Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) is a strong contender for Senate according to an Emerson College Poll. Hogan is set to face off with seven other Republicans in Maryland’s primary on May 14 before the November election.
The study, released Thursday, surveyed 1,000 registered Maryland voters about they will vote in the Senate primary. The poll was a collaboration between Emerson College Polling, The Hill and DC News Now.
An election between Rep. David Trone (D) and Hogan would be a tight race, the study showed, with each candidate garnering 42% of polled votes. Hogan would likely win a race against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks with a seven percentage point lead.
Hogan entered the packed Senate race Feb. 9, the last day to file. Hogan served as the Governor of Maryland from 2015 to 2023. Although running under the Republican ticket, Hogan is a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and was until January, a leading member of the centrist No Labels Party.
Hogan is leading the Republican primary with 43% of voters. No other Republican candidate received more than 10% of voter’s support. The former governor has also garnered a strong wing of the independent vote, according to the study.
Trone, who represents Maryland’s 6th district in Congress, is the front-runner in the Democratic primary with 32% of polled voters. Alsobrooks is in second place with 17%.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D) announced that he would not be running for reelection in 2024 in May of 2023. Cardin has represented Maryland in the Senate since 2006.
Registered Maryland voters are largely support Biden in a race against Trump, with 55% of the vote, according to the poll.
A majority of those polled said that Biden’s age, 81, and Trump’s recent criminal indictments raises serious doubts about voting for each candidate. The economy and crime are Maryland voters’ top issues in the next election followed by housing affordability, education and immigration.
