2018 Maryland Senate election
Elections for the Maryland Senate were held on November 6, 2018, with all 47 seats being contested. Republicans had initially hoped to break the Democrats' supermajority in the upper chamber by knocking off five incumbents, known as their "Drive for Five" plan. Though they did make a net gain of one seat, they came short of their goal. Three seats switched hands: District 9 in Carroll and Howard counties flipped from Republican to Democratic while District 38 in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties and District 42 in Baltimore County both flipped from Democrats to Republicans.
The Maryland Senate had been in Democratic hands since the elections of 1900. Despite Governor Larry Hogan's success in his gubernatorial race at the top of the ticket, nobody expected Republicans to come close to recapturing the majority. In terms of popular vote, Maryland's Republican Senate candidates performed significantly worse than they previously had in 2014.
Summary
Closest races
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:Retiring incumbents
Democrats
- District 12: Edward J. Kasemeyer retired.
- District 18: Richard Madaleno retired to run for governor.
- District 19: Roger Manno retired to run for Congress in Maryland's 6th congressional district.
- District 25: Ulysses Currie retired.
- District 26: C. Anthony Muse retired to run for Prince George's County Executive.
- District 30: John Astle retired to run for mayor of Annapolis in 2017.
- District 31: James E. DeGrange Sr. retired.
- District 42: James Brochin retired to run for Baltimore County Executive.
- District 47: Victor R. Ramirez retired to run for Prince George's County State's Attorney.
Republicans
- District 35: Linda Norman retired.
Incumbents defeated
In primary elections
Democrats
- District 28: Thomas M. Middleton lost renomination to Arthur Ellis.
- District 40: Barbara A. Robinson lost renomination to Antonio Hayes.
- District 43: Joan Carter Conway lost renomination to Mary L. Washington.
- District 45: Nathaniel J. McFadden lost renomination to Cory McCray.
Republicans
- District 29: Stephen Waugh lost renomination to Jack Bailey.
In the general elections
Democrats
- District 38: James N. Mathias Jr. lost to Mary Beth Carozza.
Republicans
- District 9: Gail H. Bates lost to Katie Fry Hester.