Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin announced his retirement on Monday, but several of his fellow Democrats have been preparing potential campaigns to succeed the 79-year-old incumbent in this dark blue state for some time.
Politico reported back in February that Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who would be the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the upper chamber, was already hiring people for a campaign, and she said that same month she would consider running if Cardin didn’t. The chatter only intensified Monday after the incumbent revealed his plans, and Politico says she’s “almost certain” to jump in. Alsobrooks was elected in 2018 to lead her populous and very blue community in the D.C. suburbs, and observers have credited her support for now-Gov. Wes Moore as an important factor in his close primary victory last year.
Someone else that Politico writes is all but assured to enter the race is Rep. David Trone, the Total Wine & More co-founder whom Insider ranked as the 17th wealthiest member of Congress in 2021. The moderate congressman, says the story, already knows who would likely be his campaign manager, and his team didn’t rule anything out when asked Monday. Trone self-funded what was a record $13 million in his failed 2016 primary bid for the 8th Congressional District before pumping in a total of $33 million during his subsequent three victorious campaigns for the 6th, and Time Magazine reports he’s told allies he intends to deploy as much as $50 million of his own money to succeed Cardin.
Another name to watch is Rep. Jamie Raskin, a progressive favorite who defeated Trone in that 2016 primary. Raskin, who recently finished a successful treatment for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, said through his aides he was considering a statewide campaign. Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, meanwhile, said two weeks ago he was thinking about it, and Maryland Matters’ Josh Kurtz now writes he’s “preparing to run.” Jawando also competed in that 2016 primary for the 8th District and finished with just 5%, but he won his current countywide seat two years later.
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