2018 United States Senate election in Maryland
The 2018 United States Senate election in Maryland took place on November 6, 2018, in order to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Maryland. It was held concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ben Cardin was re-elected to a third and ultimately final term by a landslide margin of almost 35 points.
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Turnout | 58.17% 10.03 pp | ||||||||||||||||
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Cardin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Campbell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Maryland |
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Government |
The primary election for the Senate race was held on June 26, 2018.[1]
The incumbent, Ben Cardin, won the Democratic Party primary. In the general election, Cardin was reelected to a third term.[2] Tony Campbell, a professor of political science at Towson University and former Army Chaplain, won the Republican Party primary. If elected, Campbell would have become Maryland's first African-American U.S. Senator.[3][4] Businessman Neal Simon ran as an independent and Arvin Vohra was the Libertarian Party nominee in the general election. There were also several official write-in candidates.
Democratic primary
Declared
- Ben Cardin, incumbent U.S. Senator[5][6]
- Erik Jetmir[5][6]
- Chelsea Manning, whistleblower, convicted of Espionage Act crimes, former U.S. Army soldier[5][6][7][8]
- Marcia H. Morgan,[5] of Montgomery County[9]
- Jerome Segal, political activist and philosopher[5][6]
- Richard "Rikki" Vaughn,[5][6] of Baltimore[10]
- Debbie "Rica" Wilson, candidate for MD-05 in 2016,[5] of White Plains[10]
- Lih Young, perennial candidate,[5] of Montgomery County[9]
Declined
- John Delaney, U.S. Representative (running for President in 2020)[11]
- Donna Edwards, former U.S. Representative and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016 (running for Prince George's County Executive)[12]
- Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative[13]
- Heather Mizeur, former state delegate[13]
- John Sarbanes, U.S. Representative[13]
Endorsements
- Organizations
- AFSCME Maryland Council 3[14]
- Baltimore Afro-American[15]
- League of Conservation Voters[16]
- Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund[17]
- Sierra Club[18]
- Individuals
- Natalie Wynn, YouTube creator [19]
- Jimmy Dore, comedian and political commentator[20]
- Linda Sarsour, activist and Co-chair of the Women's March[21]
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Ben Cardin |
Chelsea Manning |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goucher College | February 12–18, 2018 | 409 | ± 4.8% | 61% | 17% | 3% | 19% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ben Cardin (incumbent) | 447,441 | 79.24% | |
Democratic | Chelsea Manning | 34,611 | 6.13% | |
Democratic | Jerome Segal | 20,027 | 3.55% | |
Democratic | Debbie Wilson | 18,953 | 3.36% | |
Democratic | Marcia H. Morgan | 16,047 | 2.84% | |
Democratic | Lih Young | 9,874 | 1.75% | |
Democratic | Richard Vaughn | 9,480 | 1.68% | |
Democratic | Erik Jetmir | 8,259 | 1.46% | |
Total votes | 564,692 | 100.00% |
Republican primary
Declared
- Tony Campbell,[5] of Baltimore County,[9] political science faculty member at Towson University[23]
- Chris Chaffee,[5] candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[24]
- Evan M. Cronhardt,[5] of Anne Arundel County
- Nnabu Eze,[5] of Baltimore County,[9] Green nominee for MD-03 in 2016[25]
- John Graziani, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016 and candidate for MD-04 in 2014[5]
- Christina J. Grigorian, attorney[5]
- Albert Howard[5]
- Bill Krehnbrink, perennial candidate[5]
- Gerald I. Smith, Jr., conspiracy theorist,[5] of Cecil County[9]
- Blaine Taylor, perennial candidate,[5] of Baltimore County[9]
- Brian Charles Vaeth, perennial candidate[5]
Declined
- Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland since 2015 (running for reelection)
Endorsements
- State legislators[28]
- Gail H. Bates, state senator
- Robert G. Cassilly, state senator
- Michael Hough, state senator
- J. B. Jennings, state senator
- Edward R. Reilly, state senator
- Johnny Ray Salling, state senator
- Wendell R. Beitzel, state delegate
- Andrew Cassilly, state delegate
- Joe Cluster, state delegate
- Barrie Ciliberti, state delegate
- Ron George, former state delegate
- Glen Glass, state delegate
- Robin L. Grammer, Jr., state delegate
- Nic Kipke, state delegate
- Susan W. Krebs, state delegate
- Susan K. McComas, state delegate
- Pat McDonough, state delegate
- Richard W. Metzgar, state delegate
- Christian Miele, state delegate
- Neil Parrott, state delegate
- Chris West, state delegate
- William J. Wivell, state delegate
- Individuals
- Ellen Sauerbrey, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration[29]
- Joseph E. Schmitz, former DoD Inspector General[30]
- Michael Steele, former RNC Chairman and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland[31]
- State Senators
- Edward R. Reilly, state senator[32]
- Robert Cassilly, state senator[32]
- Individuals
- Paul Becker, retired United States Navy admiral[32]
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Tony Campbell | 51,426 | 29.22% | |
Republican | Chris Chaffee | 42,328 | 24.05% | |
Republican | Christina J. Grigorian | 30,786 | 17.49% | |
Republican | John Graziani | 15,435 | 8.77% | |
Republican | Blaine Taylor | 8,848 | 5.03% | |
Republican | Gerald I. Smith, Jr. | 7,564 | 4.30% | |
Republican | Brian Vaeth | 5,411 | 3.08% | |
Republican | Evan M. Cronhardt | 4,445 | 2.53% | |
Republican | Bill Krehnbrink | 3,606 | 2.05% | |
Republican | Nnabu Eze | 3,442 | 1.96% | |
Republican | Albert Howard | 2,720 | 1.55% | |
Total votes | 175,981 | 100.00% |
Libertarian Party
Declared
- Arvin Vohra, vice-chair of the Libertarian National Committee and perennial candidate,[33] of Montgomery County[9]
Independents
Declared
- Michael B Puskar, property manager
- Edward Shlikas, home care compliance manager[34]
- Neal Simon, businessman[35][36]
General election
Candidates
- Ben Cardin, Incumbent (D)
- Tony Campbell, Professor at Towson University (R)
- Arvin Vohra, vice-chair of the Libertarian National Committee (L)
- Neal Simon, businessman (I)
- Michael B Puskar, property manager (I)
Endorsements
- U.S. Executive Branch officials
- State Senators[28]
- Gail H. Bates, state senator
- Robert G. Cassilly, state senator
- Michael Hough, state senator
- J. B. Jennings, state senator
- Edward R. Reilly, state senator
- Johnny Ray Salling, state senator
- State Delegates
- Wendell R. Beitzel, state delegate
- Andrew Cassilly, state delegate
- Joe Cluster, state delegate
- Barrie Ciliberti, state delegate
- Ron George, former state delegate
- Glen Glass, state delegate
- Robin L. Grammer, Jr., state delegate
- Nic Kipke, state delegate
- Susan W. Krebs, state delegate
- Susan K. McComas, state delegate
- Pat McDonough, state delegate
- Richard W. Metzgar, state delegate
- Christian Miele, state delegate
- Neil Parrott, state delegate
- Chris West, state delegate
- William J. Wivell, state delegate
- Individuals
- Ellen Sauerbrey, former Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration[29]
- Joseph E. Schmitz, former DoD Inspector General[30]
- Michael Steele, former RNC Chairman and former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland[31]
- Organizations
- NRA Political Victory Fund[40][41]
- National Right to Life[42]
- Maryland Right to Life[43]
- Family Research Council[44]
- National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors[43]
Debates
On October 7, 2018, Cardin, independent candidate Neal Simon, and Republican candidate Tony Campbell participated in the sole televised debate of the campaign.[48][49][50]
Predictions
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report[51] | Safe D | October 26, 2018 |
Inside Elections[52] | Safe D | November 1, 2018 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball[53] | Safe D | November 5, 2018 |
Fox News[54] | Likely D | July 9, 2018 |
CNN[55] | Safe D | July 12, 2018 |
RealClearPolitics[56] | Safe D | June 2018 |
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Ben Cardin (D) |
Tony Campbell (R) |
Neal Simon (I) |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gonzales Research (I-Simon) | October 1–6, 2018 | 806 | ± 3.5% | 49% | 22% | 18% | – | 11% |
Goucher College | September 11–16, 2018 | 472 | ± 4.5% | 56% | 17% | 8% | 1%[57] | 14% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ben Cardin (incumbent) | 1,491,614 | 64.86% | +8.88% | |
Republican | Tony Campbell | 697,017 | 30.31% | +3.98% | |
Independent | Neal Simon | 85,964 | 3.74% | N/A | |
Libertarian | Arvin Vohra | 22,943 | 1.00% | -0.22% | |
Write-in | 2,351 | 0.10% | N/A | ||
Total votes | 2,299,889 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
Democratic hold | |||||
Results by county
County | Ben Cardin
Democratic |
Tony Campbell
Republican |
Neal Simon
Independent |
Arvin Vohra
Libertarian |
Write-ins
Independent |
Margin | Total
Votes Cast | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
Allegany | 8597 | 36.82% | 13790 | 59.06% | 746 | 3.19% | 196 | 0.84% | 20 | 0.09% | -5193 | -22.24% | 23349 |
Anne Arundel | 122910 | 53.74% | 92401 | 40.40% | 10528 | 4.60% | 2674 | 1.17% | 190 | 0.08% | 30509 | 13.34% | 228703 |
Baltimore (City) | 160370 | 86.95% | 16184 | 8.77% | 5596 | 3.03% | 1917 | 1.04% | 375 | 0.20% | 144186 | 78.17% | 184442 |
Baltimore (County) | 197530 | 60.85% | 106275 | 32.74% | 17192 | 5.30% | 3313 | 1.02% | 290 | 0.09% | 91255 | 28.11% | 324600 |
Calvert | 17372 | 44.51% | 19901 | 50.99% | 1273 | 3.26% | 458 | 1.17% | 27 | 0.07% | -2529 | -6.48% | 39031 |
Caroline | 4265 | 37.73% | 6474 | 57.27% | 451 | 3.99% | 105 | 0.93% | 9 | 0.08% | -2209 | -19.54% | 11304 |
Carroll | 25986 | 34.89% | 42479 | 57.03% | 5020 | 6.74% | 966 | 1.30% | 38 | 0.05% | -16493 | -22.14% | 74489 |
Cecil | 13237 | 38.05% | 19851 | 57.06% | 1267 | 3.64% | 412 | 1.18% | 24 | 0.07% | -6614 | -19.01% | 34791 |
Charles | 44874 | 69.54% | 17872 | 27.69% | 1284 | 1.99% | 462 | 0.72% | 41 | 0.06% | 27002 | 41.84% | 64533 |
Dorchester | 5928 | 48.23% | 5864 | 47.71% | 397 | 3.23% | 95 | 0.77% | 8 | 0.07% | 64 | 0.52% | 12292 |
Frederick | 55256 | 51.67% | 47038 | 43.99% | 3242 | 3.03% | 1292 | 1.21% | 105 | 0.10% | 8218 | 7.69% | 106933 |
Garrett | 2817 | 25.75% | 7801 | 71.31% | 216 | 1.97% | 98 | 0.90% | 7 | 0.06% | -4984 | -45.56% | 10939 |
Harford | 45921 | 41.63% | 56749 | 51.45% | 6185 | 5.61% | 1352 | 1.23% | 100 | 0.09% | -10828 | -9.82% | 110307 |
Howard | 96067 | 66.97% | 38797 | 27.05% | 6621 | 4.62% | 1819 | 1.27% | 144 | 0.10% | 57270 | 39.92% | 143448 |
Kent | 4588 | 53.49% | 3490 | 40.69% | 411 | 4.79% | 86 | 1.00% | 3 | 0.03% | 1098 | 12.80% | 8578 |
Montgomery | 314568 | 77.29% | 74924 | 18.41% | 13333 | 3.28% | 3655 | 0.90% | 517 | 0.13% | 239644 | 58.88% | 406997 |
Prince George's | 286975 | 90.10% | 24140 | 7.58% | 5031 | 1.58% | 2031 | 0.64% | 346 | 0.11% | 262835 | 82.52% | 318523 |
Queen Anne's | 8463 | 37.21% | 12813 | 56.34% | 1230 | 5.41% | 232 | 1.02% | 6 | 0.03% | -4350 | -19.13% | 22744 |
St. Mary's | 16849 | 41.93% | 21393 | 53.24% | 1361 | 3.39% | 559 | 1.39% | 18 | 0.04% | -4544 | -11.31% | 40180 |
Somerset | 3652 | 47.09% | 3882 | 50.06% | 172 | 2.22% | 45 | 0.58% | 4 | 0.05% | -230 | -2.97% | 7755 |
Talbot | 9054 | 50.12% | 8050 | 44.56% | 796 | 4.41% | 154 | 0.85% | 12 | 0.07% | 1004 | 5.56% | 18066 |
Washington | 19956 | 39.59% | 28319 | 56.18% | 1598 | 3.17% | 507 | 1.01% | 26 | 0.05% | -8363 | -16.59% | 50406 |
Wicomico | 16539 | 49.09% | 15644 | 46.43% | 1133 | 3.36% | 351 | 1.04% | 24 | 0.07% | 895 | 2.66% | 33691 |
Worcester | 9840 | 41.37% | 12886 | 54.17% | 881 | 3.70% | 164 | 0.69% | 17 | 0.07% | -3046 | -12.80% | 23788 |
Total | 1491614 | 64.86% | 697017 | 30.31% | 85964 | 3.74% | 22943 | 1.00% | 2351 | 0.10% | 794597 | 34.55% | 2299889 |
References
- "United States Senate election in Maryland, 2018". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Maryland Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 28, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- Dresser, Michael (October 7, 2018). "U.S. Senate challengers fault Cardin in debate for not solving problems". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- Hall, Tom; Sivak, Rob (October 15, 2018). "Tony Campbell: Republican for US Senate". WYPR. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- "2018 Candidate Listing". 2018 Gubernatorial Election. Maryland Board of Elections. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Candidates (criteria: 2018+Senate+Maryland)". Campaign finance data. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Jouvenal, Justin; Portnoy, Jenna (January 13, 2018). "Chelsea Manning files to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland". The Washington Post. Katherine Shaver contributed. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- "Chelsea Manning officially files for US Senate race". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. January 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
- Divilio, Daniel (February 22, 2018). "Candidate filing last call Feb. 27 (Pt. 2: Filing)". Kent County News. Chestertown, Maryland. p. A15. Retrieved June 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- "Somebody's already using the 'E' word". Community. The Enterprise. St. Mary's County, Maryland. June 28, 2017. p. A8. Retrieved June 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- Delaney, John (July 28, 2017). "John Delaney: Why I'm Running for President". The Washington Post.
- Siegel, Rachel; Wiggins, Ovetta (October 5, 2017). "Former Maryland congresswoman Donna Edwards to run for county executive". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- Shurberg, Jonathan (June 7, 2016). "2018: Whither Ben Cardin?". Maryland Scramble.
- "AFSCME Maryland Council 3 2018 Primary Guide". June 8, 2018.
- "Afro 2018 endorsement guide". June 6, 2018.
- "LCV Action Fund Endorses Ben Cardin for Reelection". League of Conservation Voters. May 30, 2018.
- "NRDC Action Fund announces first wave of 2018 Senate endorsements". www.nrdcactionfund.org. January 5, 2018.
- "Sierra Club #ClimateVoter Guide: Endorsements". March 19, 2021.
- ContraPointsLive (March 24, 2018). "Discussion with Chelsea Manning" – via YouTube.
- The Jimmy Dore Show (January 15, 2018). "Chelsea Manning Announces Senate Run – Democrats Smear Her" – via YouTube.
- "Linda Sarsour endorses Chelsea Manning for U.S. Senate". The Washington Times. January 16, 2018.
- "2018 Maryland primary election results". Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- "Faculty" (PDF). Faculty Resources. Towson University. October 31, 2016. Political Science. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "2016 Candidate Listing". Maryland State Board of Elections. April 26, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "2016 Candidate Listing". Maryland State Board of Elections. April 26, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- Murphy, Jack (May 31, 2017). "Former CIA Officer Sam Faddis running for Senate in Maryland". SOFREP. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- Fritze, John (July 14, 2017). "Ben Cardin raises nearly $1M for 2018 reelection". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- "Twenty One State Senators and Delegates". Campbell 4 Maryland. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- "Ellen Sauerbrey Endorsement". Campbell 4 Maryland. May 16, 2018. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- "Campbell4Maryland". www.facebook.com.
- "Former RNC Chairman and Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele Endorses Tony Campbell". Campbell 4 Maryland. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "I Stand With Sam". Sam Faddis For US Senate. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- Pyeatt, Jill (July 4, 2017). "Arvin Vohra, Vice Chairman of Libertarian Party, Announces Run for U S Senate". Independent Political Report. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- "Shlikas will fix it!". Shlikas for Senate. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- "Sen. Ben Cardin may get independent challenger backed by Centrist Project". December 6, 2017.
- Fritze, John (February 6, 2018). "An independent candidate for Senate in Maryland says 'it's about change,' as the incumbent files for re-election". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- NCPSSM. "Candidates We Endorse and Support".
- "Federal Endorsements by the NOW PAC | National Organization for Women Political Action Committees". nowpac.org. August 23, 2017. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- Campbell4Maryland. "Tony Campbell has obtained the enthusiastic support of Dr. Ben Carson!". www.facebook.com.
- "Your Freedom is Under Attack! Vote On or Before November 6th!". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) has endorsed Tony Campbell for U.S. Senate in Maryland. Tony is committed to protecting our right to self-defense!
- "NRA-PVF". Campbell 4 Maryland. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- "Campbell4Maryland". www.facebook.com.
- "Campbell Releases New Endorsements". Red Maryland. September 27, 2018.
- "FRC Action PAC Announces Endorsement of Dr. Tony Campbell for U.S. Senate". FRC Action. September 18, 2018.
- Dovere, Edward-Isaac (February 27, 2018). "Statewide independents roll out national slate".
- Barker, Jeff (November 4, 2018). "Independent U.S. Senate candidate for Maryland Neal Simon says Gov. Larry Hogan voted for him". Baltimore Sun. Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- The Fray’s Isaac Slade plays first solo show at rally for Md. Senate candidate Neal Simon – The Washington Post
- "Cardin defends record in first Maryland debate for U.S. Senate". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- Dresser, Michael. "U.S. Senate challengers fault Cardin in debate for not solving problems". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- "Maryland Senate Debate, Oct 7 2018 - Video - C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org.
- "2018 Senate Race Ratings for October 26, 2018". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- "2018 Senate Ratings". The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- "2018 Crystal Ball Senate race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
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- "Key Races: Senate". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- "Battle for the Senate 2018". Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- Arvin Vohra (L) with 1%
- "2018 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov.
External links
- Candidates at Vote Smart
- Candidates at Ballotpedia
- Campaign finance at FEC
- Campaign finance at OpenSecrets
- Official campaign websites
- Tony Campbell (R) for U.S. Senate
- Ben Cardin (D) for U.S. Senate
- Neal Simon (I) for U.S. Senate
- Arvin Vohra (L) for U.S. Senate Archived 2016-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Michael B. Puskar (I) for U.S. Senate