Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons ; Fourandsixty, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Cropped by Resist the Mainstream

A new Maryland Senate poll found that former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is beating both leading Democratic primary candidates ahead of the election.

Hogan led Rep. David Trone (D-MD) 43% to 42%, and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks by four points, as the group races to succeed Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in 2024, according to a survey from The Baltimore Banner/Goucher College, released on Thursday. 

Hogan also received significantly higher favorability ratings than either Democrat in the poll, with a favorability rating of 63%, compared to Trone’s 43% and Alsobrooks’ 38%.

This follows a grouping of surveys on the race by FiveThirtyEight, all of which have shown Hogan either beating both Democrats in hypothetical general election matchups, or being in serious competition for the seat.

A Washington Post/University of Maryland survey published on March 20 revealed that Hogan held double digit leads over both Trone and Alsobrooks. 

Another poll from Emerson College, released on Feb. 15, found Hogan tied with Trone at 42% and ahead of Alsobrooks by seven points.

“Governor Hogan is humbled by the support from across the political spectrum,” a spokesperson for the Hogan campaign said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “They know he has a record of working for all Marylanders, regardless of political affiliation. As the underdog in this race, he will continue to focus on fixing the broken politics of Washington.”

In The Baltimore Banner/Goucher College survey, Trone led Alsobrooks 42% to 33% for the Democratic primary matchup. FiveThirtyEight’s survey compilation shows that Trone has received leads between seven and 17 points in the contest.

However, Alsobrooks has racked up several endorsements from multiple congressional Democrats after Trone mistakenly used a racial slur during a March 21 congressional hearing. 

Democrats endorsing Alsobrooks include Reps. Jamie Raskin (MD), and a coalition of five black House Democrats, Barbara Lee (CA), Gregory Meeks (NY), Joyce Beatty (OH), Yvette Clarke (NY) and Jasmine Crockett (TX), according to Axios.

Alsobrooks also has the backing of Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen (MD), Patty Murray (WA), Cory Booker (NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Laphonza Butler (CA) and Raphael Warnock (GA).

Trone, meanwhile, has earned support from over 60 of his Democratic House colleagues, including Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Adam Schiff (CA) and Colin Allred (TX).

During a Congressional Hearing in March, Trone attempted to convey skepticism of Republican tax policies, and while attempting to say the word “bugaboo,” an inoffensive slang term for a cause of inflated concern, he mistakenly slipped and said the offending term, “Jigaboo,” a disparaging term for a black person.

“So this Republican jigaboo that it’s the tax rate that’s stopping business investment, it’s just completely faulty by people who have never run a business. They’ve never been there. They don’t have a clue what they’re talking about,” Trone said.

Later, Trone issued an apology for the slip-up. “While attempting to use the word ‘bugaboo’ in a hearing, I used a phrase that is offensive. That word has a long dark terrible history. It should never be used any time, anywhere, in any conversation. I recognize that as a white man, I have privilege. And as an elected official, I have a responsibility for the words I use — especially in the heat of the moment. Regardless of what I meant to say, I shouldn’t have used that language.”