SPICY LIKE OLD BAY When Larry Hogan, the two-term former Republican governor of Maryland, jumped into the Republican race for the seat about to be vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), he gave the Senate GOP a huge pick-up opportunity. He also seriously raised the stakes for the two prominent Democrats looking to replace Cardin themselves. The race between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone was always going to be competitive. But prior to Hogan’s decision, it wasn’t going to have serious implications for the rest of the Senate map — Maryland has voted Democratic in every statewide federal election since 1982, and Republicans weren’t expected to seriously contest the state. That’s now changed, as both Alsobrooks and Trone acknowledged in separate statements Friday. “With the battle for the majority in the United States Senate now running through Maryland, Democrat David Trone remains best positioned to not only win the Democratic nomination but to beat Larry Hogan and Mitch McConnell in November,” said a Trone campaign memo. Trone, owner of a chain of wine superstores, is one of the wealthiest members of Congress and has self-funded campaigns, spending $23.3 million on his Senate bid through the end of last year. He has also won endorsements from top House Democratic leaders. Alsobrooks, who if elected would be the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the Senate, cited a stronger record on abortion rights in her own statement responding to Hogan’s entry. “We need a senator who understands the challenges Marylanders face, who has a record of getting things done and who will work to always put the people of Maryland first,” she said. “And it’s why I’m going to win this primary in May and why I’ll defeat Larry Hogan in November.” Public polling of the race has been sparse. An internal poll released by Trone’s campaign in December showed him leading Alsobrooks, 41% to 34%, while another independent poll conducted in November and published by the Baltimore Banner had Trone ahead 36% to 31%. The latter poll included head-to-head matchups with Hogan: It had Trone ahead of the ex-governor, 49% to 34%, while Alsobrooks trailed, 42% to 36%. Both polls were taken as Trone used his cash advantage to flood Baltimore and Washington TV stations with ads to raise his name ID with Maryland voters. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other national party organs have stayed out of the race thus far, but the prospect of a seriously competitive general election could cause them to take fresh stock of the Maryland primary. They’d certainly like to have Trone’s self-funding capacity, thus allowing them to spend precious donor dollars in other key battlegrounds. But it could be politically treacherous for them to make any moves against Alsobrooks, a potential history-maker with support from key in-state Democrats, including Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Steny Hoyer. Meanwhile in Montana: Hard-right Rep. Matt Rosendale announced Friday he would enter the race against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, setting up the primary Washington Republicans were hoping to avoid — pitting Rosendale, who lost the 2018 race against Tester, against NRSC-endorsed businessman Tim Sheehy. But some of the drama was quickly sapped from the race when Donald Trump endorsed Sheehy on his social media platform Truth Social. It was a huge blow to Rosendale, who is reliant on carrying Trump’s MAGA base and has had Trump’s endorsements in the past. Said Tester on Friday: "I don't really think it matters who comes out of the primaries, it's gonna be the same race.” — Daniella Diaz, with assist from Ally Mutnick and Burgess Everett
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