Why AP declared Hogan the winner in Maryland’s GOP Senate primary: Race call explained
WASHINGTON — Topping the list of contests in Tuesday’s primaries in four states is a battle for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, which has further complicated Democratic efforts to maintain control of the closely divided chamber this fall.
The Associated Press declared former Gov. Larry Hogan the winner of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate at 8:38 p.m. ET, with the competitive Democratic primary still too early to call. The AP will only declare a winner once it can determine that a trailing candidate cannot close the gap and overtake the voting leader.
Here are the primaries at a glance:
Candidates: Former Gov. Larry Hogan, former State Rep. Robin Ficker, five others
Winner: Hogan
Called at: 8:38 PM ET
Polling place closing time: 8:00 PM ET
About the race: Hogan’s late entry into the Republican Party’s primary gave his party a rare opportunity to rebound in a usually reliably Democratic state, which last sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1980. President Donald Trump briefly flirted with a presidential bid last year. Hogan’s opposition to Trump might have appealed to moderates and independents in the general election, but it also could have created an opening for a candidate from the right to win over Trump supporters in the more conservative corners of the state. Ficker was Hogan’s leading opponent for the GOP nomination. He is a former state representative, a recently disbarred lawyer and a frequent candidate. Before Hogan entered the race, Ficker had the largest war chest of the rest of the Republican field. He has also made television advertisements aligning himself with Trump and his policies.
Why AP called the race: At the time the AP declared Hogan the winner in the GOP primary, he was leading Ficker by about 67% to 25%, with most of the state reporting partial results. Hogan has more than doubled Ficker’s performance in central and more conservative Western Maryland, as well as on the East Coast. Those areas represented Ficker’s best chance to win over Trump supporters who may have been alienated by Hogan’s opposition to the former president.
Ficker led Hogan in some of the counties that Hogan lost in his successful primary bid for governor in 2014, such as Somerset, Dorchester and Garrett, but not nearly enough to offset Hogan’s lead elsewhere in the state.
In the more densely populated areas of Prince George’s County in suburban Washington and in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Hogan more than tripled Ficker’s vote total at the time the race was called. Montgomery County, also in suburban Washington, had not reported results at the time the winner was declared, but by 9 p.m. ET, Hogan had more than quadrupled Ficker’s vote total in the state’s most populous county. These are some of the most Democratic-friendly counties in the state, where more moderate voters helped lift Hogan to his 2014 primary victory. Hogan was also far ahead of Ficker, both in votes cast before the election and in votes cast during the election. person on the first day, and that lead has grown since the race was called.
Candidates: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. Rep. David Trone and eight others
Polling place closing time: 8:00 PM ET
About the race: Alsobrooks and Trone are in a competitive race for the Democratic nomination to replace Democratic incumbent Ben Cardin, who is retiring after three terms.
The contest includes candidates from the state’s two most populous counties: Montgomery and Prince George’s. Trone represents the northern part of Montgomery County in Congress, along with all of the more conservative Western Maryland. Alsobrooks is the CEO of Prince George’s County, the state’s second-most populous county and the county with the highest share of Black residents in the state. If elected, Alsobrooks would become the first black U.S. senator in the state’s history.
Trone is the co-founder and co-owner of wine retailer Total Wine and has put more than $61 million of his own money into the race, far more than Alsobrooks.
Much of the state’s Democratic establishment has rallied behind Alsobrooks, namely Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and nearly the entire U.S. House of Representatives delegation. She also recently received the endorsement of The Washington Post.