Ten candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Maryland. Two candidates lead in media attention, endorsements, polls, and fundraising: Angela Alsobrooks (D) and David Trone (D). Incumbent Ben Cardin (D), who was first elected in 2006, is not running for re-election.
Democratic strategist Len Foxwell told The Hill that the Democratic primary will come down to the candidates’ personalities. “I think there will be a lot of comparative campaigning, and I think to the extent that there is negative campaigning, it will focus more on personalities, because as a practical matter, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the two on the issues,” said Foxwell. An OpinionWorks poll, taken between April 7 and 10, found that in a sample of 600 likely Democratic voters, 48% preferred Trone, 29% preferred Alsobrooks, and 23% preferred another candidate or were undecided.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (CA-33) endorsed Trone. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-02) also endorsed Trone. Five members of Maryland’s Democratic congressional delegation endorsed Alsobrooks: Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. John Sarbanes (3rd), Rep. Glenn Ivey (4th), Rep. Steny Hoyer (5th), and Rep. Jamie Raskin (8th).
