The Maryland State Board of Elections will meet this afternoon to certify the results of the state's November 8 midterm elections, so the results should be official by about 3:00.

Tom's guest for the hour today is Sen. Chris Van Hollen. The Democrat from Montgomery County won a resounding victory on November 8, being re-elected to a second term and besting his Republican challenger, Chris Chaffee, by about 30 points.

Sen. Van Hollen’s margin of victory was slightly larger than that of Governor-elect Wes Moore, who also garnered sizeable support in reliably Republican districts throughout the state. What does an electoral result like this mean, in terms of the mandate the Senator and his fellow Democrats have been given, as he returns to a Capitol Hill that will be markedly different than it’s been during his first term?

Republicans will control the House and House Democrats will have new leadership. Democrats still control the Senate, and their majority could be increased by one, if Sen. Raphael Warnock is able to hold off a challenge in the Georgia runoff race with the Republican nominee, Herschel Walker.

Senator Chris Van Hollen joins us on Zoom from his office on Capitol Hill.

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