Dem
51
GOP
49
Maryland is a very blue state. Joe Biden carried it by 33 points in 2020. Democrats hold both Senate seats, seven of the eight House seats, the governorship and all other statewide offices. They also hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature. It is safe to say that whoever wins the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) will be the next senator from Maryland, no matter who the Republicans nominate.
The Democratic primary is heating up. There are now only two serious Democrats running and a handful of irrelevant also-rans. Most of the Democratic establishment in the state is backing Angela Alsobrooks, chief executive of Prince George's County. She is a young (52) Black woman and also a single mother. She has been endorsed by four senators, six representatives, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), and many others.
The other one is David Trone, a 68-year-old white man who represents MD-06 in the House. He is also extremely wealthy (he owns a wine and beer company) and said he is prepared to spend $50 million of his own money on the Senate race. He has emphasized that in his ads, saying that he cannot be bought by anyone or any special interest group because he doesn't need their money. He has been endorsed by over 50 representatives and a handful of other officials.
Both of them are pro-choice, pro gun reform, and the usual stuff, although Trone is a shade more moderate than Alsobrooks.
While Trone will swamp Alsobrook in money, she also has strengths. The Democratic electorate in Maryland is 60% female and 42% Black. This, plus the fact that Trone is already past the normal retirement age, could help her counter the torrent of ads he is running and will continue to run until the end. On the other hand, Trone has a base of white, Asian-American, and Latino voters.
Sparse initial polling has Alsobrooks leading, but whether she can survive the expected onslaught of negative ads remains to be seen. In any event, the seat is completely safe for the Democrats, no matter which one of them wins the primary. (V)