Staff Reports
Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) and former Gov. Larry Hogan have swept their primary elections on Tuesday, scoring big wins for the Republican party. The National Republican Senatorial Committee put in a lot of effort to recruit these popular governors, with the aim of turning two blue seats red. Their goal was to avoid a repeat of their underwhelming 2022 midterm performance.
.@NRSC recruitment strategy pays off as favorites breeze through Maryland and West Virginia primaries https://t.co/AacRCJETmw
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 16, 2024
Gov. Justice painted himself as the candidate best suited to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), which ultimately led to Manchin announcing his retirement. The West Virginia Democrat was seen as the only hope for Senate Democrats to hold onto the seat. Justice defeated five-term congressman Alex Mooney (R-WV) despite Mooney’s endorsement from the conservative Club for Growth and several U.S. Senators.
Former Maryland governor, Larry Hogan, easily secured the GOP nomination for a Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), leaving his opponents in the dust. Hogan’s popularity with a broad spectrum of voters, including Democrats, made him a formidable candidate in the heavily Democratic state.
The NRSC, under the leadership of Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), has thrown its support behind several candidates, including Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Kari Lake in Arizona, Sam Brown in Nevada, Tim Sheehy in Montana, Eric Hovde in Wisconsin, Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania, and Nella Domenici in New Mexico. The committee also weighed in on the Ohio Senate race, ultimately endorsing Bernie Moreno after he secured the primary win.
Daines attributed Gov. Justice’s entry into the West Virginia race as the reason behind Manchin’s decision to retire, practically guaranteeing a Republican victory in the ruby-red state. The NRSC has not been this involved in primaries since Republicans took control of the Senate in 2014.
The GOP’s primaries in 2022 were dominated by hard-line conservative candidates that cost the party its shot at regaining the majority. This time around, Senate Republicans have successfully recruited and nominated politically popular candidates, changing the entire landscape for the party.
While Democrats are leading in some battleground states, the GOP candidates have their work cut out for them. A top outside group associated with Senate GOP leadership has announced $70 million in funding for key battleground states, but they have not allocated funds for races in Arizona and Maryland, indicating less confidence in their prospects in those states.
Senate Republicans are not out of the woods yet, with Democrats pointing out flaws in GOP candidates in several states. But with the likely flip of West Virginia to Republicans and the uphill battle for Democrats to maintain their Senate majority, the 2024 elections are shaping up to be a fierce showdown between the parties.
