Primaries Under Way in Nebraska, West Virginia and New Jersey

Tuesday marks primary day in Republican-leaning Nebraska, where contests for House and Senate seats set up general election battles for Congress.

In GOP-dominated West Virginia, incumbent Sen. Shelley Moore Capito faces five Republican primary challengers but has President Donald Trump's backing. In New Jersey, Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, arrested last year during an anti-ICE protest outside a federal immigration detention center, seeks a fourth term against seven challengers.

The races come with less than six months until the 2026 midterms, when Republicans seek to hold narrow House and Senate majorities and Democrats aim to regain power.

In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, appointed in 2023 to replace Ben Sasse and winner of a 2024 special election for the remaining two years of Sasse's term, runs for a full six-year term. He faces four primary challengers but is expected to win the nomination.

Ricketts will face independent Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who nearly upset Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 re-election, in the general election.

The Nebraska Democratic Party backs Osborn, but community college instructor Cindy Burbank and pastor Bill Forbes seek the Democratic nomination. Both filed late. Some Nebraska Democratic leaders say Forbes entered to ensure a Democrat on the ballot and draw votes from Osborn to aid Ricketts. Forbes denies the allegation. Burbank says she ran to block Forbes from the November ballot.

In the gubernatorial primary, GOP Gov. Jim Pillen faces five challengers. Former state Sen. Lynne Walz and perennial candidate Larry Marvin compete for the Democratic nod.

Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District primary, centered in Omaha, draws national focus to replace retiring Rep. Don Bacon. Democrats target the seat to retake the House. Republican Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding runs unopposed. State Sen. John Cavanaugh and Denise Powell vie for the Democratic nomination.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states to split electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District's vote, the 'blue dot,' went to then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Powell warns that if Cavanaugh wins both the primary and general and resigns his state Senate seat, GOP Gov. Pillen could appoint a Republican, prompting the GOP-led legislature to end the split and adopt winner-take-all.

In West Virginia, first-term GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey is not on the ballot but tests his influence against several GOP state lawmakers seeking re-election. Five Democrats seek the U.S. Senate nomination. In Charleston, Democratic Mayor Amy Goodwin faces a primary challenge for a third term. Republican Brian Hunt runs unopposed.

In New Jersey, Newark mayoral elections are technically nonpartisan despite Baraka's Democratic affiliation. If no candidate exceeds 50 percent Tuesday, a runoff between the top two will occur in early June.