A photo finish could be in store in Maryland this week as Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) fight for supremacy in what has turned into potentially the bloodiest primary on the Senate map this year.
Trone, the co-owner of Total Wine, had been buoyed for much of the race by his tens of millions in blanket advertising in an attempt to put him over the finish line. But that status has suddenly come into question as his lead appears to have evaporated into thin air.
A new poll released by Emerson College/The Hill showed that Alsobrooks, the favorite of the state's Democratic establishment, has taken a slight lead ahead of Tuesday's primary in what has become a bruising race for a seat Democrats can ill-afford to lose in November.
“Maryland is a small state in terms of politics and everybody knows everybody. Nobody wanted to see this turn into a nasty fight,” said Katie Grant Drew, a Democratic strategist who was a longtime top aide to former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
“It's not surprising that things get heated towards the end,” she added, “but especially given the fact that the winner of the primary will be facing a popular former governor, there was not an unreasonable expectation for the candidates to stay focused on the broader goal of keeping the seat in Democratic hands.”
The vast majority of the attacks have been one-sided as Trone has gone on the offensive against Alsobrooks, who has seen her stock rise in recent weeks. The beverage magnate has spent more than $61 million of his money thus far, and sources tell The Hill his ads are outpacing hers by at least a 6-to-1 margin, and........