2012 United States Senate election in Maryland explained

Election Name:	2012 United States Senate election in Maryland
Country:	Maryland
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2006 United States Senate election in Maryland
Previous Year:	2006
Next Election:	2018 United States Senate election in Maryland
Next Year:	2018
Election Date:	November 6, 2012
Turnout:	68.2%
Image1:	Ben Cardin, official Senate photo portrait.jpg
Nominee1:	Ben Cardin
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	1,474,028
Percentage1:	55.98%
Nominee2:	Dan Bongino
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	693,291
Percentage2:	26.33%
Image3:	File:S. R. Sobhani (cropped).jpg
Party3:	Independent (United States)
Popular Vote3:	430,934
Percentage3:	16.37%
Map Size:	300px
U.S. Senator
Before Election:	Ben Cardin
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Ben Cardin
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)

The 2012 United States Senate election in Maryland took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ben Cardin won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee Dan Bongino and independent Rob Sobhani.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Raymond Blagmon^[1]
• Ben Cardin, incumbent U.S. Senator^[2]
• J.P. Cusick^[1]
• Christopher Garner, engineer and businessman^[3]
• Ralph Jaffe, former political science teacher^[1]
• C. Anthony Muse, State Senator^[4]
• Blaine Taylor
• Ed Tinus
• Lih Young, perennial candidate^[1]

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Joseph Alexander
• Dan Bongino, former United States Secret Service agent^[5]
• Bro Broadus
• William Capps^[1]
• Richard Douglas, attorney and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense^[6]
• Rick Hoover^[1]
• David Jones^[7]
• John B. Kimble, behavioral scientist and perennial candidate
• Brian Vaeth, retired firefighter
• Corrogan R. Vaughn, perennial candidate^[1]

Declined

• Bob Ehrlich, former Governor of Maryland^[8]
• Brian Murphy, candidate for Governor in 2010^[9]
• Eric Wargotz, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010^[10]

Results

General election

Candidates

• Ben Cardin (Democratic), incumbent U.S. Senator and former U.S. Representative
• Daniel Bongino (Republican), former United States Secret Service agent
• Dean Ahmad (Libertarian), president of the Minaret of Freedom Institute
• S. Rob Sobhani (independent), chairman and CEO of Caspian Group Holdings
• Brandy Baker (Socialist, certified write-in)^[11]

Debates

A candidate's forum was held on Baltimore's WOLB radio on October 24 including Senator Ben Cardin, Rob Sobhani, Dean Ahmad and Daniel Bongino.^{[12] [13]} An October 30 debate at Salisbury University to have featured those candidates and independent Ed Tinus^[14] was cancelled in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.^[15]

Campaign

In 2006, then-U.S. Representative Ben Cardin defeated then-Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele 54%–44%. Eric Wargotz, the Republican nominee in 2010 had considered entering the race but ultimately did not.

In both 2009 and 2010, National Journal magazine rated Cardin as tied for most liberal senator, based on his voting record. As of June 30, Cardin had $1.8 million in his campaign account.^[16]

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
	Ben Cardin (D)	$3,758,957	$2,248,013	$1,896,329	$0
	Daniel Bongino (R)	$188,419	$172,509	$15,909	$0
	Dean Ahmad (L)	$8,565	$6,288	$2,276	$0
	S. Rob Sobhani (I)	$6,472,715	$6,043,030	$429,683	$0
Source: Federal Election Commission^[17] ^[18] ^[19] ^[20]

Top contributors

^[21]

Ben Cardin	Contribution	Daniel Bongino	Contribution
Exelon Corp	$39,250	Avjet Corp	$5,000
News Corp	$35,375	Citizens United	$5,000
Johns Hopkins University	$30,300	Oheka Castle	$5,000
Comcast Corp	$26,123	Miller & Long Concrete Construction	$4,891
Ernst & Young	$26,000	Perinatal Center of Oklahoma	$4,790
Gallagher, Evelius & Jones	$24,250	NORPAC	$21,730
Venable LLP	$23,750	NYPD	$3,950
DLA Piper	$23,250	Fitzgerald Shamrock Restaurant	$3,947
DaVita Inc.	$22,000	Davidsonville Veterinary Clinic	$3,250
Blue Cross & Blue Shield	$20,750	Constitutional Conservatives Fund	$2,500

Top industries

^[22]

Ben Cardin	Contribution	Daniel Bongino	Contribution
Lawyers/Law Firms	$441,242	Retired	$20,152
Real Estate	$354,920	General Contractors	$8,641
Health Professionals	$317,509	Civil Servants/Public Officials	$8,135
Financial Institutions	$301,161	Health Professionals	$6,540
Pro-Israel	$236,792	Real Estate	$5,700
Retired	$222,410	Republican/Conservative	$5,500
Lobbyists	$213,559	Lodging/Tourism	$5,000
Insurance	$191,300	Computers/Internet	$4,110
Leadership PACs	$191,000	Food industry & Beverage	$3,947
Entertainment industry	$188,806	Financial Institutions	$3,800

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[23]		November 1, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[24]		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg Political Report^[25]		November 2, 2012
align=left	Real Clear Politics^[26]		November 5, 2012

Polling

Poll source				Ben Cardin (D)	Daniel Bongino (R)	Rob Sobhani (I)	Other	Undecided
align=left	Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies^[27]	September 17–23, 2012	813	±3.5%		50%	22%	21%	—	7%
align=left	Washington Post^[28]	October 11–15, 2012	843	±4%		53%	22%	14%	2%	9%
align=left	OpinionWorks^[29]	October 20–23, 2012	801	±3.5%		50%	24%	14%	2%	10%

Results by county

County! colspan="2"

Ben CardinDemocratic	Dan BonginoRepublican		Rob SobhaniIndependent		Dean AhmadLibertarian		OtherOther		Margin		TotalVotes Cast
			%				%					%				%				%		%
	Allegany	9507	33.38%	14667	51.50%	3920	14.60%	367	1.29%	18	0.06%	-5160	-18.12%	28479
	Anne Arundel	108328	42.62%	93804	36.90%	48503	19.08%	3320	1.31%	241	0.09%	14524	5.71%	254196
	Baltimore	198290	52.55%	95297	25.25%	78887	20.91%	4434	1.18%	439	0.12%	102993	27.29%	377347
	Baltimore City	189128	77.21%	16931	6.91%	35724	14.58%	2930	1.20%	232	0.09%	172197	62.63%	244945
	Calvert	17296	39.36%	17272	39.31%	8806	20.04%	523	1.19%	43	0.10%	24	0.05%	43940
	Caroline	4423	33.93%	5898	45.24%	2575	19.75%	122	0.94%	18	0.14%	-1475	-11.31%	13036
	Carroll	22837	26.69%	41795	48.86%	19733	23.07%	1118	1.31%	66	0.08%	-18958	-22.16%	85549
	Cecil	14994	36.41%	18452	44.81%	7137	17.33%	549	1.33%	47	0.11%	-3458	-8.40%	41179
	Charles	42638	58.24%	16752	22.88%	13036	17.81%	721	0.98%	58	0.08%	25886	35.36%	73205
	Dorchester	6552	44.29%	5526	37.36%	2567	17.35%	132	0.89%	16	0.11%	1026	6.94%	14793
	Frederick	45161	39.80%	48563	42.80%	17913	15.79%	1720	1.52%	112	0.10%	-3402	-3.00%	113469
	Garrett	3448	27.87%	8263	66.79%	492	3.98%	163	1.32%	6	0.05%	-4815	-38.92%	12372
	Harford	43274	35.04%	45404	36.77%	33148	26.84%	1535	1.24%	126	0.10%	-2130	-1.72%	123487
	Howard	80265	53.66%	42892	28.67%	23815	15.92%	2462	1.65%	148	0.10%	37373	24.98%	149582
	Kent	4312	44.45%	3608	37.20%	1660	17.11%	88	0.91%	32	0.33%	704	7.26%	9700
	Montgomery	293715	66.21%	94010	21.19%	49611	11.18%	5790	1.31%	455	0.10%	199705	45.02%	443581
	Prince George's	305771	81.40%	25080	6.68%	40937	10.90%	3521	0.94%	339	0.09%	280691	70.50%	375648
	Queen Anne's	7385	30.13%	12540	51.15%	4344	17.72%	217	0.89%	28	0.11%	-5155	-21.03%	24514
	St. Mary's	17566	38.29%	19480	42.46%	8065	17.58%	723	1.58%	42	0.09%	-1914	-4.17%	45876
	Somerset	4686	46.70%	3568	35.56%	1682	16.76%	86	0.86%	13	0.13%	1118	11.14%	10035
	Talbot	8100	40.46%	8986	44.89%	2729	13.63%	173	0.86%	32	0.16%	-886	-4.43%	20020
	Washington	19702	32.56%	28161	46.53%	11788	19.48%	824	1.36%	41	0.07%	-8459	-13.98%	60516
	Wicomico	16974	41.41%	15072	36.77%	8426	20.56%	452	1.10%	63	0.15%	1902	4.64%	40987
	Worcester	9676	36.21%	11270	42.18%	5436	20.34%	282	1.06%	56	0.21%	-1594	-5.97%	26720
Total	1474028	55.98%	693291	26.33%	430934	16.37%	32252	1.22%	2729	0.10%	780737	28.90%	2633234

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Anne Arundel (largest municipality: Annapolis)
• Calvert (largest municipality: Chesapeake Beach)
• Dorchester (largest municipality: Cambridge)
• Somerset (largest municipality: Princess Anne)
• Wicomico (largest municipality: Salisbury)

See also

• 2012 United States Senate elections
• 2012 United States elections

External links

• Maryland State Board of Elections
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation
• Candidate issue positions at On the Issues
• United States Senate elections in Maryland, 2012 at Ballotpedia

Daniel Bongino

• Daniel Bongino for U.S. Senate

Ben Cardin

• Ben Cardin for U.S. Senate

Rob Sobhani

• Rob Sobhani for U.S. Senate

Notes and References

1. News: Md. Former Teacher Plans Run for U.S. Senate . September 21, 2011 . September 30, 2011 . . Associated Press.
2. News: Maryland Politics: Cardin to kick off campaign - Politics and Policy from Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington . The Baltimore Sun.
3. News: Political Notes: O'Malley receives planning award . . January 12, 2012 . Annapolis, Maryland.
4. News: State Sen. Muse to challenge Cardin for Senate . John . Fritze . January 5, 2012 . The Baltimore Sun .
5. News: Ex-Secret Service Agent To Run For Senate . . . May 31, 2011.
6. News: John Bolton says Md. is "winnable" for GOP . The Baltimore Sun . March 6, 2012 . December 1, 2014.
7. Web site: Politics1 Online Guide to Maryland Politics . politics1.com . November 28, 2011 . December 3, 2011.
8. Web site: Ehrlich not interested in another office . December 8, 2010 . December 10, 2010 . The Capital . Liam . Farrell . December 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101210141155/http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/gov/2010/12/08-23/Ehrlich-not-interested-in-another-office.html . dead .
9. News: Maryland Politics: Murphy to chair Senate campaign, not run, in 2012 - Politics and Policy from Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington . The Baltimore Sun.
10. News: Wargotz forgoes Senate run . November 3, 2011 . February 2, 2012 . The Baltimore Sun . John . Fritze.
11. Web site: Facebook. Facebook.
12. News: Razzi . Robin . Senatorial Debate 2012: What You Missed . October 25, 2012 . . October 24, 2012.
13. News: White . Brian . Maryland Senate candidates debate on economy . November 4, 2012 . . October 25, 2012.
14. News: Maryland Gazette Political Notes: Cardin, Bongino, Sobhani set first debate in Salisbury . November 4, 2012 . . October 20, 2012.
15. News: Kunkle . Fredrick . Rob Sobhani, independent in Maryland Senate race, makes closing argument . November 4, 2012 . The Washington Post . November 2, 2012 . Hurricane Sandy forced Salisbury University to call off a debate that would have put him on the same stage with Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) and Republican challenger Daniel Bongino..
16. News: In Md., Anthony Muse considers primary challenge to Sen. Cardin . The Washington Post . John . Wagner . Ben . Pershing . September 28, 2011.
17. https://web.archive.org/web/20110421070013/http://fec.gov/disclosurehs/HSCandDetail.do Ben Cardin
18. https://web.archive.org/web/20110421070013/http://fec.gov/disclosurehs/HSCandDetail.do Daniel Bongino Campaign Finances
19. Web site: Committee/Candidate Search.
20. https://web.archive.org/web/20110421070013/http://fec.gov/disclosurehs/HSCandDetail.do S. Rob Sobhani Campaign Finances
21. Web site: Congressional Elections: Maryland Senate Race: 2012 Cycle - OpenSecrets.
22. Web site: Congressional Elections: New York District 01 Race: 2012 Cycle - OpenSecrets.
23. Web site: 2012 Senate Race Ratings for November 1, 2012 . The Cook Political Report . September 20, 2018 . August 29, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180829035855/https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings/139117 . dead .
24. Web site: 2012 Senate . Sabato's Crystal Ball . September 20, 2018.
25. Web site: 2012 Senate Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . September 20, 2018.
26. Web site: 2012 Elections Map - Battle for the Senate 2012 . Real Clear Politics . September 20, 2018.
27. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-politics/post/maryland-senate-poll-second-place-too-close-to-call/2012/09/26/4034cecc-078c-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies
28. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_20121015.html Washington Post
29. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-senate-poll-20121028,0,2338651.story OpinionWorks
30. https://web.archive.org/web/20120414161210/http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_MD_715.pdf Public Policy Polling