A moderate Republican with a stellar reputation has joined the contest, which may spell disaster for the Democrats in Maryland’s bid for a Senate seat.
Unexpectedly, Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, launched his candidacy for the Senate to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin on February 9. The Daily Caller News Foundation spoke with many Maryland political insiders who all agreed that, in light of recent dismal polling results, Hogan’s campaign is jeopardizing the Democrats’ chances of retaining a seat that would have been relatively simple to hold.
According to Paul Ellington, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the Maryland Republican Party, who told the DCNF, “Republicans perceive this as a gift, and the Democrats view it as a nightmare.”
Hogan became the only Republican in Maryland history to hold the post twice when he won reelection in 2018 by around twelve points after winning the governor’s race in 2014 by more than four points. The former governor battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma shortly after taking office; she has been cancer-free since 2016.
The outgoing governor was widely popular across Maryland; when he left office in 2023, 77% of the state’s residents were satisfied with his performance. While 76% of unaffiliated respondents backed Hogan, Democrats had a higher opinion of him than Republicans (81% vs. 68%).
He has a history to build on, therefore, I think he has a great shot at winning. Throughout his eight years as governor, the individual upheld budgetary restraint, demonstrated common sense, and gave priority to issues that impacted the daily lives of the people. He chose not to participate in the political small talk. “Really, he triumphed over that and accomplished great strides in portraying himself as a reasonable, unbiased governor,” Ellington said. According to his survey results, it is not pure speculation. They would have nominated him for a third term as governor if they had the chance.
On February 15, a poll by Emerson College found that, in terms of potential general election opponents, Hogan was in a virtual tie with Democratic Representative David Trone and behind Democratic County Executive Angela Alsobrooks by about seven points. The survey also found that the ex-governor was ahead of both Democrats by double digits among independents.
According to the Emerson College poll, Hogan handily beat out the other lesser-known Republican candidates, while in the Democratic primary, Trone beat over Alsobrooks by a margin of 32% to 17%.
According to reports filed with the FEC, Trone’s campaign has $454,850 in cash on hand, with a total of $23.7 million raised this year. Furthermore, as of 2024, Brooks said that he had $3.1 million in liquid assets and had raised $5 million for his Senate campaign.
While Alsobrooks has only put $1.9 million into the election, the rich businessman who is running for Congress has put $23.4 million into it, according to FEC statistics.
According to Michael Ricci, who spoke on behalf of the Hogan campaign, the struggle is going to be tough since a billionaire has already put around $25 million into the campaign. “However, many Marylanders are sick of the status quo and have already rallied around Governor Hogan.” “The Democratic primary is heating up, and we can’t wait to watch who takes home the victory trophy.”
Similarly to Ricci, Republican state senator Justin Ready expressed concerns to the DCNF about the nominee’s chances of defeating Hogan in the event of a contentious Democratic primary.
“Damn, here we are again with Democrats having to play defense, and here we have two guys engaged in a heated, maybe divisive, primary,” Ready said. “After that, they’ll have a really challenging client.”
