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THREE PRIMARY RACES TO WATCH
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
 
Nevermind that we are just one month away from the first presidential convention of the year, the fight for Congress is happening now. 
 
Primary season is long and layered for the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. And today, we have three races we think you may want to watch.
 
Trump v. the Freedom Caucus chair  
 
The Old Dominion is witness to a big-headline battle within the Republican Party: the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus is fighting for his political life against an opponent endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
 
There is much to say about this Virginia race in the area that includes Charlottesville, but above all, it is a test of who has power, and for Trump, of his absolute insistence on loyalty and determination to get revenge.
 
Rep. Bob Good, who chairs the Freedom Caucus and represents the central 5th Congressional District, endorsed Ron DeSantis in the presidential race. Trump has not forgotten this and endorsed Good’s challenger John McGuire. Someone else with a long memory — former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — has also been working to end Good’s career, as retribution for Good’s role in ending his own.
 
The race has some rare contours. Good is still stressing his loyalty to Trump, despite the endorsement of his opponent.  In response, Trump has sent a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that Good stop using Trump’s name and any Trump-related symbols.  
 
Virginia is for scramblers
 
Two other districts in Virginia stand out simply for the size of the candidate fields scrambling to make it out of the primary in the Washington, D.C., exurbs and suburbs.
 
The retirements of Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger, leaving Virginia’s 7th Congressional District to run for governor, and Jennifer Wexton, ending her career in the 10th for health reasons, have left open two highly coveted seats.
 
In the 7th District, six Republicans and seven Democrats are on the ballot to replace Spanberger. They include Democrat Eugene Vindman, twin brother of Alexander Vindman, an Army officer who testified during the first Trump impeachment trial in 2019.
 
Among the Republicans are two military veterans, whom The Washington Post described as looking “similar on paper” (the photos bear a likeness too), but who are contrasted in at least one way. One of them, Cameron Hamilton, has pledged to join the House Freedom Caucus, while Derrick Anderson has the endorsement of Rep. Steve Scalise, the second-highest ranking House Republican.
 
In the 10th District, the list of names on the ballot is even longer, with 12 Democrats and four Republicans vying for the chance to run in November. The Democratic race has become particularly heated and expensive. The New York Times has called it a “brawl,” with candidates facing accusations of sexual harassment, resume padding as well as sharp pushback over their approaches to Israel. 
 
The bruising has made some wonder if Democrats have already hurt their chances to keep a key swing district in November. The winners on both sides tonight will need to immediately ramp up for (another) tough race.
 
The long shot 
 
In Oklahoma, one of the highest-ranking Republicans in the House faces a well-funded, upstart challenge.  
 
Rep. Tom Cole is the Appropriations chair, one of the most senior members of the House. A member of the Chickasaw Nation, he is also the longest-serving Native American in House history. But Cole finds himself on the ballot against Paul Bondar, a self-funded Republican challenger who accuses Cole of not being a true conservative and has said he would spend “whatever it takes” to win. 
 
Cole has the help of some big-spending outside groups and a literal Trump card: The former president has endorsed him.
 
Still, it is worth watching this one to see how an established Republican in bright red territory does against an attack from the right — but with Trump’s backing.  
 
The meaning of it all
 
Each race is unique.
 
And today, we have two strong themes: how much Trump determines the fate of Republicans down the ballot and how Democrats handle heated, divisive races of their own.