CHESTER, Md. (AP) — Republican John Michael was never a fan of Larry Hogan, who has been the Republican Party’s sharpest critic of Donald Trump, but he voted for Hogan in his Senate race. Democrat Diane Stokes, a bipartisan vote for Hogan for Maryland governor, is not supporting him this time.
Both men are quick to point out the high stakes in the race between Hogan and deep-blue state Democrat Angela Alsobrooks.
As early voting began on a crisp fall day last week, Marylanders began to sort through a swirl of conflicting emotions. On the Eastern Shore, a rural part of the state that is conservative compared to Maryland’s large population centers, some Republicans loyal to Trump struggled with misgivings about Hogan, but with enthusiasm. Some people voted for him. Across the Chesapeake Bay, some Democrats in Annapolis weighed their favoritism toward Hogan with concerns about contributing to the Republican Senate majority.
Michael, who describes himself as a far-right voter, was unhappy that Hogan cast a paper ballot for former President Ronald Reagan over Trump as the 2020 presidential candidate. He also disagreed with Mr. Hogan’s measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But Michael said he believes Hogan is a good person for all of Maryland, especially compared to the alternatives.
“I think the Republicans need to be in power,” Michael, 54, said at an early voting site on Kent Island, a bay gateway to the East Coast. “I’m not a fan of Larry Hogan in every way, but he’s our best option.”
On the other side of the Chesapeake, Democrats in the state capital, Annapolis, were acutely aware of the importance of this year’s Senate race. A Republican hasn’t won a Senate seat in Maryland in more than 40 years, but Hogan was a popular governor who won enough Democratic votes to win statewide elections in 2014 and 2018.
On Monday, some Democrats who supported Hogan in the gubernatorial race attended a press conference with Democratic Gov. Wes Moore to emphasize how different this time is.
“My friends and I, many of whom voted for Larry Hogan for governor, are deeply concerned about the Senate majority,” said Stokes, who lives in Hyattsville. “Kamala Harris needs to win a Senate majority in Maryland, and that’s exactly what we want.”
The potential race to decide the Senate majority is weighing heavily on the minds of many voters, but their hopes are not as high in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.
Democrats currently hold a 51-49 edge in the Senate, including independent senators who caucus with Democrats. And Democrats hold 23 of the 33 U.S. Senate seats up for grabs this November.
If Hogan wins Maryland’s vacant Senate seat, Republicans will have a clear path to a majority.
Both major parties have invested heavily in campaign advertising, and neither side has established a clear advantage, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending. Between the May 14 primary and Tuesday, the two campaigns and the partisan groups that support them each spent more than $35 million on campaigns, roughly two-thirds of which were spent outside, data show. It was from a group.
Democrat Paula Dickerson, 70, said she thought a lot about Hogan. But the stakes of taking control of the Senate made it extremely difficult for her to support him.
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“Because if the Senate doesn’t go the Democratic way, policy will change,” Dickerson said after voting for Allsbrooks and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Kent Island presidential race. “That would make it very difficult for the top candidates.”
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Republican Lisa Hamill said she voted for Hogan because she believes he has been Maryland’s best governor “in a very long time.” Hamill, who also voted for Trump, said Hogan’s criticism of the former president didn’t bother him.
“Larry Hogan was telling the truth. Donald Trump is an asshole,” Hamill, 68, said after voting on Kent Island. “He does stupid things, he says stupid things, but his overall goals, in my opinion, are much better for our country than the Democratic Party.”
About 60 miles away, on the outskirts of the capital in Prince George’s County, he was volunteering at a phone bank in Alsobrooks after voting for Bonnie Hadley and Harris on the first day of early voting in Maryland. The 69-year-old said she volunteered for a political campaign for the first time because she believes so much is at stake in this election, including democracy itself.
“This is the most important election of my lifetime,” Hadley said, noting that Barack Obama’s 2008 victory was also significant. “But this is even more important to me because democracy is so at stake at this time.”
Alzalbrooks, executive director of George County, which has a majority of Black Princes, will be Maryland’s first Black senator. Last week, he stopped campaigning with retired Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in his home county, noting the energy evident at early voting locations.
“Many of them are passionate about electing women to the Senate, and some just feel like I represent their values, but that’s what makes the Senate blue. ,” Allsbrooks said.
At the state’s flagship university, the University of Maryland, College Park, students gathered to hear Alsobrooks speak at a campaign stop.
Peyton McDonald, 19, a sophomore from Cumberland in western Maryland, told Alsobrooks she plans to vote by mail.
“I think having a Black female senator from the state of Maryland would be a good representative for our state, and I think she will be a great representative of what we see as Prince George’s County executive and as a Prince George’s County student. “I think we’ve done a good job,” McDonald said.
About 32 miles away in Millersville, Hogan told supporters that he is used to being the underdog. He pointed out that he was lagging in the polls when he won his first gubernatorial election.
“You know, they say lightning never strikes twice. I’m going to make lightning strike three times,” Hogan told the cheering crowd.
Republican Virginia Umberger, 72, who was in the audience, said she would vote for him. She cited Hogan’s leadership and desire for independence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I love that he stands up to anyone he doesn’t agree with, because he values principles over getting along,” Umberger said.
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Associated Press’ Leah Askarinam on the Decision Desk in Washington contributed to this report.
