Since Vice-President Kamala Harris began running for president, the Democratic party has enjoyed a jumpstart of enthusiasm.
Democratic candidates in Maryland say they are feeling it too.
Harris raised more than $300 million in July and she and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are attracting huge crowds.
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, the Democratic nominee running for Maryland’s second congressional district, said since Harris began running for president, his campaign has been flooded with people who want to volunteer.
Olszewski said, “People have really just reached out and said, ‘not only are we excited about what you’re doing, but also we want to help the top of the ticket and the U-S Senate race as well.’”
According to Asa Leventhal, Olszewski’s campaign manager, they had three times as many volunteers last week than in any week in July, and almost half of them were knocking on doors for the first time.
Leventhal would not say if the campaign has seen a boost in campaign donations as well.
Olszewski’s Republican opponent, Kim Klacik, did not return a call requesting comment.
Gina Ford, a spokesperson for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks, said they’ve had more than 15,000 new volunteers sign up since Harris topped the party’s ticket.
“They're committed to making sure we hold our Democratic majority in the Senate and send Kamala Harris to the White House,” Ford said in a statement.
In a July 23 interview with WYPR, Alsobrooks said the response to the Harris candidacy “has been electric.”
Alsobrooks said, “I think turnout is going to grow exponentially.”
The campaign for Alsobrooks’ Republican opponent, former Gov. Larry Hogan, did not return requests for comment.
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, a Republican who represents Perry Hall and Middle River, said he is seeing people on both sides “supercharged” about the Senate race.
“Governor Hogan is still enormously popular in areas that I represent,” Marks said. “There are a lot of independents who like his appeal.”