As RedState reported, former Maryland governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) unexpectedly announced his run for the United States Senate. Polls show Hogan leading against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks 44 to 37 and tied with Democrat David Trone at 42 apiece.
In a state where President Biden defeated former President Trump in 2020 — if Hogan manages to flip the Maryland seat, the GOP should comfortably be able to win back the Senate.
As RedState also reported, Hogan has an uphill battle because he isn't the first choice for most Republicans. However, they might hold their nose and vote for him if that means Democrats lose control of the Senate.
Although it will be tough to win some seats, such as defeating Jon Tester in Montana, as Rep. Matt Rosendale (R) dropped out of the race, and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy (R) trails in the most recent poll there, though he did just pick up the endorsement of Trump. Still, the GOP candidate is all but guaranteed to win in West Virginia. Joe Manchin will likely opt out of running for re-election. But the most recent poll showed all three GOP candidates defeating Manchin.
Kari Lake holds a narrow lead against Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego. Per the internal poll, Lake will perform better against Gallego if Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decides not to run for re-election.
Ohio also seems like a state that the GOP could flip, especially after Sen. J.D. Vance (R) defeated Tim Ryan (D) during the 2022 midterm elections, and it is a state that Trump carried in 2016 and 2020.
One state to keep an eye on is Michigan — if former Rep. Justin Amash decides to run for the Senate. The Democrat frontrunner, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, is a serious candidate, and the GOP will need someone like Amash to go up against her.
Per The Cook Political Report -- Ohio, Montana, and Arizona are toss-up races, while Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin lean Democrat. There are no races that lean Republican, though West Virginia is solid Republican. Maryland, on the other hand, is rated as likely Democrat; however, as mentioned earlier, Hogan is polling strongly and could flip that seat.
2024 is a great opportunity for the GOP to take over the Senate and make Chuck Schumer the Senate Minority Leader once again.