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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Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks's election night party is shaping up to be a very Prince George’s County event

About an hour and a half south of Trone's party in Baltimore — in Angela Alsobrooks's home turf of Prince George's County — supporters and staff for the county executive are beginning to fill up Martin's Crosswinds catering center in Greenbelt. Lights are dim with crystal chandeliers glistening; jazz, oldies (and a little Beyonce) is coming out of the speakers and beef wellington, fried shrimp and salmon cakes are heating up on silver burners. Like at the "Trone HQ," Alsobrooks's election night party venue feels very much like a Sweet Sixteen or prom — and some of the attendees have said the same. Overheard moments ago was one voter remarking to another how she came here for high school dances. The candidate, who has captured the backing of much of the Maryland establishment, seems to be appealing to that base of supporters here on election night.

—Isabella Murray, ABC News


Polls are now closed in Maryland

It's 8 p.m. Eastern, so polls have now closed in Maryland as well. Stay tuned for results from the big races there!

—Nathaniel Rakich, 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


A moderate Republican could have a little trouble in Nebraska's 2nd District

Nebraska has a busy electoral slate today, but only one primary looks potentially intriguing: the GOP contest in the Omaha-based 2nd District. Republican Rep. Don Bacon is seeking reelection, but Biden would have carried the seat by 6 points in 2020 and Bacon only won reelection by about 3 points in 2022 against Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas. Bacon's reputation as a relative moderate has helped him hold onto this purple seat, but it's also made him potentially vulnerable to a more conservative primary challenger.

That has made the campaign of Dan Frei, an Omaha businessman running to Bacon's right, one to monitor tonight. Though it's unlikely given the incumbent's fundraising advantage and outside spending support, were Frei to upset Bacon, that would likely make the 2nd District more winnable in November for Vargas, who has raised $2.4 million for an anticipated rematch against Bacon. But Frei has come close to pulling off a primary upset here before: In 2014, his insurgent campaign only lost 53 percent to 47 percent against then-Rep. Lee Terry despite being outspent about 20-to-one.

—Geoffrey Skelley, 538


That's a wrap!

This week's primaries are ovah, so we're calling it a night! Here are the most important races where ABC News has reported a projection:

- Maryland's Senate matchup is set. In the GOP primary, former Gov. Larry Hogan easily dispatched his primary opposition, giving Republicans their best possible nominee for what will still be a very tough general election in deep-blue Maryland. In the Democratic primary, meanwhile, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks edged out Rep. David Trone in an expensive, hard-fought race. She now has the chance to become just the third Black woman elected to the Senate in U.S. history.

- In Maryland's 3rd District, state Sen. Sarah Elfreth won the very crowded Democratic primary, defeating Harry Dunn, the former Capitol Hill police officer who helped defend the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Given the district's blue lean, Elfreth should win in November, adding more women to the House, where women are still just 29 percent of its members.

- Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won the Republican primary for West Virginia governor in a close race over former state Del. Moore Capito. He's heavily favored to win in November in this red state and will likely be a hardline conservative governor, as he's associated with the tea party wing of the party.

- In the GOP primary for West Virginia senator, Gov. Jim Justice easily defeated Rep. Alex Mooney, carrying all but four counties in exurban Washington, D.C. Justice will be heavily favored to win the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who announced his retirement last year.

- In the Republican primary for West Virginia's 1st District, incumbent Rep. Carol Miller fended off a far-right challenge from former state Sen. Derrick Evans, who'd previously served three months in jail after being found guilty in a case related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. She'll be favored to comfortably hold on to her seat in November.

- In the Republican primary for West Virginia's 2nd District, state Treasurer Riley Moore romped to victory over several other GOP candidates vying to succeed Mooney (who ran for Senate). Moore is the nephew of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and the grandson of former Gov. Arch Moore; he'll be a shoo-in this fall for the deeply Republican seat.

- In Maryland's 6th District, which was vacated by Trone for his ill-fated Senate bid, Democrats went with a familiar name in their primary: April McClain Delaney, a former Biden administration official whose husband, John Delaney, held this seat for six years before Trone. On the Republican side, voters once again expressed their support for Neil Parrott, a local lawmaker who was the GOP nominee in 2020 and 2022. Delaney will be favored in the general election, but this is a seat that could get competitive under the right circumstances for Republicans.

- In Maryland's 2nd District, Democratic voters nominated Baltimore County Executive John "Johnny O" Olszewski Jr. to face off against Republican political commentator and frequent political candidate Kimberly Klacik. Biden won general election voters in this district 59 to 39 percent in 2020, so it's highly likely Johnny O will be the next representative of this northern-Baltimore seat.

- In Nebraska's 2nd District, Rep. Don Bacon easily turned back a primary challenge from right-wing Republican Dan Frei. That's bad news for Democrats, who would've had a much easier time beating Frei than Bacon in November in this swing seat.

—G. Elliott Morris, Monica Potts, Nathaniel Rakich and Geoffrey Skelley, 538; Meredith Conroy, 538 contributor; and Jacob Rubashkin, Inside Elections