Primary voters head to the polls Tuesday in Maryland, New York and Utah to settle a slate of highly competitive U.S. House and gubernatorial primary races.
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The strength of President Donald Trump’s endorsements will be tested throughout the Republican fields in the states, while Maryland Democrats will consider a primary challenger to incumbent Gov. Wes Moore. Meanwhile, primary contests in New York are scattered with candidates carrying the endorsements of Trump and of popular progressive Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Utah’s primary will look different than elections past after a new redistricting map redraws the boundaries of the state’s four congressional districts.
Here are some of the biggest races to watch in each state.
Maryland: House, Governor
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is looking to secure the Democratic nomination for a second term. Moore has served over three years in his first term and is running for reelection amid speculation regarding a potential 2028 presidential election bid. Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller will face competition from Democratic candidates Eric Felber and LaTrece Hawkins Lytes.
Felber, a Bethesda physician who runs a clinic, is centering his campaign on raising the minimum wage, establishing universal childcare and protecting communities from the administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts.
In Maryland’s elections, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ballot.
The Democratic nominee will face a crowded Republican primary ticket featuring Dan Cox, a former state delegate. While Trump did not endorse Cox in this year’s primary, he gave his support to Cox when he was the GOP gubernatorial nominee in 2022. Despite being backed by Trump in the past, Cox has a history of unsuccessful campaigns in the blue state – losing to Moore in the 2022 general election and failing to secure the 2024 GOP nomination for a House seat from the 6th District.
Ed Hale is another high-profile GOP candidate for governor. Hale is a businessman, the former chief executive officer of 1st Mariner Bank, which he founded in 1995, and the owner of the Baltimore Blast indoor soccer team.
Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer is officially retiring after 23 terms in office that have made him the longest serving Democrat in Congress. The 87-year-old’s decision to step aside leaves a vacancy in the 5th District and prompted 24 Democrats to swarm the ballot seeking the nomination. Notable names on the ballot include: former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker; Delegate Adrian Boafo, who secured Hoyer’s personal endorsement; and Prince George’s County Council member Wala Blegay.
Rep. April McClain Delaney is running for a second term in the 6th District. She seeks to defeat the man she succeeded in 2024, former Rep. David Trone. The two have been included among the wealthiest members of Congress, with Trone loaning $25 million of his own money to his campaign this year and McClain Delaney drawing on $7.4 million of her family’s fortune.
Trump did not issue any high-profile endorsements in Maryland.
New York: House, Governor
While Trump endorsements are known to be persuasive for voters, there is another politician who has a strong say in the country’s largest city: Mamdani.
The power of Trump’s endorsement has been tested, but this will be Mamdani’s first major primary since taking office in January to see if his progressive, democratic socialist influence expands into congressional primaries.
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The mayor endorsed political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier in a primary challenge against Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District, which includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
In the 10th District, Mamdani publicly supported New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman. In the 7th District, Mamdani backed democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik shook up the political landscape earlier this year when she decided to drop out of the gubernatorial primary and announced she will not run for reelection for her seat in New York’s 21st District. That seat is favored to stay Republican with Anthony Constantino leading the GOP candidates. The CEO and founder of the custom sticker company Sticker Mule earned the official backing of Trump and Republican allies. Trump chose to support Constantino over his local opposition, Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps officer and current New York State Assembly member.
New York’s gubernatorial matchup is effectively set for November. Incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul will face Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman for the governor’s mansion. The race cleared out after prominent names like Stefanik declined to seek the GOP nod and Democratic Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado backed off a primary challenge. Trump heavily endorsed Blakeman, Nassau County executive, positioning him as the GOP front-runner.
Utah: House
Utah primary elections are experiencing a historic shakeup after a court ordered new districts drawn that give Democrats more representation in Congress than before.
For the last decade, the state has been in a legal battle over gerrymandering. The Utah Supreme Court ruled that the legislature’s original map violated voters’ constitutional rights. A district judge subsequently ordered a new map to be made for the 2026 elections.
The new map concentrated the progressive core of Salt Lake City, the state’s capital and largest city, into one district. The newly redrawn 1st District combines the Democratic-leaning suburbs with a progressive city, giving Democrats a chance to flip a seat in Congress.
The new map created a crowded ballot in the 1st District, including: former Salt Lake City Mayor Ben McAdams, state Sen. Nate Blouin, tax attorney Michael Farrell and former TikTok and Meta policy analyst Liban Mohamed. Republican Riley Owen is running unopposed in his party’s primary for the seat.
The redistricting affected the 2nd District the least. Republican Rep. Blake Moore, who currently represents the old 1st District, was endorsed by Trump. He will face a competitive race against Rep. Karianne Lisonbee.
The 3rd District expanded in the process of redistricting to include southern and eastern Utah. Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy, hoping to win a second term, will face former state Rep. Phil Lyman. Trump endorsed Maloy, snubbing Lyman in the process.
In the new 4th District, Republican and Trump-backed Rep. Mike Kennedy is running unopposed.
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