The 2000 United States Senate election in Maryland was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes won re-election to a fifth term.
Candidates
Democratic
Paul Sarbanes, incumbent U.S. Senator first elected in 1976
Republican
Paul Rappaport, former Howard County police chief and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1994[1][2]
Campaign
Rappaport won the Republican primary against S. Rob Sobhani, Ross Zimmerman Pierpont, Robin Ficker, Kenneth R. Timmerman, Kenneth Wayman and John Stafford[3] through a grassroots movement with a plurality of just 23%.[4] Rappaport, a major underdog, pushed for three debates. The four term incumbent actually agreed to one debate on October 26.[5]