Besides the high-profile presidential primaries tonight, Maryland was also home to two highly-contested Congressional primaries, pitting moderate incumbents against intra-party challengers.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Al Wynn was facing a rematch against attorney and social activist Donna Edwards, who only lost to Wynn by three points in an anti-war challenge in 2006. With 39% reporting, Edwards is way ahead of Wynn at 59%-36%.

On the Republican side, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, who has turned against the Iraq War and now votes with the Democrats, was up against two opponents: State Sen. Andy Harris, who has the backing of former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, the 2004 nominee for U.S. Senate. With 38% reporting, Gilchrest is also in trouble — Harris has 42%, Gilchrest 33%, and Pipkin 22%.

We'll keep you posted on these races as more results come in.

Late Update: With 51% reporting, the Associated Press has projected Donna Edwards the winner over Al Wynn — and apparently by a landslide. In Gilchrest's district, Harris leads 41%-35% with 74% of precincts in. No projection has yet been made, but it's not looking good for the incumbent here.

Late Late Update: Harris has been projected the winner over Gilchrest.

This really is a feat: Open Left, the liberal blog that's leading the charge on behalf of netroots heroine Donna Edwards' spirited primary challenge to Dem incumbent Al Wynn in Maryland's 4th district, has just sent out a release claiming that the netroots raised $100,000 for Edwards in just this week.

Wynn, who's been targeted by the bloggers in part over his vote for the Iraq War, has the backing of Nancy Pelosi and the Dem Congressional leadership. But Wynn -- who barely survived a challenge from Edwards in 2006, is getting targeted even more aggressively by the netroots this time around, suggesting the possibility of a netroots-fueled upset over the Dem leadership.

Emily's List has taken the rare step of endorsing a primary challenger against a Democratic incumbent. The group, which gives financial support to female pro-choice Democrats, is endorsing 2006 candidate Donna Edwards against eight-term incumbent Albert Wynn.

Edwards narrowly lost the 2006 primary to Wynn, running an anti-war challenge from Wynn's left, and almost immediately started running again.

Donna Edwards -- whose netroots-propelled, Ned Lamont-style insurgent candidacy almost succeeded in knocking off pro-war Dem Rep. Al Wynn last year -- is revving up to target Wynn again. From the Maryland Gazette community newspaper:

The Fort Washington activist and lawyer who gave U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Dist. 4) of Mitchellville a run for his money in last year’s Democratic primary is already discussing what she’ll do differently this time, as she prepares for a likely rematch.

Speaking at Silver Spring’s El Golfo restaurant on Saturday, Edwards said she plans to be better organized, spend more time campaigning and raise more money — much more money...

For starters, she expects to have a bona fide campaign manager this time...Edwards said she also expects to have more time. Last year, she began campaigning heavily in June, giving her three months to reach the district’s voters. But this year, she expects to announce her candidacy next month, giving her about 10 months to campaign, if she decides to run.

In a sign that Wynn -- who prevailed over the little-known Edwards by less than four percent -- may be sweating another challenge, he recently voted in favor of the House Dems' Iraq withdrawal bill and has been making loud antiwar pronouncements.

Edwards is already stirring support from the netroots. "Edwards has a better shot. Last cycle everyone was afraid of Wynn, but now he's kind of been reduced to a vacillating bumbler," MyDD's Matt Stoller comments. "The country is ready for a new generation of leadership."

It's finally over. Donna Edwards has conceded defeat in the Dem primary—and though she still says the election was marred by malfunctioning voting machines and other irregularities, she won't contest the outcome. "My gut tells me the problems we experienced aren't going to be cured in litigation," Edwards told the Washington Post. One good outcome: Wynn was very chastened by his near-political-death experience. He said: "I'm going to work harder to do a better job." He'd better; he's almost certainly facing a rematch in two years.

The latest numbers from the nationally-watched Dem primary in Maryland's Fourth District are in. With 100% of precincts reporting, Rep. Al Wynn leads challenger Donna Edwards 50.45-45.70. Though there are still provisional ballots outstanding, it is unlikely that there will be enough for Edwards to make up her 3,554-vote gap. We'd wager that in Edwards' camp the planning for 2008 is already underway.

Pro-war Dem Rep. Albert Wynn, who's fending off a fierce challenge from antiwar Dem Donna Edwards, now appears to be resorting to inflating his endorsements in a last-ditch effort to stave off a loss in tommorow's primary. The Washington Post reports on several recent examples of this, including a "Women for Wynn" mailing that bore the name of Montgomery County council member Marilyn Praisner -- who subsequently told the paper that she'd told Wynn not to use her name. Edwards is still considered to be the underdog, but this can't be the kind of publicity the Congressman wants on the eve of tomorrow's primary. More after the jump.

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You really can't beat the endorsement that the Washington Post has given to Donna Edwards, the Dem antiwar challenger to incumbent Dem Albert Wynn, who backed the war and hence has been attacked as Maryland's Joe Lieberman by Ms. Edwards:

Tough, articulate and knowledgeable, she is one of the smartest and most impressive newcomers in Maryland politics...

Mr. Wynn insists he has been a successful pork-barrel politician; we suspect Ms. Edwards, razor-sharp and relentless, would be at least as effective. We disagree with her on some important issues, but we are convinced she would be the more forceful, principled and effective representative.

What's particularly striking about this is the fact that the Post editorial board is anything but antiwar. The rest of the editorial is here.