Larry Hogan’s entry into the Maryland Senate race is a major coup for Senate Republicans. But Democrats still have the edge.

• Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s entry into the US Senate race is a major boost for the GOP.
• Hogan won statewide twice by appealing to a broad swath of voters, including many Democrats.
• But winning as a Republican in a presidential year in Maryland will be tough, even for Hogan.

When former Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan announced last week that he was running for the open Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, it came as a surprise to many.

Hogan, a two-term governor who was elected twice in one of the bluest states in the country, had previously expressed little interest in a Senate run and instead flirted with a presidential candidacy.

So on Friday, his entry into the race fueled talk of Hogan potentially doing what no other Maryland Republican has done since 1980: win a contested Senate contest.

But winning a Senate race in a presidential year with an electorate that will lean to the left will be a tall order, even for someone like Hogan. Here’s a look at why — despite Hogan’s political strengths — Democrats will likely hold an edge in the race:

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