Larry Hogan leads Democratic Senate hopefuls by double digits in Maryland

Republican Senate candidate and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is leading his Democratic rivals running for outgoing Sen. Ben Cardin’s (D-Md.) seat by double digits, new polling shows.

A Washington Post-University of Maryland (UMD) poll, released Wednesday, found Hogan leading Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) 49 percent to 37 percent in a 2024 hypothetical match-up. The former governor also leads Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) 50 percent to 36 percent, per the survey.

About 15 percent of Maryland voters were undecided in either hypothetical race. Trone is leading Alsobrooks by 7 points in the primary race, but roughly 4 in 10 Democratic voters are still undecided on a primary candidate. 

Hogan’s surprise entry into Maryland’s race for the upper chamber seat came after speculation that he was considering a third-party presidential bid — and has propped up GOP hopes of a potential pickup in the deep blue state. 

But despite his success in the poll showdowns with his Democratic opponents, Maryland voters significantly prefer that Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate in November. 

Fifty-five percent in the poll said they hope Democrats hold on to the chamber, while just 35 percent said they hope Republicans take over. Another 11 percent were undecided. 

Some are also skeptical that even a popular Republican like Hogan could flip the Senate seat in the Democratic stronghold state, but a competitive fight could nonetheless force Democrats to spend money in a race they might otherwise have had on lock.

The Post/UMD poll was conducted March 5-12 among 1,004 registered voters in Maryland and had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.