hogan’s entry into the race will force Democrats to spend in what should be a safe blue seat.

Trump’s problem with Haley won’t go away

Several of Tuesday’s primaries also presented a nagging problem for Trump — an enduring protest movement in support of his former rival Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race in March.

In both Maryland and Nebraska, Haley received 20 percent of the vote in the Republican Party primaries on Tuesday night.

In red West Virginia, Haley fared worse, receiving only about 9% of the vote in the primary, with 89% of votes reported at the time of publication. While all these numbers may still fluctuate, they underscore a persistent problem for the former president as he struggles to make inroads with a faction of the Republican Party that remains skeptical or averse to him.

In Indiana last week, Haley notably won 22 percent of the vote – a surprisingly high percentage of Republican support, given that the former UN ambassador had already been out of the race for two months at that point.

While many of these states are unlikely to be close between Trump and Biden this fall, Haley’s votes could serve as a warning to the former president in swing states where even narrow margins can ultimately make the difference.

At the same time, however, Biden has had to face persistent protest votes over his administration’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas, which threatens his re-election bid.

AIPAC scores a victory in Maryland 

The AIPAC-aligned super PAC scored a victory in the Old Line State after supporting state Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D) in the Democratic race to retire Rep. John Sarbanes’ (D-Md.) seat.

Elfreth’s most prominent Democratic opponent was Dunn, who became a household name for testifying before the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot several years ago. Both candidates pledged support for Israel.

Dunn criticized the United Democracy Project for entering the race, writing in a post on X last month, “A SuperPAC funded by extremist MAGA donors who also donated to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Lauren Boebert just spent $500,000 on our race. They want to buy this election. They will fail.”

Elfreth told Maryland Matters last month that she didn’t know the super PAC was getting involved in the race. Still, the super PAC is showing how pro-Israel groups are flexing their muscles ahead of crucial November elections.

A moderate Republican fends off a challenge from the right 

Bacon survived a primary challenge from his right on Tuesday after defeating Frei in the GOP race for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.

Frei was endorsed by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) and the Nebraska Republican Party, while Bacon received the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Bacon’s victory will be a relief to House Republicans, given the unstable nature of the state’s 2nd District.

Bacon has held the seat for four terms so far, despite running against Biden by more than 6 points in 2020.

Bacon is now preparing for a rematch against State Sen. Tony Vargas (D), whom he defeated by more than 2 points in 2022.

Manchin’s Likely Successor Moves to Victory 

Gov. Jim Justice (R), who won the Republican Senate primary on Tuesday night, is all but guaranteed to replace Manchin this fall, given the state’s Republican lean.

This will already leave Democrats and Republicans in a 50-50 split in the Senate; If Trump wins the presidency in November, the Republicans will flip the Senate only with the Justice’s victory.

The current governor will face Wheeling, W.Va. Mayor Glenn Elliott in November, who received the support of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and easily won the Democratic primary on Tuesday.





This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story

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