Maryland voters on Tuesday will decide which Democrat they want to compete in a looming battle of national consequence, likely against former governor Larry Hogan (R) in a November election that could help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone have been courting Maryland’s 2.2 million Democratic voters for more than a year in the costliest race in state history, a matchup that has offered voters more choice on style and identity than on policy differences.
The contest started as a sleepy race between a deep-pocketed sitting congressman with liberal bona fides and a local executive whose candidacy offered the barrier-breaking potential of sending the first Black person from Maryland to the Senate.
Hogan’s surprise, last-minute entrance in February upped the stakes, with the still-popular former governor putting a once reliably Democratic seat into play by jumping into the race at the request of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and the Republican Party.
