Demonstrating the power of his name recognition and high approval ratings, new polling has former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tied with Democratic Rep. David Trone in a hypothetical matchup for a U.S. Senate seat in deep-blue Maryland, a state that hasn’t had a Republican U.S. senator in 37 years.
Hogan, the former two-term governor who left office early last year, is running for the seat that’s being vacated by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring.
The rarely open Maryland Senate seat has drawn U.S. Rep. David Trone into the Democratic primary as well as Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Trone, a wealthy founder of a chain of liquor stores called Total Wine & More, has already poured $23 million of his own money into his campaign.
According to a new poll released Thursday by Emerson College Polling, Hogan is tied with Trone in a hypothetical general election matchup, with both candidates getting 42% support.
Sixteen percent are undecided.
Hogan holds a seven-point lead in a hypothetical matchup against Alsobrooks, 44% to 37%, with 19% undecided, the poll found.
“Hogan leads the Republican Senate primary with a plurality of voters’ support (43%) ahead of the May 14 election,” according to the poll. “No other candidate reaches double digits, and 43% are undecided.”
When Hogan left office last year, he had an unusually high 77% approval rating among overall voters statewide.
In the Democratic primary, 32% of voters support Trone, while 17% support Alsobrooks.
A plurality of Democratic Primary voters (37%) are undecided.
“The economy (23%) and crime (21%) are considered the most important issues for Maryland voters, followed by housing affordability (11%), education (10%), immigration (10%), health care (10%), and threats to democracy (8%),” the poll found.
The Emerson College Polling/The Hill/DC News Now poll was conducted between Feb. 12 and 13, and it surveyed 1,000 Maryland registered voters.
It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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