No Maryland Senate election in 2026.
Maryland holds Class 1 (Angela Alsobrooks, elected 2024 — next race 2030) and Class 3 (Chris Van Hollen, re-elected 2022 — next race 2028). The state has no Class 2 seat, so there is no Maryland Senate contest in this cycle.
- Angela Alsobrooks (D) holds Class 1 — Ben Cardin's former seat. First elected November 2024, defeating Republican Larry Hogan by ~11 points. Up for re-election in 2030.
- Chris Van Hollen (D) holds Class 3 — Barbara Mikulski's former seat. First elected 2016 (open seat), re-elected November 2022. Up for re-election in 2028.
- Maryland has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Charles Mathias, who left office in 1987.
- Maryland is D+29 in presidential lean — the deepest-blue large state in the Mid-Atlantic. Biden won by 33 points in 2020; Harris won by ~29 in 2024.
Maryland's Two Senators
The U.S. Senate divides its 100 seats into three classes, each elected on a staggered 6-year cycle. Maryland's seats are Class 1 and Class 3 — both of which hold their next elections in 2030 and 2028, respectively.
Only Class 2 seats are contested in 2026. Maryland does not have a Class 2 senator. The 2026 cycle includes roughly 20 Democratic-held Class 2 seats that were won in the strong Democratic wave of 2020 — states like Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire are the competitive battlegrounds.
Historical Results — Class 1 Seat (Alsobrooks / Cardin)
Ben Cardin first elected 2006 (Class 1 cycle year) → Angela Alsobrooks elected 2024, next election 2030.
Historical Results — Class 3 Seat (Van Hollen / Mikulski)
Barbara Mikulski first elected 1986 (Class 3 cycle year) → Chris Van Hollen elected 2016, re-elected 2022, next election 2028.
2026 Senate Race Context & National Outlook
The 2026 midterm elections are taking place in an environment shaped by significant economic uncertainty. Trump's Liberation Day tariffs triggered a consumer confidence collapse and PCE inflation surged to 4.5% in Q1 2026. The Trump approval rating stands at 38.1% approve / 59.2% disapprove — among the lowest for any first-year president since modern polling began. The Generic Ballot shows Democrats with a consistent +6.0 advantage, a historically predictive indicator of significant House seat gains.
In the Senate, 33 Class 2 seats are up in 2026. Republicans must defend seats in Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Alaska, and Texas, while Democrats defend Nevada, New Hampshire, Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia. Key battleground races that will determine Senate control include Georgia (Jon Ossoff, D), Iowa (open seat, Ernst retires), Nevada (Jacky Rosen, D), and Alaska (Lisa Murkowski, R). The full Senate map is at the Senate 2026 overview.
Issue-level polling context: The top issues driving 2026 are the economy and tariffs, healthcare, immigration, and Social Security. See the Battleground Tracker for the latest state-level polling and the Trump Policy Tracker for executive action context.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a Maryland Senate election in 2026?
No. Maryland holds Class 1 (Angela Alsobrooks, elected 2024, next 2030) and Class 3 (Chris Van Hollen, re-elected 2022, next 2028). Neither seat is contested in 2026. Only Class 2 seats are on the ballot in the 2026 cycle.
What class is Angela Alsobrooks's seat?
Class 1. Ben Cardin, whom she succeeded, was first elected in 2006 — a Class 1 cycle year (1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2012, 2018, 2024). Alsobrooks won the November 2024 general election against Larry Hogan by approximately 11 points. Her next election is 2030.
What class is Chris Van Hollen's seat?
Class 3. Barbara Mikulski, whom Van Hollen succeeded, was first elected in 1986 — a Class 3 cycle year. Van Hollen won the open seat in 2016 and was re-elected in 2022 by 25 points. His next election is 2028.
Who are Maryland's two U.S. Senators?
Angela Alsobrooks (D, Class 1) and Chris Van Hollen (D, Class 3). Both are Democrats. Maryland last elected a Republican Senator in 1980 (Charles Mathias, Class 3), who retired in 1987.
How did Alsobrooks beat Larry Hogan?
Angela Alsobrooks defeated Larry Hogan — a two-term Republican governor with approval ratings that had exceeded 70% — by about 11 points in November 2024. The result reflected Maryland's structural Democratic advantage (D+29 presidential lean) more than Hogan's personal popularity. Hogan had been considered the strongest possible Republican candidate for any Maryland race.
