Maryland Senate Primary — Key to Control of U.S. Senate?

Jane Jewell • April 16, 2024


The Maryland State Primary Election is set for May 14, and one of its biggest tasks is deciding who will be the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Maryland in the November general election. 

 

The current senator, Ben Cardin (D), is retiring after three terms, following 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

Now Cardin will be replaced, and that new person’s party — Republican or Democratic — will help decide control of the Senate for the next two years.

 

Maryland has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1980. However, this year, whoever wins the Democratic primary will probably run in November against Larry Hogan, the former Republican governor from 2015 through 2023. Hogan was popular with a large number of Marylanders from both parties. His unexpected last-minute entry into the senatorial race in February heightened the stakes in the Democratic primary.

 

The big question for Democrats now appears to be “Who has the best chance to beat Hogan in November?”

 

Although there will be 10 candidates on the Democratic primary ticket, the two front-runners are Angela Alsobrooks and David Trone. Both are liberal Democrats with similar views, thus making it trickier for voters to choose between them.

 

Both support environmental issues, reproductive rights, Medicare and Social Security, along with expanded health care and services for various groups.

 

Their resumes reflect some differences, both working in government but in different areas. Alsobrook’s expertise is in management and administration, while Trone’s government experience is in legislation.

 

Angela Alsobrooks

Angela Alsobrooks is the chief executive of Prince George's County, the first woman to hold that office and the first Black woman to hold a county executive office in Maryland. Her experience is in implementing and directing policy, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and finding and managing personnel. She has focused on jobs, education, and expanding health care access, including mental health and addiction treatment.

 

She is a former state's attorney for Prince George's County, as well as that county's first full-time domestic violence prosecutor.

 

According to her website, “Angela has been endorsed by Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and over 150 elected officials, labor unions, and organizations across Maryland.”

 

Union endorsements include Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 70 & 1900, and the Teamsters Local 639 and Joint Council 55.

 

Alsobrooks has stated that on her first day in office, she will co-sponsor the Women's Health Protection Act, legislation that will help establish federal legal protection for the right to provide and access abortion care across all states. Additionally, she will oppose any judicial nominee who does not support abortion rights.

 

David Trone

David Trone has extensive experience as an entrepreneur and businessman, plus several years of legislative experience in the U.S. Congress. He is a co-founder of Total Wine and More, a highly successful national liquor store chain.

 

Last year, Trone won re-election to a third term as the representative from Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. 

 

In the U.S. House, Trone worked on multiple issues including medical research, mental health, opioid addiction, and criminal justice reform.

 

On Trone’s website he proudly states that “he’s never taken a nickel from PACs, lobbyists, or corporations” and thus is not beholden to any special interests.

 

Trone is an original co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which aims to codify Roe v. Wade’s protections and establish a nationwide right to abortion. He also supports the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act.

 

Trone belongs to the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus and his voting record in Congress has received a 100% approval rating from both Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All. He has also shown his support for reproductive rights by endorsing and speaking at the opening of an abortion clinic that moved to his district to serve Western Maryland and surrounding states.

 

Trone pulls no punches. Regarding Hogan’s entry into the Senate race, as reported on his website, Trone stated that Hogan’s candidacy is a “desperate attempt to return Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump to power and give them the deciding vote to ban abortion nationwide, suppress votes across the country, and give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Marylanders are tired of empty promises from career politicians like Larry Hogan. During his time as governor, Larry Hogan neglected and failed the city of Baltimore, pushed for policies that kicked 200,000 Marylanders off the voter rolls, and cut backroom deals to benefit developers like himself at the expense of Maryland taxpayers….”

 

See the candidates’ websites for more information on their views on other issues such as education, immigration, environment, and more.

 

Campaign Finances

Trone has outspent Alsobrooks by roughly ten to one. Trone’s campaign has run television ads across Maryland since last fall and reported spending $23.1 million through the end of 2023. In the same period, Alsobrooks spent about $2.4 million. Trone’s campaign is primarily self-financed from his fortune as a businessman.

 

Alsobrooks is funded mostly by grassroots campaign donations and a few donations from Political Action Committees. She decided not to run television ads until just a few months before the primary. Her staff and staff payroll are considerably smaller than Trone’s.

 

How much this financial difference will translate into votes is unclear. While larger war chests and more media buys have been shown to influence potential voters, political experts note that a better-funded campaign does not always guarantee electoral success. History has shown that results vary, although having more financial resources does tend to give a campaign an edge.

 

Campaign finance data for the first quarter of 2024 was due on April 15.

 

Polls

According to two polls, Trone has an early advantage for the primary election.

 

A poll by Goucher College in partnership with the Baltimore Banner was conducted in late March. Of Democrats who are likely to vote in the primary, 42% favored Trone. Alsobrooks was favored by 33%. Nearly a quarter of voters are undecided between the two candidates. The margin of error was 4.9%.

 

Another poll — this one by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland from early March — showed Trone leading Alsobrooks 34% to 27% among registered Democrats. However, almost four in 10 Democratic voters stated that they were still undecided. The margin of error was 4.5%.

 

Both polls indicate that neither Democratic candidate has a clear advantage over Hogan in the general election. Both matchups — Trone vs. Hogan and Alsobrooks vs. Hogan — are, at the moment, statistically tied.

 

The Current U.S. Senate

Every state has two senators who each represent the entire state. Each senator serves for six years, and the terms overlap so that, except under unusual circumstances, there is only one senate election in a state at a time. Maryland’s other senator is Chris Van Hollen (D), whose term ends in January 2029.

 

The primary results in Maryland as well as in several other states may have a significant impact on which party controls the Senate, which currently has 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Those 51 Democrats include three Senators who are Independents but caucus and vote with the Democrats, thus giving the Democratic Party control of the Senate and the right to name the Senate Majority Leader. Any tie votes in the Senate are broken by the vice president of the United States, who, according to the U.S. Constitution, officially holds the office of Senate president, and may only vote when there is a tie.

 

In the upcoming general election in November, 34 senatorial seats will be up for election. Of those 34 seats, 23 are currently held by Democrats. Many of these Senate seats have incumbents who are running for re-election; in most cases these incumbents are expected to retain their seats. However, nationally there are several open Senate seats due to retirements, deaths, or other reasons. These include Dianne Feinstein’s (D) seat in California, Debbie Stabenow’s (D) in Michigan, and Mike Brown’s (R) in Indiana.

 

When West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) announced that he would not run for re-election, most commentators allowed that that decision would almost certainly hand the seat to the Republicans. This would bring the Republican party one seat closer to regaining Senate control unless the Democrats pick up one or more seats in other states to compensate. Most of the Senate seats with no incumbent, including Maryland’s and Michigan’s, are considered tight races, any of which alone or in combination could determine which party ends up in control of the Senate starting in January 2025.

 

Be sure to vote!

 

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Maryland Primary Election Basic Information

The Maryland Board of Elections has information here along with links to find your polling place, request an absentee/mail-in ballot, track your ballot, and sign up to be an election judge.

 

Here’s the schedule for the Maryland primary election:

 

In-person voting:

  • April 23 — Last day to register to vote in the primary election
  • May 2 — Early voting begins, 7 am-8 pm
  • May 9 — Early voting ends, 7 am-8 pm
  • May 14 — Primary election day, 7 am-8 pm

Absentee/Mail-in voting:

  • Any registered voter may request an absentee/mail-in ballot.

Voter registration deadline — for new voters or to add/change party affiliation:

  • In-person: May 14
  • By mail: Received by April 23
  • Online: April 23

Absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline:

  • In-person: May 14
  • By mail: Received by May 7
  • Online: May 7

Absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline:

  • In-person: May 14
  • By mail: Received by May 14

 

More Information:

“United States Senate Election in Maryland, 2024,” Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Maryland,_2024

 

 

Jane Jewell is a writer, editor, photographer, and teacher. She has worked in news, publishing, and as the director of a national writer's group. She lives in Chestertown with her husband Peter Heck, a ginger cat named Riley, and a lot of books.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Department of Justice

By John Christie • December 16, 2025
When I practiced law, much of my litigation involved issues arising under federal antitrust laws. The Department of Justice (DOJ) was my frequent adversary in court. In some cases, DOJ challenged a client’s conduct as anticompetitive. In others, they claimed an intended client merger would create a monopoly. Some of these DOJ court battles were won, others were not. Overall, I had great respect for DOJ lawyers. They were professional, well prepared, and dedicated to their mission of seeing justice done. They were courteous, honest, and forthright with the courts before which we argued our cases. In those days, without resorting to social media or press conferences, the DOJ spoke entirely through its court filings. Although as an advocate I took issue with various DOJ investigatory decisions as well as decisions to initiate litigation, I never thought politics was involved. Post-Watergate internal rules strictly limited communication with any figures at the White House. Not so, it seems, anymore. Beginning last January 20, all of this changed rapidly and spectacularly . On March 14, Trump triumphantly arrived at the main DOJ building in D.C. to be welcomed by a group of carefully selected VIPs. He was greeted by Pam Bondi, his chosen new attorney general, who exclaimed, “We are so proud to work at the directive (sic) of Donald Trump.” Bondi’s boast that the DOJ now worked at the president’s behest was something never said before and, in effect, surrendered the department’s long and proud independence. And Bondi’s comment was not an empty gesture. As chronicled by reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis in their new book, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department , within hours of being sworn in, Trump and his lieutenants began punishing those at the Justice Department who had investigated him or those he considered his political enemies. Career attorneys with years of experience under many administrations were fired or reassigned to lesser work, or they resigned. As Leonnig and Davis report, what followed was “the wholesale overthrow of the Justice Department as Trump insert[ed] his dutiful former defense attorneys and 2020 election deniers atop the department.” [Source: Injustice , p. xix.] In the place of years of experience, the new team appears credentialed simply by loyalty to the president’s causes. The DOJ’s conduct in court has since caused damage to judicial and public faith in the integrity and competence of the department. Just Security is an independent, non-partisan, daily digital law and policy journal housed in the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law. Since January 20, it has documented federal judicial concerns about DOJ conduct. In 26 cases, judges raised questions about DOJ non-compliance with judicial orders and in more than 60 cases, judges expressed distrust of government-provided information and representations. This count was taken the day after a federal court dismissed the DOJ cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. [Source: Just Security , “The ‘Presumption of Regularity’ in Trump Administration Litigation,” Nov. 20, 2025.] As summarized by the Georgetown Law Center’s Steve Vladeck, “It’s one thing for the Department of Justice to so transparently pursue a politically motivated prosecution. But this one has been beset from the get-go with errors that remotely competent law students wouldn’t make. Indeed, it seems a virtual certainty that the Keystone Kops-like behavior of the relevant government lawyers can be traced directly to the political pressure to bring this case; there’s a reason why no prosecutors with more experience, competence, or integrity were willing to take it on.” [Source: One First , Nov. 24, 2025.] Rather than accept criticism and instead of trying to do better, Bondi’s DOJ and the Trump administration lash out in a fashion apparently aimed at demeaning the federal judiciary. At a recent Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s former defense attorneys, attributed the Trump administration’s myriad losses in the lower federal courts to “rogue activist judges.” He added, “There’s a group of judges that are repeat players, and that’s obviously not by happenstance, that’s intentional, and it’s a war, man.” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller decries each adverse ruling against the Trump administration as just part of a broader “judicial insurrection.” Not to be left behind, Trump himself regularly complains of “radical left lunatic” judges. In addition to the harm these comments inflict on the federal courts, their premise is simply not true. According to a survey by Vladeck, as of Nov. 14, there were 204 cases in which federal district courts have ruled on requests for preliminary relief against the Trump administration. In 154 of them, district judges granted either a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction, or both. Those 154 rulings came from 121 district judges appointed by seven presidents (including President Trump) in 29 district courts. In the 154 cases with rulings adverse to the Trump administration, 41 were presided over by 30 Republican-appointed judges, fully half of whom were appointed by President Trump. No, it is no longer your grandfather’s Department of Justice. John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.

Salisbury City Council Appoints Melissa Holland to Fill District 2 Seat

By CSES Staff • December 16, 2025
The Salisbury City Council has appointed longtime public servant Melissa D. Holland to fill the vacancy in District 2. Holland was selected on Dec. 1 after the council reviewed several applicants. A 27-year resident of Salisbury, Holland brings more than 20 years of experience in government, education, and administration. As executive assistant to the president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, she currently oversees operations, budgeting, communications, and planning. Before joining UMCES, Holland worked for nearly 11 years with the Wicomico County Council, gaining extensive experience in legislative procedure, constituent services, research, and budget preparation. Her background includes positions with the Wicomico County Board of Education, the State of Maryland’s Holly Center, and multiple early-learning programs. Approved by a 3-1 council vote, Holland was selected based on her administrative expertise and long-standing community involvement. (Salisbury’s City Council is now comprised of only women.) She has a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Post University and an associate degree from Wor-Wic Community College. She has also served as PTA president at East Salisbury Elementary and Wicomico Middle School. In her application, Holland emphasized her commitment to maintaining transparency in city government and ensuring that District 2 residents remain informed and represented. “I plan to be well-informed on the issues that matter to the citizens of Salisbury and to listen to their concerns carefully,” she wrote. “I want to make a positive and lasting impact on our city.” Holland’s appointment restores the City Council to full membership as it faces debates over budgeting, infrastructure planning, and local governance initiatives. She is expected to begin constituent outreach immediately and participate fully in the selection of the next council president.

Democrats Ambushed in Hurlock Election

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
Voters in Hurlock have delivered sweeping changes in this year’s municipal election, as Republican and GOP-aligned candidates won key races there. The results mark a setback for Democrats and a significant political shift in a community that has historically leaned Democratic in state and federal contests. The outcome underscores how local organizing and turnout strategies can have an outsized impact in small-town elections. Analysts also suggest that long-term party engagement in municipal contests could shape voter alignment in future county and state races. Political analysts warn that ignoring municipal elections and ceding them to the GOP could hurt the Maryland Democratic Party in statewide politics. Turnout increased by approximately 17% compared with the 2021 municipal election, reflecting heightened local interest in the mayoral and council races. Incumbent Mayor Charles Cephas, a Democrat, was soundly defeated by At-Large Councilmember Earl Murphy, who won with roughly 230 votes to Cephas’s 144. In the At-Large Council race, Jeff Smith, an independent candidate backed by local Republicans, secured a 15-point win over Cheyenne Chase. In District 2, Councilmember Bonnie Franz, a Republican, was re-elected by 40 percentage points over challenger Zia Ashraf, who previously served on the Dorchester Democratic Central Committee. The only Democrat to retain a seat on the council was David Higgins, who was unopposed. The Maryland Republican Party invested resources and campaign attention in the Hurlock race, highlighting it on statewide social media and dispatching party officials, including Maryland GOP Chair Nicole Beus Harris, to campaign. Local Democrats emphasized support for Mayor Cephas through the Dorchester County Democratic Central Committee, but the Maryland Democratic Party did not appear to participate directly.

Giordano Sides with Ehrlich Over Hogan, Underscoring GOP Rift as Moore Widens Lead

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
In what political observers are calling a clear break from Maryland’s moderate Republican establishment, Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano chose former Gov. Bob Ehrlich — not former Gov. Larry Hogan — as the guest of honor at her re-election fundraiser in late October. Billed as Giordano’s annual Harvest Party, her event drew conservative activists from across the lower Eastern Shore and featured Ehrlich as keynote speaker. This was immediately read by insiders as a signal that Giordano will embrace the party’s right-wing base ahead of 2026, distancing herself from Hogan’s more centrist, bipartisan image. “Bringing in Bob Ehrlich instead of Larry Hogan wasn’t accidental,” one longtime Republican strategist said. “It shows Giordano wants to plant her flag with the MAGA-aligned wing of the party, the same voters who now dominate Maryland’s Republican primary base.” Hogan, who has hinted at another run for governor, was notably absent from this year’s Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Somerset County, a high-profile gathering long considered essential for statewide contenders. Coupled with Giordano’s public alignment with Ehrlich, Hogan’s absence has fueled speculation that his influence within Maryland’s GOP is slipping. Those doubts were amplified by new polling data. A statewide survey commissioned by the Baltimore Banner found Gov. Wes Moore (D) leading Hogan 45% to 37% in a hypothetical 2026 matchup, with 14% undecided. The poll, conducted by phone and web from Oct. 7–10 among more than 900 registered voters, carries a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. The results suggest that while Hogan remains popular among moderates and independents, Moore continues to hold a firm advantage statewide, particularly among Democrats and younger voters. Giordano’s decision to align herself with Ehrlich rather than Hogan further illustrates the ideological divide defining Maryland Republicans heading into 2026. As the party drifts further to the right, analysts say Hogan’s brand of pragmatic centrism may no longer have a natural home in today’s GOP. For now, Ehrlich’s appearance in Salisbury is being seen as a symbolic moment, one that cements Giordano’s status as a leading figure in the state’s Trump-aligned movement and underscores how quickly the political winds have shifted. For Hogan, once seen as the Republican best positioned to reclaim the governor’s office, that shift may mark the end of an era.

New Congressional Map for Maryland and District 1?

By Jan Plotczyk • November 4, 2025
Can Maryland create a new congressional map that will flip the state’s sole Republican district to the Democrats? Gov. Wes Moore has created a Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission to consider mid-cycle redistricting and Maryland has jumped into the redistricting fray. The commission will conduct public hearings, solicit public feedback, and present recommendations to the governor and Maryland General Assembly. “My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” said Moore. “And we also need to make sure that, if the president of the United States is putting his finger on the scale to try to manipulate elections because he knows that his policies cannot win in a ballot box, then it behooves each and every one of us to be able to keep all options on the table to ensure that the voters’ voices can actually be heard .” Moore’s commission is one of those options — a response to Trump’s call to Republican-led states to create more GOP House districts before the 2026 midterm elections. Three GOP states — Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina — have completed a Trump gerrymander for a gain of seven seats and three more states — Indiana, Utah, and Ohio — could create new maps with a total of four additional Republican seats. That would make 11, should they withstand challenges. Democratic-led states made a lot of noise at first about countering these GOP efforts, but only California and Virginia have campaigns for new maps underway. California wants to flip five seats and Virginia hopes for up to four. Optimistically, that could add up to as many as nine. Maryland’s goal would be to add one Democratic seat. Other states on both sides could soon follow, in some cases taking advantage of existing redistricting deadlines or ongoing litigation. Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Balto City) is not in favor of mid-cycle redistricting, calling it too dicey. “Simply put, it is too risky and jeopardizes Maryland’s ability to fight against the radical Trump administration. At a time where every seat in Congress matters, the potential for ceding yet another one to Republicans here in Maryland is simply too great,” Ferguson wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-MD01), whose district would be targeted by redistricting, called the effort "the most partisan thing you could do." He whined, “It just wouldn’t be fair.” Harris warned that any redistricting could backfire on the Democrats. “We will take this to court, it will go as high as necessary, and in the end, a judge could draw a map that actually has two or three Republican congressmen,” Harris said. “I’d caution the Democrats, be careful what you wish for.” Harris and his wife, Maryland GOP Chair Nicole Beus Harris, have perhaps already worked out a strategy. The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission, last constituted by Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011, will begin its work this month. The five-member commission includes: Chair: Senator Angela Alsobrooks Senate President Bill Ferguson or designee Speaker Adrienne A. Jones or designee Former Attorney General Brian Frosh Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss “We have a president that treats our democracy with utter contempt. We have a Republican party that is trying to rig the rules in response to their terrible polling,” said Sen. Alsobrooks. “Let me be clear: Maryland deserves a fair map that represents the will of the people. That’s why I’m proud to chair this commission. Our democracy depends on all of us standing up in this moment.” Will Maryland’s First District finally be competitive? Can we at long last replace “AWOL Andy” Harris? Stay tuned…. Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

Residents Turn Out for Offshore Wind Information Session

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
In strong numbers, local residents turned out last month for a community information session on offshore wind hosted by the Alliance for Offshore Wind at the Ocean Pines library. The forum heard from industry experts, environmental advocates, and labor leaders to discuss how offshore wind projects can support jobs, clean energy, and coastal resilience along Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Featured were Sam Saluto of Oceantic, Jim Strong of the United Steelworkers, Ron Larsen of Sea Ink Solutions, and Jim Brown of the Audubon Society, all of whom emphasized the long-term environmental and economic benefits of wind development off Maryland’s coast. Speakers outlined how the project, once completed, is expected to create hundreds of high-paying jobs, generate clean power for tens of thousands of homes, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels that cause pollution and coastal erosion. “The potential here is extraordinary,” said Saluto, highlighting Oceantic’s ongoing work to ensure safety and sustainability standards remain at the highest level. “We’re not just talking about wind turbines. We’re talking about revitalizing local economies and protecting the Shore’s way of life.” Union representative Jim Strong echoed that sentiment, noting that Maryland’s labor community sees offshore wind as a chance to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity while giving workers access to strong wages and long-term stability. Environmental voices, including Jim Brown of the Audubon Society, focused on how properly sited wind projects can reduce carbon emissions while coexisting with marine wildlife and migratory bird patterns. While most of the evening centered on data and community questions, the event briefly turned tense when Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who is leading a lawsuit challenging Maryland’s offshore wind plans, attempted to question the panel. The mayor appeared to lose his train of thought mid-sentence and later cast doubt on the reality of climate change, drawing visible concern from several attendees. Meehan, a New Yorker who moved to Ocean City in 1971 and has held public office since 1985, has become one of the region’s most vocal opponents of offshore wind. His critics argue the lawsuit represents an effort to stall progress rather than engage with the facts presented by energy, labor, and environmental experts. Despite the brief exchange, the overall tone of the evening was forward-looking. Residents lingered after the formal discussion to review informational materials, speak with industry representatives, and learn about opportunities for community involvement. For many, the message was clear: Maryland’s transition to clean energy is not only feasible, it’s already underway, and the Eastern Shore stands to benefit.
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