Steny Hoyer

Maryland Democrats are choosing their U.S. House nominees in a handful of consequential and contentious primaries Tuesday, including a battle between a congresswoman and her predecessor and a crowded race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer.

And as rising party star Wes Moore seeks a second term as governor, Republican voters hope to return the state to GOP leadership by picking a candidate they think can unseat him.

The primaries in the left-leaning East Coast state have an outsize impact, in many cases determining who is likely to win in heavily partisan districts this fall. Seven of Maryland's eight congressional districts are represented by Democrats, and one by a Republican.