One doesn't need to be a particularly big fan of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) to smell a rat, and the stench of a media-driven one is definitely in the air in the state's closely-watched Senate race.

As RedState previously reported, Hogan easily won the GOP Senate primary Tuesday, as expected. What was surprising to seasoned political observers about what happened in the Maryland primaries was seeing Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks defeat Rep. David Trone for the Democratic nomination.

Trone had been polling well ahead of Alsobrooks as recently as a month ago and had poured over $60 million of his own money into the race. But it was a series of colossal (and costly) blunders including uttering a racial slur (which he later claimed was an accident) at Shalanda Young, a black Biden administration official, during an April House hearing that in all probability ultimately did him in.

READ MORE-->> Oops: Dem Contender in Maryland Senate Race Finds Out After Uttering Racial Slur at Biden Admin Official

Because the road to Senate control may run through Maryland, the Democrat-compliant mainstream media's talking points have already gone out, with Politico, for example, proclaiming that Hogan "is standing between Alsobrooks and history" (Alsobrooks is black):

If only that mean Larry Hogan would just step aside and give her the Senate seat, then history could be made pic.twitter.com/cN6d4KMgc5

— Jeremy Hughes (@jeremybhughes) May 15, 2024

The headline has been updated since to read "Angela Alsobrooks won a messy Senate primary. Now she takes on Larry Hogan." The fretting about Senate control was also apparent:

Republicans haven’t won a Senate seat in the deep-blue state in more than four decades, but Hogan’s presence turns a normally safe seat into a competitive battleground that will siphon crucial party resources. That could affect Democrats’ attempt to maintain their tenuous control of the Senate, as every dollar spent in Maryland is one not spent defending vulnerable incumbents in several other key states.

Over at the National Journal Hotline, we were informed that Hogan and Alsobrooks don't look alike, which allegedly could be a big problem for Hogan even though he's already shown he can win statewide races in deep-blue Maryland:

With Alsobrooks winning the Democratic nomination, Hogan will face a candidate that represents everything he is not.
My latest analysis for @njhotline: pic.twitter.com/1wJna2FfWJ

— Hannah Thacker (@HannahPThacker) May 15, 2024

Last but not least was the Baltimore Sun's editorial board declaring that an Alsobrooks victory in the Maryland Senate race would, in their view, be good in part because "maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t hurt to represent social progress either."

Though Hogan will likely face an uphill battle in the general election race, it's a shame that so much emphasis is already being put on color (and sex) and "making history" over where they stand on the issues. 

This is an emphasis that will loom even larger if Hogan fails to distinguish himself in some meaningful way from Alsobrooks, especially when it comes to the independent and Democratic voters who he's already set about courting.

Flashback:Larry Hogan Says the GOP Should Avoid 'Unelectable' Candidates and I Have Thoughts