Primary Election Wrap-up
Peter Heck & Tom Timberman • August 4, 2020
This year’s presidential contest began with the largest number ever of Democratic presidential candidates — 29, reduced quickly to 25. Seven stayed in the race until early April, when only former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders remained. The latter withdrew shortly before the end of April, at which point Biden became the presumptive Democratic candidate, having won 1,991 delegates, the minimum required to clinch the nomination. As of August 3, Biden had 50.6 percent of the primary vote to 26.9 percent for Sanders and 7.98 percent for Sen. Elizabeth Warren. In the June 2 Maryland primary, Biden received 84 percent to 8 percent for Sanders and 3 percent for Warren. Other candidates were farther behind.
On the Republican side, incumbent President Donald Trump at one point had three primary challengers — none of whom was able to generate significant support. The last of the group, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, withdrew on March 18. (Even after dropping out, Weld received 13.08 percent of the primary vote in Maryland.) A few Republican state parties canceled their primaries. As of the end of July, Trump had almost 94 percent of the primary vote nationwide. The last primary is scheduled for August 11 in Connecticut.
With Trump and Biden having locked down their respective parties’ nominations, much of the interest in the remaining primary elections focuses on the down-ballot candidates. There were several intriguing contests in the late June primaries, especially in Kentucky, New York and Virginia – all of which voted on June 23.
One of the most closely-watched races was in Kentucky, where Democrats selected a candidate to oppose Sen. Mitch McConnell, majority leader in the Republican-held U.S. Senate. In an election that turned close in the final days, Amy McGrath squeezed out a win over Charles Booker, 45.4 percent to 42.6 percent. McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot, was perceived as a sure thing until Booker, a state representative, emerged as a strong proponent of racial justice in the wake of the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Booker’s campaign was strengthened by endorsements by such national progressive figures as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. As for the general election in November, McGrath has to be considered an underdog against McConnell.
In New York, several progressive Democrats scored wins against establishment candidates in congressional races. Especially notable was the defeat of Rep. Eliot Engel, a 16-term incumbent and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, by Jamaal Bowman, a middle-school principal from the Bronx. In another district, Mondaire Jones, a former attorney in Westchester County, won the Democratic race to succeed retiring Rep. Nita Lowrey. If elected, Jones would be the first openly gay Black congressman. And Ocasio-Cortez overcame establishment opposition to win the chance to run for a second term in Congress.
In the Virginia primaries, Cameron Webb, a 37-year-old Black physician, defeated Marine veteran Claire Russo for the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Bob Good. While the district is perceived as Republican-leaning, Democrats see it as a pickup opportunity, especially if this year’s election generates a “Blue wave.”
One of the few Senate primary surprises occurred in Alabama’s Republican primary, July 14, where former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville beat former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He will face Sen. Doug Jones, the incumbent Democrat, who was unopposed in the primary.
But on the national level, with both parties’ conventions drastically scaled down in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the main bit of suspense has to do with Biden’s vice-presidential choice — an announcement expected before Aug. 17, when the Democrats hold their convention virtually.
Peter Heck is a Chestertown-based writer and editor, who spent 10 years at the Kent County News and three more with the Chestertown Spy. He is the author of 10 novels and co-author of four plays, a book reviewer for Asimov’s and Kirkus Reviews, and an incorrigible guitarist.
Tom Timberman is a lawyer, and former Foreign Service officer and economic development team leader/government adviser in war zones. He and his wife have lived in Kent County for 24 years.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
