Many Democratic and Republican primary races across the country have devolved into bruising political knife fights, with new district lines pitting once-friendly incumbents against each other and candidates willing to use sharp elbows — and artificial intelligence — to get ahead.
In California, Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim, who were once friends, are now locked in a bitter primary battle for the state’s newly drawn 40th Congressional District. The race was triggered after California Gov. Gavin Newsom sought to counter Trump’s redistricting efforts in Texas and carved out five new Democratic seats, pitting the GOP incumbents against each other.
Kim released an ad reviving a scandal involving Calvert from more than three decades ago. “He’s not just swampy, he’s sleazy: Calvert got busted with a prostitute, pants down in his car, tried to flee, then lied to police… Got sex for himself while fleecing taxpayers,” the narrator says in the ad, paid for by the Kim campaign.
Calvert’s campaign responded with an ad that says “RINO Young Kim caught trashing Trump,” playing a spliced cut of videos where Kim says “he has problems” and “I’ll whip his butt.” Calvert’s ads also highlight that Kim said she would support a resolution to censure Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
“Young Kim has said the nastiest things about President Trump, so it’s hardly surprising that she would make up nasty and untrue attacks about Ken Calvert, too,” said Calvin Moore, a Calvert campaign spokesman.
Kim will “put an end to Ken Calvert’s 30-plus years of failing to deliver for the people of Southern California,” said Chris Pack, a spokesman for Kim’s campaign.
Both candidates are likely headed to the general election under California’s “top two” primary system.
In Maryland, Democratic former Rep. David Trone, a deep-pocketed businessman who co-founded Total Wine & More, is seeking a political comeback by challenging his successor, Rep. April McClain Delaney. Trone lost his bid for Maryland’s open Senate seat in 2024 after spending $62 million.
Trone is attacking McClain Delaney as siding with “MAGA Republicans” on issues like immigration enforcement — a claim she denies. One ad says she was the only Maryland Democrat to vote to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people without due process, a reference to her vote on the Laken Riley Act.
McClain Delaney argues that Trone’s campaign is misleading voters, even sending a cease-and-desist letter for materials she says suggest that he is the incumbent. Trone’s campaign ads include a slogan to “re-elect David Trone” even though he isn’t currently in office. Her ads tie him to “MAGA right wingers,” citing past work with Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
McClain Delaney “has stood up for her district and against Trump’s lawlessness at every turn,” said campaign spokesman Nick London. He said Trone has “lied relentlessly to voters.”
Trone communications director Gaby Krevat said the “only misleading action in the 6th District is McClain Delaney asking Marylanders to trust her to fight back against MAGA Republicans.”
In Alaska, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign is accusing Democrats of trying to confuse voters by running another GOP candidate named Dan Sullivan. The two-term senator isn’t ruling out legal action.
“Mary Peltola and D.C. Democrats know they can’t win this race on the issues, so they’ve resorted to dirty, dishonest tactics,” said Nick Adams, the senator’s campaign spokesman.
Spokespeople for Peltola’s campaign and the Alaska Democratic Party said they have no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. The campaign of the other Dan Sullivan didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The name confusion has occurred before. In 2014, a different Republican candidate named Dan Sullivan — then the mayor of Anchorage — ran for lieutenant governor just as the other Dan Sullivan was running for Senate.
In South Carolina, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace aggressively angled for Trump’s endorsement in the gubernatorial race. She posted on X that Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette “is NOT ENDORSED by DONALD TRUMP. Do not believe her LIES.” The post was coupled with an AI rendering of Mace standing with Trump, both giving his signature thumbs-up pose.
A few hours later, Trump officially endorsed Evette.
After the endorsement, Mace pivoted to a new line of attack, highlighting vulgar social-media posts from about two decades ago apparently posted by a potential Evette running mate. She compared herself to Margaret Thatcher and tied Trump’s non-endorsement to her push last year to release documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The primary is Tuesday. Mace, asked by reporters last week, called the race a “dog fight” and expressed optimism that the endorsement wasn’t going to prevent her from making the runoff. “I think it’s backfiring. The grassroots are upset about the endorsement,” Mace said.
“Sadly, we are watching Nancy Mace have a psychological breakdown in real time on social media. We sincerely hope she gets the help she needs for her and her family’s sake,” said Chris Grant, Evette’s chief strategist.
One of the ugliest races is already over: Trump’s successful effort to defeat Rep. Thomas Massie in his Kentucky primary last month. Massie contended with millions of dollars being spent to oust him by the president’s allies and pro-Israel groups, as well as an ex-girlfriend’s public allegations that he tried to bribe her to remain silent after the relationship ended. Massie denied the allegations, arguing it was a last-minute ploy by his political challengers.
In one anti-Massie attack ad, faked images show Massie holding hands with progressive Democrats, saying he was “caught in a throuple” — or three-way relationship — with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
A pro-Massie political-action committee ran an ad accusing Massie opponent Ed Gallrein of being “bought and paid for by the LGBTQ mafia,” citing an anti-Massie donor, Paul Singer, who has supported gay rights. The ad included a Star of David next to an image of Singer, drawing criticism that the spot was antisemitic.