U.S. Reps. Christopher Van Hollen, Elijah Cummings and Albert R. Wynn

If Mikulski retires, look for all three of these congressmen to take a look at her Senate seat. They all looked at running for Sarbanes’ seat, but decided against it. Van Hollen, a ferocious campaigner from Montgomery County, seems like an early favorite, and there is some discussion that he would have defeated Cardin and Mfume in this year’s primary.

Cummings of Baltimore and Wynn of Prince George’s County, both prominent African Americans, are also viewed as potential statewide candidates. Wynn’s razor-thin primary victory over Donna F. Edwards, however, may have been too damaging for him to run statewide.