Primaries, Primaries

Guess what? It’s Super Tuesday again.

Yup, it’s another big presidential primary day for Republicans and Democrats in five states. Experts, predictors, strategists and media types are predicting that, barring some sort of miracle, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton will have made it all but impossible for their challengers to loosen their strangleholds on their respective parties’ presidential nominations.

The only reason to doubt this even a teeny bit is — not that rumored plot by Ted Cruz and John Kasich to somehow stop Trump from gaining the required number of delegates — that this has been an election process immune to the realization of predictions. Trump has been said to have done himself in politically so many times that his jacket should look like a sieve.

Not likely to happen this time. He’s attempted to look, sound and be presidential. And while you can question the degree of success he’s had, he’s certainly toned things down. Plus, his wife Melania wishes he would stop going on Twitter or Instagram.

Among the five states in play — Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland — the real Super Tuesday may be in Maryland, where Democrats are battling it out for the nomination to run for the Senate seat vacated by Barbara Mikulski, and the seat in the Eighth Congressional District, made up largely of Montgomery County.

If you look at these two high-profile races, it looks like a lineup for a future Bill Maher talk show.

In fact, Democratic Congresswoman (from the 4th District) Donna Edwards, who is in a tight battle with Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen for the Senate seat, has recently appeared on the show.

In the Eighth Congressional District, the battle appears to have narrowed down to three major figures: state legislator Jamie Raskin, businessman David Trone and business executive Kathleen Matthews, a former Washington news anchor and wife of political commentator Chris Matthews.

In both races, there are few differences among the candidates in terms of issues; all the candidates skew to the left, favor abortion rights, are anti-gun and generally (although not always) reflect the policies of the incumbent president. Debates in both races tend to go along the lines of the degree and intensity of opposition to the National Rifle Association.

Money is a factor in the congressional race, where the late entrant — businessman David Trone — has spent upwards of nine, and perhaps ten, million dollars of his own money. That buys a lot of flyers, and airtime for Trone’s commercials, which are impressive in their tone and production, like little minute-movies of the rise of a progressive businessman.

Gender also plays a part in both races, although it’s a card played indirectly by the two female candidates. Some negativity has polluted the air, but in the year of Trump, it’s barely noticeable.

Trone has accused his rivals of taking money from big business or PACs. This is a little ingenuous, given that he has the wherewithal to spend more money (because he has more money).

Tuesday it is. Again.