Tuesday is primary day in red-leaning Nebraska, where party showdowns for the House and Senate will tee up general election matchups in the battle for Congress.
Meanwhile, in GOP-dominated West Virginia, establishment Sen. Shelley Moore Capito faces five Republican primary challenges but enjoys the backing of President Donald Trump.
And in New Jersey, Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, who grabbed national attention last year as he was arrested during an anti-ICE protest outside a federal immigration detention center, is facing seven challengers as he seeks a fourth term steering the Garden State's largest city.
The contests come with less than six months to go until the 2026 midterm elections, when Republicans aim to hold their razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities, and Democrats hope to ride a blue wave to escape the political wilderness.
What the Right Is Saying
Ricketts is already eyeing the general election matchup against Osborn. The senator has framed his campaign around his work in Washington since being appointed in 2023 to replace Ben Sasse, and then winning a 2024 special election to fill out the final two years of Sasse's term.
In West Virginia, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito faces five Republican primary challengers but has secured the backing of President Donald Trump. The incumbent senator has emphasized her seniority and work securing federal funding for West Virginia infrastructure projects.
Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey is not on Tuesday's ballot, as he was just elected in 2024. However, his influence is on display — the governor is targeting several GOP state lawmakers running for re-election who have crossed him politically.
In Nebraska's gubernatorial primary, GOP Gov. Jim Pillen faces five nomination challengers. Supporters of Pillen argue he has delivered on conservative priorities including tax cuts and opposition to certain federal policies. Former state Sen. Lynne Walz is among those seeking the Democratic nomination to face him in November.
What the Left Is Saying
In Nebraska's U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts faces four primary challengers but is expected to capture his party's nomination. He will face independent candidate Dan Osborn in the general election — the industrial mechanic and military veteran who gave Republican Sen. Deb Fischer a scare in her 2024 re-election.
While the Nebraska Democratic Party has endorsed Osborn for the fall campaign, community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes are competing for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday's primary. Both candidates were last-minute filers, and some Nebraska Democratic leaders alleged that Forbes entered the race so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot and siphon votes away from Osborn to help Ricketts.
Forbes has denied the claims. Burbank said she jumped into the race to keep Forbes off the November ballot.
In Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District, an Omaha-based seat that is a top target for Democrats as they try to retake the House, two major Democratic candidates — state Sen. John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell — are vying for their party's nomination. Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding is unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Powell has raised concerns about what happens if Cavanaugh wins both the primary and general election. She argues that Cavanaugh vacating his state Senate seat would allow GOP Gov. Jim Pillen to appoint a Republican replacement, which could potentially lead to the GOP-dominated legislature scrapping Nebraska's split electoral vote system and making the state's electoral votes winner-take-all.
What the Numbers Show
Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, known as the 'blue dot,' was carried by then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election — one of only two states (along with Maine) that split their electoral votes. The district represents a key pickup opportunity for Democrats.
Ricketts won his 2024 special election with approximately 55% of the vote, but Osborn came within single digits of defeating Sen. Fischer in her re-election bid that same year — suggesting competitive general election terrain ahead.
In West Virginia's U.S. Senate race, five Democrats are seeking their party's nomination to face Capito in the fall.
In Newark, New Jersey, if no mayoral candidate tops 50% of Tuesday's vote, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held in early June. While Baraka is a Democrat, mayoral elections in Newark are technically nonpartisan.
The Bottom Line
Tuesday's primaries across three states will set the table for what promises to be an intensely competitive midterm cycle. Republicans enter with narrow majorities in both chambers that they must defend, while Democrats see opportunities — particularly in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District and potentially competitive Senate races.
The unresolved questions include whether Osborn can maintain his independent coalition in a three-way general election matchup against Ricketts, what impact the Democratic primary dispute over Forbes will have on party unity, and whether Baraka faces any serious threat to his long hold on Newark's mayoral office. Results from these contests will provide early signals about momentum heading into the final push before November.
Voters in all three states head to the polls Tuesday.