2012Final results
2012 election for U.S. Senate in Maryland
U.S. Senate · Maryland
Benjamin L. Cardin (D) won with 56.0% of the vote, defeating Daniel John Bongino (R) by 29.6 points.
Benjamin L. CardinDemocrat · winner
56.0%1,474,028
Daniel John BonginoRepublican
26.3%693,291
S. Rob SobhaniIndependent
16.4%430,934
Dean AhmadLibertarian
1.2%32,252
2,633,234 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2012
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Benjamin L. CardinDaniel John Bongino
$5.6M
Raised by the campaign
$1.8M
$5.3M
Spent by the campaign
$1.8M
$726.9K
Cash on hand
$58.8K
Other candidates' campaigns: S. Rob Sobhani $8.1M · Dean Ahmad $15.7K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2012.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2012
The candidates
Benjamin L. Cardin (D)Daniel John Bongino (R)S. Rob Sobhani (I)
Also on the ballot: Dean Ahmad (Libertarian), 1.2%