Maryland, West Virginia and Nebraska primaries 2024: Alsobrooks beats Trone, GOP incumbents survive

538 tracked over 10 competitive primaries for Senate, House and governor.

Tuesday, May 14 was another busy primary day, as voters in three states decided who would be on their general election ballots this fall. In Maryland, Democrats nominated women in two safely Democratic congressional seats, including Angela Alsobrooks, who is poised to become only the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate. In West Virginia and Nebraska, incumbent Republican representatives fended off far-right challengers.

538 reporters and contributors broke down the election results as they came in with live updates, analysis and commentary. Read our full live blog below.


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Answer: Does money grow on olive branches?

I could see Trone attempting to quell the "more electable because I'm wealthier" thinking by opening up his own pockets for Alsobrooks directly. He seemed willing to self-fund if need be. In fact, I was at an event of his in Silver Spring last week where he said he would spend "whatever it takes" to beat Hogan. Money where his mouth is could do Alsobrooks serious good, both for the narrative, and for the war chest, candidly.

—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News


Answer: I don't care too much for money

Nathaniel, here's where I think the Trone electability argument ultimately fell short. This guy spent $62 million blanketing the state with positive advertising nonstop from September until today. If voters were going to respond to what he was offering, they would have done so already. The fact that by the end he was performing pretty similarly to Alsobrooks in head-to-head matchups against Hogan, and that his image was actually worse than Alsobrooks statewide, suggests to me that his money wouldn't have done him all that many favors in the general election. I still think he would have won, but only because I think any Democrat with a pulse and a decent voting record can win a Senate race in Maryland.

Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections


Question: Is Trone really more electable than Alsobrooks?

The Democratic primary for Maryland Senate has focused heavily on electability, with Trone arguing that Democrats should nominate him because he’ll have an easier time beating Hogan in the fall, whereas nominating Alsobrooks would risk giving Republicans a pickup opportunity. However, I’m skeptical that Hogan really has a shot in a state as blue as Maryland, no matter who Democrats nominate. What do you guys think?

—Nathaniel Rakich, 538


Alsobrooks holds small but meaningful lead over Trone in Maryland

With 41 percent of the expected vote reporting, Alsobrooks now leads Trone 53 percent to 43 percent, and we're starting to see projections for her from some outlets, such as the Associated Press. Probably the biggest sign of Alsobrooks's edge is that she's leading outright in places beyond the majority- or plurality-Black localities of Prince George's County (her home base), Baltimore City and Charles County.

In the last two open-seat Senate races in Maryland in 2006 and 2016, the Democratic primary featured one major Black candidate and one major white contender, and in each race the Black aspirant only carried those three places. But this time around, Alsobrooks is ahead in Baltimore County and running basically even with Trone in his home base of Montgomery County. All of this adds up to a lead that looks likely to hold up at this point.

—Geoffrey Skelley, 538


Talk about flush with cash ...

I've arrived at "Trone HQ" for the night. His campaign has completely taken over the flashy Baltimore Museum of Industry that sits right on the city's beautiful harbor. And I mean taken over — entire event dropped right in the middle of the exhibit floor. It's clear that he spared no expense, as multiple stations of caterers are busy setting (delicious looking) sliders and finger foods in front of exhibits about the history of Bethlehem Steel as bartenders ready their area by the waterfront view.

This is not a cheap event. It reminds me of the fanciest Sweet Sixteens I attended on Long Island (a true feat, if you know you know) — and to no one's surprise, as Trone's campaign spent at least $48 million of the more than $60 million total spent on ads in this contest, according to AdImpact. In fact, the press pen is nestled next to a vintage Buffalo Springfield steamroller. Talk about hitting us over the head with metaphor! I'd be curious what it looks like over at Alsobrooks's election party ...

—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News