Earlier this month, Rebecca covered how the 2024 election will be close in one battleground state, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is where former President Donald Trump was nearly killed by an assassin in July.
In several states, Senate races are also close. In one unlikely state, a Senate race is tied.
A poll released Tuesday from AARP showed the Maryland Senate race between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) deadlocked.
According to the poll, Alsobrooks and Hogan are tied at 46 percent each. Seven percent of respondents are undecided and 1 percent said that they will support another candidate.
While Maryland usually elects Democrats, Hogan served as governor for two terms. About a quarter of Democratic voters indicated that they support Hogan (via AARP):
– Hogan is making the race competitive in spite of Maryland’s large Democratic registration advantage by winning Independents by 23-points and also a quarter of Democrats.
– There is a gender gap, with women voting for Alsobrooks by 8-points and men picking Hogan by 10. There is not a large gap by educational attainment.
– Hogan leads by 20-points among white voters 50+ and by a narrower 8-point margin among white voters under 50. Alsobrooks is ahead by 52-points among Black voters 50+, while the race is much closer among Black voters 18-49, where Alsobrooks is up 18-points.
“Voters 50 and older are the biggest and most enthusiastic voting bloc in this election, and their votes will make the difference in the tight U.S. Senate race this year,” Hank Greenberg, AARP Maryland State Director, said in a press release.
“Candidates need to focus on the issues that matter most to older voters, from protecting Social Security and Medicare to supporting family caregivers to securing an economic future for themselves and their families,” Greenberg added.
The presidential race in Maryland shows Harris ahead of Trump by 32 points. The top issues to voters include the economy and jobs, inflation, “threats to democracy,” and immigration.
AARP commissioned the polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & Impact Research (D). The firms interviewed 1,258 likely voters, which includes a statewide representative sample of 600 likely voters, an oversample of 482 likely voters ages 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 176 Black likely voters ages 50 and older. The survey was done between August 14-20, 2024.