Chuck Darwin<p>Maryland Primary Election TODAY <br>Tuesday May 24</p><p>The Pressure Is on Democrats as Republicans look to flip Maryland seat </p><p>Republicans have a rare opportunity to flip a Senate seat in Maryland in November, <br>and the outcome of that race could determine control of the upper chamber. <br>The high stakes of the Maryland Senate election have put intense scrutiny on the state’s primaries this Tuesday.</p><p>Maryland primary voters will cast ballots in the presidential race as well as congressional elections, <br>and leaders of both parties will be closely watching the results of the Senate contests. <br>The retirement of Senator Ben Cardin has created an opening for Republicans to potentially capture a seat in a reliably Democratic state, thanks to former Republican governor Larry Hogan’s late entry into the race. </p><p>A Hogan victory would mark the first time that a Republican has won a Maryland Senate election since 1980, and it could erase Democrats’ narrow majority in the chamber.</p><p>Ten Democrats will compete for the party’s Senate nomination, but two candidates have become the clear frontrunners: <br>Congressman Dave <a href="https://c.im/tags/Trone" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Trone</span></a> <br>and the Prince George’s county executive Angela <a href="https://c.im/tags/Alsobrooks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Alsobrooks</span></a>. </p><p>The race has historic implications, as Alsobrooks would become the first Black person elected to represent Maryland in the Senate and just the third Black woman to ever serve in the chamber.</p><p>Polls have shown Alsobrooks running neck and neck with Trone in the primary. </p><p>Trone, the owner of the beverage chain Total Wine & More, has used his personal fortune to boost his Senate campaign. According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, Trone has already loaned $61.8m to his campaign.</p><p>Trone has pitched his ability to self-fund his campaign as a crucial asset for the general election, which has become unexpectedly competitive because of Hogan’s candidacy. </p><p>Hogan, who is expected to easily win the Republican primary, presents a formidable threat to Democrats. When Hogan left office last year, a poll conducted for Gonzales Research & Media Services showed that 77% of Marylanders, including an astounding 81% of Democrats, approved of the governor’s job performance.<br>Hogan’s candidacy will force Democrats to allocate resources to a Senate race that they had previously assumed would be an easy win in the general election.</p><p> In 2020, Biden beat Trump by 33 points in Maryland, but Hogan also won his 2018 re-election race by 12 points. <br>Polls of potential general election match-ups have produced mixed results, but both parties will almost certainly have to spend heavily to compete in the state. <br>The Cook Political Report currently rates the Maryland Senate race as “likely Democrat”.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/maryland-primary-republicans-democrats?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/us-news/articl</span><span class="invisible">e/2024/may/14/maryland-primary-republicans-democrats?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</span></a></p>