Maryland races could reshape US politics

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Polls have closed in Maryland, where a number of races could determine the shape of U.S. politics for years to come.

The Associated Press has declared the Kamala Harris took the state.

First results for the Senate race will include early in-person and absentee votes, which could mean an early lift for Democrat Angela Alsobrooks since those votes typically have favored Democrats in the past.

That margin could shrink if Election Day votes arrive with a greater makeup of Republicans. Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan is trying to become Maryland’s first GOP U.S. senator in over 30 years.

Polls in D.C. also closed at 8 p.m., while Virginia’s polls closed earlier at 7 p.m.

Key among the Maryland races is the U.S. Senate contest between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, and former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. They’re both fighting for the seat left by departing Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.

More Maryland Election 2024 results (live updates)

The race is being closely watched across the nation as a Hogan win could shift the balance of power in the upper chamber. Both the Alsobrooks and Hogan campaigns have raised millions of dollars as the race to fill Cardin’s seat rises to a cost of at least six times more than the state’s last contest to fill a vacant Senate seat — more than $84 million in combined contributions.

Mere days before Tuesday’s general election, a CNN report said that Hogan touted former President Donald Trump’s endorsement at a private donor event, a different tune to what Hogan told WTOP last June when he said that he had “no interest” in the Republican presidential candidate’s endorsement.

But it’s not the only race worth watching.

U.S. House District 6 is also up for grabs now that Democrat David Trone is on his way out. Republican Neil Parrott and Democrat April McClain Delaney are vying for the seat. Whoever wins could determine which party controls the lower chamber.

The Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment is also on the ballot. If passed, it would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

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