A Maryland Democrat running in the race to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) announced he was dropping out on Friday, making the seat virtually a two-person race for the highly competitive primary.
Will Jawando, a Montgomery County Council member and the first candidate to jump into the senatorial race back in May, said he didn't see a path to victory and was bowing out of the competition.
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"After a lot of thought and prayer and late nights with my wife, Michelle, and our family, I've decided that it's time to take a step back from this race," Jawando said in a video announcement. "Not because we believe any less in the cause that started it. The fights we talked about in this campaign are, and always will be, the fights of my life. But after thinking long and hard about this race in particular, I frankly no longer see a path for myself to victory."
An important announcement about my U.S. Senate campaign. pic.twitter.com/UPZMD2JZdE
— Will Jawando (@willjawando) October 20, 2023
Jawando's exit likely means the top two candidates to replace Cardin are Rep. David Trone (D-MD) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Trone, a wealthy white businessman and founder of Total Wine & More, faces hard competition against Alsobrooks, who is black and hoping to make history as the first person of color elected to the Senate from Maryland.
Trone has spent nearly $10 million financing his campaign, but during the third quarter, Federal Election Commission reports Alsobrooks raised more than $1.5 million, more than any of her opponents. Jawando only brought in $214,159 during the quarter and spent the majority of it, $206,499, while Trone raised a little over $63,000.
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Jawando didn't indicate who he would endorse during his announcement on Friday, but Trone has the support of several local lawmakers, including Ben McShane, a Frederick alderman, and Bob Flanigan, Frostburg, Maryland major. Alsobrooks has the backing of several Congressional members, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), and Sen. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD).
Maryland is a safe Democratic state, but open Senate seats are hard to come by: There have been only three over the last 70 years. Despite the safe Maryland seat, Democrats will still face a hard path to maintaining their narrow majority of the Senate during next year's elections.