Sen. Ronald N. Young (D), who won a third term, at Frederick County Democratic headquarters Tuesday night. Photo by Yue Zhang
Heading into the election, Maryland Republicans had two principal goals: Reelect Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. and take away Democrats’ veto-proof majority in the state Senate to bolster Hogan’s second term.
The first part of the strategy succeeded in spectacular fashion, with Hogan winning by almost 15 points. But Hogan was unable to spin political gold farther down the ballot: With a couple of results possibly hanging on absentee ballots, Republicans may have only picked up one seat – well short of the five they were seeking.
If Tuesday night’s results hold, when the new General Assembly takes office in January, Democrats will hold 32 seats in the Senate, compared to 15 for the Republicans.
Only one Democratic incumbent fell by the wayside Tuesday night: Sen. James C. Mathias Jr. of the Lower Shore. A durable politician who formerly served as mayor of Ocean City, he could not overcome the political headwinds, in a district that Hogan carried by 40 points in 2014. He lost to first-term Del. Mary Beth Carozza (R), 53 percent to 47 percent.
