Surprise! The Democrat Will Win The MD Senate Race
Ben Cardin
I don’t have polling data for the Maryland Senate race in front of me right now. In fact, I don’t know where legitimate polling data exists for this one. However, my instincts tell me that it would probably show incumbent Ben Cardin with around 60 percent of the vote, independent Rob Sobhani with around 20 percent and Republican Daniel Bongino with around 20 percent. There may be a Libertarian candidate or another small party candidate who have managed to pick up a few votes too.
OK, I have drawn my conclusion already …drum roll please…in November, the Democrat will win the Senate race in the state of Maryland! Wow! Next thing you know, I will be forecasting snow in Montana this winter or that Hollywood will have to resort to another remake because it can’t come up with any new ideas!
Maryland’s elections are incredibly predictable. They are often ignored by national news sources because they will likely be a blow-out and tight races are more intriguing. I have worked with candidates in Maryland and found that they often joke that a Republican running for office is on a “suicide mission.” So, the million dollar question here is why even bother running if you’re not a Democrat? There is another perk.
I will not name which candidates I saw doing this, but I found out that a number of these people who have chosen to go on the “suicide mission” of running against a Democrat in Maryland are also running their own business or work on commission. Their campaign literature just happens to note that they work for a firm that appears to pay on an eat what you kill basis. So their brochures, web pages, radio/TV ads and public appearances are also doubling as prospecting runs for their business. Some candidates have managed to pay off the bills for their run while campaigning. They were raking in business on the side. The candidate may have even made a few bucks extra to fund their IRA.
When you take this into consideration, it makes perfect sense to run and know you’re going to lose. You get to see your name and face on billboards and TV spots. You get your beliefs out there and you might make a difference. On top of it all, you make some money. Not bad!
I am not accusing Bongino or Sobhani of trying to make a buck. They probably want to challenge the prevailing beliefs in Maryland and help our economy, etc. I have worked with Rob Sobhani when I was with the Fox News Channel and he was a regular guest. He was always nice to me and seemed like a sharp and genuine person. He has made some Maryland Republicans unhappy by entering a race where he will only take votes away from their candidate. However, I can guess that Mr. Sobhani is sincere in his intentions.
I do not know Mr. Bongino. Yet, his resume is interesting. He spent several years as a member of the U.S. Secret Service. He was an agent for three U.S. Presidents. I must say that I have never heard of the election of a Secret Service agent to public office. One can imagine that he saw the daily routine of the White House up close and learned from it. He is also a young man and that can be a plus in the eyes of some voters.
However, if Mr. Bongino wants to win public office, he should consider moving to a red state or become a Democrat. In most cases, running against a Democrat in Maryland is not going to work out for you.
