Maryland and West Virginia’s Senate Primaries

Maryland and West Virginia held primaries for key U.S. Senate seats on May 14, 2024. The Democratic Party currently holds the open seats. The Republican Party would like to win or flip the seats in the November general election.  

Maryland Senate Primary 

Larry Hogan easily won the Republican Senate primary with over 60 percent of the vote. His nearest competitor, Robin Ficker, received around 29 percent of the vote. Hogan’s win was not a surprise. He was a popular governor of Maryland for eight years and only the second Republican governor to win reelection in Maryland history. The Republican Party hopes his popularity will help Hogan in November’s general election because Maryland has a history of Democratic party support. 

The Democratic Senate primary election was a closer race. Angela Alsobrooks, a current Prince George’s County executive, won the Democratic primary with around 54 percent of the vote. Alsobrooks has been endorsed by current Maryland governor Wes Moore. Her competitor, David Trone is currently a member of the Maryland state House of Representatives. He is a former businessman who spent some of his own money on this senate campaign. He received around 42 percent of the vote. Alsobrooks will face Hogan in the November election. If she wins, she will become Maryland’s first Black senator.  

West Virginia Senate Primary 

Jim Justice overwhelmingly won the Republican Senate primary with almost 62 percent of the vote. He won the vote in all but 4 of the states’ 55 counties. He is currently serving his second term as West Virginia’s governor. Justice won the governorship in 2016 as a Democrat, but he switched to the Republican Party in 2017. Alex Rooney, the current U.S. representative from West Virginia’s 2^nd District, received around 27 percent of the vote.  

Glenn Elliott, the current mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, won the Democratic Senate primary with slightly more than 45 percent of the vote. His closest competitor, Zachary Shrewsbury, received 36 percent of the vote. Don Blankenship came in third with 18 percent of the votes. 

Elliott will face Justice in the November election. Justice is widely considered to be the favorite to win the election. He is a popular governor and has been endorsed by former President Trump and other Republicans. 

Dig Deeper The Senate races in West Virginia and Maryland have candidates who are governors or who have served as governors. Do you think the experience of being a governor would be helpful in the U.S. Senate? Why or why not? Has a governor from your state ever served in the U.S. Senate?