Maryland Democrats voted for their U.S. House nominees in a handful of consequential and contentious primaries Tuesday, including a battle between a congresswoman and her predecessor and a crowded race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer.
Meanwhile rising party star Gov. Wes Moore won the Democratic primary in his bid for reelection to a second term. Republican voters hope to return the state to GOP leadership by picking a candidate they think can unseat him.
WATCH: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore delivers 2026 State of the State address
With polls closing at 8 p.m., the primaries in the left-leaning East Coast state are set to have an outsize impact. In many cases they will determine who is likely to win in heavily partisan districts this fall. Seven of Maryland's eight congressional districts are represented by Democrats, and one by a Republican.
That dynamic and Hoyer's departure attracted big spending and some familiar names to the most-watched Democratic primaries.
Among them was Harry Dunn, a former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol from the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He is running for Hoyer's seat on a platform that includes protecting democracy.
Some races became proxy fights about how Democrats should behave in the current political climate. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson faced a tough primary challenge for the first time in years from a progressive who criticized his decision to block a midcycle redistricting attempt.
The lead-up to Election Day has had some hiccups. Last month the State Board of Elections had to resend mail-in ballots to some voters in the closed primary after a vendor error caused some to receive a ballot for the wrong party.
President Donald Trump seized on the issue, falsely claiming that Moore illegally sent the ballots to ensure victory for Democrats. The state administrator of elections derided him for spreading misinformation.
As the longest-serving House Democrat and the longtime party No. 2 in the chamber, Hoyer is nothing short of an institution.
His retirement gives Maryland voters a chance to reflect on that leadership — and decide whether they want more of the same or a change of pace.
Offering a degree of continuity is Adrian Boafo, a former Hoyer field director and campaign manager who was endorsed by the congressman, Moore and other prominent Democrats. The state delegate drew tech and cryptocurrency donations, and a major pro-Israel super PAC spent some $1 million to boost his campaign.
Others, such as Dunn and progressive attorney Wala Blegay, proposed change. Both Dunn and Blegay, who are vocally pro-Palestinian, criticized Boafo for getting help from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC and other special interests.
The best-funded candidate in the race for the 5th District was Quincy Bareebe, a home healthcare CEO who funneled more than $3 million of her own money into the primary. Twenty-four Democratic candidates are on the ballot.
"I just love what she is doing in the community," said Michelle Green, 59, who voted for Bareebe.
A registered nurse and grandmother, Green said Hoyer's endorsement of a different candidate did not hold sway: "I just figured that they were all in the same bed together."
Green also expressed a common theme among Prince George's County voters: that people need to protect the right to vote by voting. "We should be progressing, not coming back," she said.
Natasha Greensword, 45, and her husband Rodrick Greensword, 58, both voted for Moore in the gubernatorial primary and for Boafo to be the nominee to succeed Hoyer.
"We know the governor is governed by the pillars on which his culture is built," and he will work for the people, making moral and humane choices, Natasha Greensword said.
She said Boafo seemed to share the same values as Moore and Hoyer. She added that she thought Hoyer's endorsement helped as well.
Former Democratic Rep. David Trone left his seat representing the sprawling 6th District in 2024. After an unsuccessful Senate bid, he wants it back.
The face-off between Trone and the current officeholder, Democratic Rep. April McClain Delaney, was expensive and contentious. Trone, the wealthy founder of Total Wine & More, lent his campaign some $25 million of his own money, while McClain Delaney lent herself over $7 million.
Trone criticized McClain Delaney on immigration. She was the only Maryland Democrat in Congress to vote for the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia student whose killing became an anti-immigrant rallying cry for Republicans.
Maryland used to have a moderately conservative governor in Larry Hogan. In the years since he left office in 2023, Republicans have yet to find a clear successor.
In the GOP gubernatorial primary, nine candidates ranging from a Trump acolyte to a former Democrat vied for the chance to stop Moore from being reelected.
Dan Cox, an attorney and former state delegate who unsuccessfully ran for governor four years ago, was one of the candidates who leans further right. Cox has a photo of himself with Trump on his law practice's website, and he has pledged to slash taxes and beef up housing affordability programs if elected.
On the other side of the political spectrum was Ed Hale, a retired banking executive who owns the Baltimore Blast soccer team and switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party for this race. There were also various candidates in the political middle.
Jason Mangen, a lifelong Republican, said he backed Cox because he was concerned about the state's budget, which has seen shortfalls over the years.
"You look at the economy, and hopefully get a governor who can guide the legislature and get a good budget," Mangen said. "I think Dan Cox is good on the budget."
Swenson reported from New York, and Kruesi from Providence, Rhode Island. Associated Press writer Gary Fields in Bowie, Maryland, contributed.
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