Maryland, although a largely Democratic state, has become a swing state in the current Senate race. The Senate is currently made up of 49 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and an additional three independents who back the Democratic Party. Robert Tait, a journalist for The Guardian, states that “retaking control of the U.S. Congress’s upper chamber may represent the GOP’s best opportunity of success in November’s election.” However, this edge could be overturned, with a third of the seats going up for reelection.
According to the Washington Post, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland are currently receiving most of the election’s attention. Though Maryland is one of a handful of Senate swing, it is a solidly Democratic state, having only elected Democratic senators for the past four decades.
The Senate race in Maryland between candidates Republican Larry Hogan and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks caused an all-time high in ad funding. The Washington Post stated that, “[t]he Republicans have spent $9.9 million and reserved another $21.6 million for ads to boost Hogan, a record for any Republican in the state and far more than nearly all statewide campaigns ever dole out for an entire election season.” These ads have included those supporting Hogan and those attacking Alsobrooks, claiming she illegally benefited from property tax credits. Alsobrooks told reporters the credits were applied to her bills without her knowledge and promised to repay them in full. The groups supporting Hogan have spent significantly more on advertising than those supporting Alsobrooks, but according to The Washington Post, a massive surge in spending for Alsobrooks is expected in the upcoming weeks.
Contrary to other members of the Republican Party, Hogan is not an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump. He refused to endorse Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, was one of the first to advocate for Trump’s impeachment in 2019, and has repeatedly clashed with him on significant subjects, including the Jan. 6 attacks. Though he promises not to support many pro-Trump ideas in the Senate, Alsobrooks and many Democratic voters believe that a Republican majority in the Senate makes Hogan’s policies irrelevant.
Moreover, according to the New York Times, Hogan is being criticized by Maryland citizens for his anti-abortion views. In 2022, Hogan vetoed a bill that would allow trained professionals who are not doctors to perform abortions and also refused to provide funding for training after the bill was passed. Despite this, Hogan still vows to support any pro-abortion state regulations as Senator.
Early polling in March concluded that Hogan had a clear advantage. However, Alsobrooks currently leads the polls by 11 points. Maryland is also on track to support Kamala Harris, which could be one of the determining factors in the presidential election.
University of Maryland political scientist Michael Hanmer reveals that “a lot of [Maryland’s] Democrats have a favorable opinion of Hogan, and changing that is not necessarily easy.”
States such as Pennsylvania and Ohio are seeing similar situations. The Republican Party is attempting to win back the majority, while the Democratic Party aims to hold them off. These states are also seeing record spending to support Republican candidates’ campaigns. With high spending in all these states, the Washington Post claims that the parties must be careful of their budgets. With such emphasis on specific states, there is a possibility that they will not be left with enough money to try to win other states.
“The question is not whether or not we like Larry Hogan,” said Alsobrooks at a recent rally. “It’s not even whether or not it was a good idea to vote for him for governor. The question we are answering is: Who should have the 51st vote?”
