October 2023 Maryland U.S. Senate Power Rankings
A Republican actually makes the list this month...
Well, it’s time for a new Power Rankings. Between now and the Maryland Primary next April, we will be ranking the announced and potential candidates for U.S. Senate in order of the likelihood of their election next November.
The rankings are a combination of polls, data, political environment, and gut feelings. It is not necessarily a ranking in order of who I think should be the winner, but who is best positioned to win the election at that time. Think of it as a snapshot in time.
I’m not sure anything is actually happening in this race but let’s dive in.
#10: Brian Frydenborg (D) (Previous: #9)
One of Frydenborg’s goals topics of interest is “How to defend the practical and results-oriented Democratic Party from far-left extremists that want to hijack it and put all that has been accomplished at risk.” He’s barking up the wrong primary voter tree with that in Maryland…..
#9: Moshe Landman (G) (Previous: #8)
The only bright side for Mr. Landman is that he’ll make it to the general election ballot, which is more than I can say for most people on this list.
#8: Jerome Seagal (D) (Previous: #7)
This is now Segal’s sixth run for political office if you count his abandoned plan to run for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination against Joe Biden for 2024. Segal’s run for U.S. Senate will ultimately end up just as pointless as all his other runs for office
#7: Delegate Jon Cardin (D) (Previous: #6)
Sure, why not take a shot at your uncle’s Senate Seat as he’s retiring right? Cardin ran a widely-panned run for Attorney General in 2014 that netted him only 30% of the vote in a three-way race. That might be enough to sneak through a Democratic primary if he gets in and muddles the field up. Cardin is probably best known for his stunt involving the misuse of Baltimore City Police Resources during his 2009 marriage proposal.
#6: Juan Dominguez (D) (Previous: #5)
A new Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate who, according to his website, “is a proud graduate of The United States Military Academy at West Point (‘89) and is a Gulf War Veteran.” His campaign is highlighting China, Crypto, Big Tech, and Israel as the biggest issues. That probably won’t go far in today’s Maryland Democratic Party. Nor will the fact that he served on a city council in New Jersey as a Republican (a fact weirdly omitted by Maryland Matters in a recent story). And yet Dominguez, the one Latino candidate for U.S. Senate, is being excluded from a Senate debate being held by the Prince George’s County Latino Democratic Club. Which is insane. So he’s obviously scaring somebody….
#5: John Teichert (R) (Previous: NR)
A credible Republican has actually emerged to run for U.S. Senate who is not a candidate who has failed multiple times, been disbarred, or a self-admitted abuser. John Teicher is a retired Air Force General and combat pilot who announced recently and is running on a credible platform of fixing education, inflation, crime, and by standing up to China. Teichert is the exact kind of candidate who can be successful in Maryland, though he will be no doubt hamstrung by the top of the ticket at the Presidential level as Maryland Republicans so often are.
#4: Former Congressman John Delaney (D) (Previous: #5)
John Delaney was last seen making a quixotic run for President in 2020 that didn’t get very far. Delaney has, mostly, been out of the game since he dropped out of that race. With his wife considering a run for his old House seat, I can’t imagine both Delaneys would seek to run this year.’
#3: Montgomery County Councilman Will Jawando (D) (Previous: #3)
The likelihood that a County Councilman is going to make the jump to U.S. Senate is slim and none, even if he did raise $525,000 in the 2nd quarter. Jawando first ran for Congress in 2016 before getting elected to the County Council the following cycle. My guess was always that Jawando is waiting to see what Jamie Raskin does and since Raskin is running for re-election, Jawondo will continue tilting at this windmill.
#2: Congressman David Trone (D) (Previous: #2)
Trone rolled out 11 more endorsements in Montgomery County, bringing him roughly to party with Angela Alsobrooks in endorsements by Maryland Democratic officials. But none of the people who work with him most, the Maryland Congressional delegation, have yet endorsed him. Does it matter? Who knows, but Trone’s recent carpet bombing of the the airwaves with campaign commercials is noticeable and will have an impact on the race.
#1: Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) (Previous: #1)
As long as she doesn’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Angela Alsobrooks is going to be a United States Senator.
Dropped Out: Token Republican Candidate (#10)