Poll shows Larry Hogan could be tough competition in Maryland Senate race

A new poll of the US Senate race from the BaltimoreBanner and Maryland’s Goucher College puts into clear view what seemed to be the dynamic from the get-go: the surprise candidacy of Larry Hogan is posing a familiar challenge for Democrats.

The survey of voters in the state finds that Mr Hogan, a Republican former governor who won over enough Democrats in his deep-blue state to win a second term, slightly leads both of his potential Democratic challengers in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Congressman David Trone are running in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Senator Ben Cardin, also a Democrat.

And the reason for Mr Hogan’s lead in the polls is obvious: He enjoys far greater name recognition than either of his two possible opponents. His favourable rating was roughly 20 per centage points higher than either Mr Trone’s or Ms Alsobrooks’s; meanwhile, the percentage of voters who did not have clear opinions of the two Democrats was much greater in comparison to the segment of voters without an opinion on Mr Hogan.

His announcement of a candidacy for Senate in February came after months of the governor insisting that he would not run for the seat while stoking speculation about a White House bid. The latter scenario never materialised, and the former appears to have come about after conversations with Senate Republican leadership and the presumed conclusion among all parties involved that Mr Hogan is the only Republican with any reasonable chance of winning the seat.

The former governor has already hit the campaign trail and was spotted posing for selfies with Orioles fans on opening day last week; the MLB American League East champions played before a