Tuesday's 2024 elections: Maryland holds a tough primary, and a Capitol rioter runs for House seat

Voters in three states will cast ballots in competitive primaries on Tuesday, including in pivotal Senate races that will set the stage for the November general election.

The race to replace Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who's retiring at the end of the year, is already among the most expensive elections in the state's history – and a majority of the money has been spent on the contentious Democratic primary. In neighboring West Virginia, a GOP Senate primary reflects the deepening battle lines among Republicans in Congress.

National debates are also playing out in a slew of state and local races across Maryland, West Virginia and Nebraska – including in one contest featuring a convicted Jan. 6, 2021 rioter.

And of course, all three states will host Democratic and Republican presidential primaries – though President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have all but locked down their respective nominations.

Here’s a rundown of Tuesday's must-watch races.

Maryland’s contentious Senate primary

Maryland’s Democratic primary between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone, co-founder of Total Wine & More, is expected to come down to a razor-thin margin.

Alsobrooks has picked up endorsements from Democratic heavyweights in the state, including Gov. Wes Moore; Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., to name a few. If she wins the nomination and is elected in November, Alsobrooks will be the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the Senate and the third Black woman ever elected to the chamber.

But Trone appears to have a slight edge among the state’s electorate. While there haven't been frequent polls in Maryland, public surveys on the race showed the third-term congressman ahead as of early April. The alcohol tycoon has poured more than $54 million of his personal wealth into his campaign.

Victory in the primary could be determined by who shows up to the polls, Foxwell explained. Large turnout in West and East Baltimore and Prince George’s County could bode well for Alsobrooks, whereas Trone must get out the vote in other suburban districts, including parts of Montgomery and Frederick County, where he's drawn strong support in previous races.

Whoever comes out on top will face the winner of the Republican primary in November. Popular former Gov. Larry Hogan is heavily favored in that contest and is expected to be a formidable general election opponent.

Decisive Senate primaries in Nebraska, West Virginia

In West Virginia and Nebraska, Tuesday’s Republican primaries are expected to all but determine the winner of congressional and state elections in November.

West Virginia’s Senate GOP primary is emblematic of the tug-of-war playing out in Congress between traditional conservatives and ultraconservative hardliners that is engulfing the Republican Party. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is backing Gov. Jim Justice in the race, while Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah support Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.

Polls conducted between mid-March and the end of April showed Justice with a double-digit lead in the race.

In ruby-red Nebraska, Republican incumbents hold advantages GOP Senate primaries. Sen. Pete Rickets, R-Neb. is favored to win a special election for the seat he was appointed to in 2023, after former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. stepped down. If elected, Ricketts, a part-owner of the Chicago Cubs, has said he plans to run for a full-term in 2026.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., is also leading in her Senate race. She is likely to face a nonpartisan candidate in the November election.

Baltimore’s mayoral election

The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge thrust the city’s 2024 mayoral election into the spotlight in late March. The winner of Democratic primary is likely to become the liberal-leaning city’s next leader, and they’ll be charged with working with federal and state leaders to mitigate the economic impact of the collapse on businesses and port workers.

Former Mayor Sheila Dixon is challenging current Mayor Brandon Scott for the position. The race has focused heavily on crime reduction, with both leading candidates highlighting the decrease in homicides during their tenures.

Baltimore’s homicide rate dropped for the first time in three decades during Dixon’s first year in office in 2008. The annual number of homicides dipped below 300 last year under Scott’s watch for the first time since 2015.

Several months ago, Dixon, who was forced to resign in 2010 after she was convicted of embezzling gift cards meant for people in need, appeared to be ahead in the race. But Scott received a boost after his immediate handling of the Key Bridge, and it's now a tight match up, Foxwell said.

One side effect of the race to keep an eye on: It could juice turnout for Alsobrooks in the Senate contest, Foxwell noted.

West Virginia leadership shakeup

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s decision to run for Senate created a domino effect that led key Republican leaders across the state to seek open positions.

Six Republicans are running for governor, including Attorney General Patrick Morrisey; Secretary of State Mac Warner and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s, R-W.Va, son, Moore Capito. Morrisey is favored to win.

Four candidates are running for Warner’s position as Secretary of State – and there’s a chance the position will stay in the family. Kris Warner, executive director of the state Economic Development Authority and Mac Warner’s brother, is running against Doug Skaff, a former Democratic House of Delegates member turned Republican.

Jan. 6 rioter runs for Congress

Derrick Evans is one of three people convicted in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots running for Congress in 2024. Evans, a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, is running against Republican Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., for the 1^st Congressional District seat in the southern part of the state.

Miller voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election hours after the Jan. 6 insurrection. A third-term congresswoman, she is expected to beat Evans.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MD, WV and NE hold tough primaries on Tuesday. Here's what to know.