MARYLAND (DC News Now) -- Larry Hogan was a very popular governor of Maryland. So why do polls show him trailing, if only by single digits, in the race for U.S. Senate this fall? One campaign analyst thinks that Marylanders really like Larry Hogan, but only as their governor. Candidates for Congress from Maryland’s 6th District present views at candidate forum Jacob Rubashkin is deputy editor of Inside Elections, a nonpartisan newsletter covering campaigns. "The thing about Hogan is that he's incredibly popular and he started this race as probably the most popular politician in the state of Maryland," he said. "Maryland is an incredibly democratic state and we know that, at the federal level, partisanship of the state determines much of the outcome. So even though Hogan has successfully made this race competitive and interesting, he's still clearly the underdog against Alsobrooks with three weeks to go until Election Day." John Ashford is president and CEO of the Hawthorn Group and tracks campaigns to advise corporate boardrooms on their political action strategies. He is on the same page as Rubashkin. "Governor Hogan was elected twice," Ashford said. "But Wes Moore beat Dan Cox by 32 points two years ago [in the governor's race]. It's a tough state in which to run as a Republican."