Maryland lawmakers debate tax and fee package. Some Democrats worry it may cost party the US Senate

By BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A push for a revenue package that includes hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes and fees in the Maryland General Assembly is raising concerns among some leading Democrats. That’s because Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan has made the race for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat unusually competitive in the heavily Democratic state. Raising the stakes, wary Maryland Democrats point out that the race could determine who controls the Senate at a time when the state will be relying on federal support to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. Democrats hold a tenuous 51-49 majority in the U.S. Senate.