Obscured by the ongoing Clinton scandal and the address to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s (D-MD) quiet announcement this week that she will not seek reelection to a sixth term in the U.S. Senate.
The announcement already has Maryland politicos scrambling to position themselves. Former Gov. Martin O’Malley announced immediately that he would not seek the seat, which created further space for others to move into the race.
The seat is one that has been commanded by Democrats for decades with little speculation that it could be won by a Republican candidate. But in the November Republican landslide, O’Malley’s handpicked successor Lt. Governor Anthony Brown was defeated by Republican Larry Hogan.
That Maryland voters would choose a Republican in a statewide election over an incumbent Democrat has GOP analysts wondering whether the state is finally open to the possibility of a Republican U.S. Senator.
