Brian Frydenborg

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Brian Frydenborg

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 14, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Washington and Lee University, 2004

Graduate

George Mason University, 2011

Other

Peace Operations Training Institute, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Greenwich, Conn.

Religion

Humanist

Profession

Journalist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

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Brian Frydenborg (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maryland. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 14, 2024.

Frydenborg completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Brian Frydenborg was born in Greenwich, Connecticut. He earned a bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University in 2004, a graduate degree from George Mason University in 2011, and completed his education with the Peace Operations Training Institute in 2011. His career experience includes working in journalism, consulting, writing and editing, humanitarian aid, international development, and acting. He has been affiliated with his news site, Real Context News.

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Maryland, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Maryland on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Alsobrooks (D)	54.6	1,650,912
		Larry Hogan (R)	42.8	1,294,344
		Mike Scott (L)	2.3	69,396
	Submit photo	Patrick Burke (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	879
		Billy Bridges (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	70
	Submit photo	Robin Rowe (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	17
	Submit photo	Christy Helmondollar (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	3
	Submit photo	Irwin Gibbs (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)	0.0	2
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	5,755

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,021,378
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Moshe Landman (G)
• Nancy Wallace (G)
• Shaunesi Deberry (Independent)
• Keith Packer (No Party Affiliation)
• Emmanuel Osuchukwu (Independent)
• Michael Sigmon (Progressive Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Angela Alsobrooks	53.4	357,052
		David Trone	42.8	286,381
		Joseph Perez	0.7	4,688
		Michael Cobb Sr.	0.7	4,524
		Brian Frydenborg	0.5	3,635
		Scottie Griffin	0.5	3,579
		Marcellus Crews	0.5	3,379
		Andrew Wildman	0.3	2,198
		Robert Houton	0.3	1,946
		Steven Seuferer	0.2	1,664

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 669,046
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Juan Dominguez (D)
• William Jawando (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry Hogan	64.2	183,661
		Robin Ficker	27.8	79,517
		Chris Chaffee	3.2	9,134
		Lorie Friend	2.1	5,867
		John Myrick	1.7	4,987
		Moe Barakat	0.8	2,203
		Laban Seyoum	0.3	782

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 286,151
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Teichert (R)
• Christopher Puleo (R)
• Ray Bly (R)
• John Thormann (R)

Endorsements

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Frydenborg received the following endorsements.

• Center for Freethought Equality

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brian Frydenborg completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Frydenborg's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Lifelong liberal Democrat who has been pleased to call Maryland home for over three years now. I am a respected geopolitical and policy analyst who has worked many years as a freelance journalist, writer, editor, and consultant, including while living over five years in the Middle East. Some of my most notable jobs have been consulting for a USAID project in Jordan and another consultancy with a local Jordanian NGO, as well a project each with the U.S. Department of Education and, most recently, a U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women project. Biden wrote that office into law himself, a reminder of policy expertise and legislation being at the heart of what it means to be an exceptional U.S. senator. I even interned in Biden’s Washington Senate office back in 2006. That is part of over two decades of substantive academic and professional experience in the policy and political realms, including international policy as well as domestic. Ben Cardin was a leader on both fronts and, as the only candidate with as much foreign policy experience as I have and by far, I will be, too. Expect more detailed policy proposals from me than any other candidate.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We face serious challenges not only from without, but within: make no mistake about it, Trumpist MAGA Republicans are a fascist, racist personality cult, willing to gaslight and engage in violent insurrections and coup attempts to destroy American democracy to preserve or extend their power. We must stand up to them and defend democracy and the most vulnerable whose were so deeply harmed by Trump’s policies and those of his supporters. But whenever we can find common ground, especially with the Adam Kinzingers and Asa Hutchinsons who are still operating in Republican politics, we must work with Republicans to achieve results when possible, as Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi have demonstrated repeatedly in face of mockery.
• I bring over two decades of domestic and foreign policy expertise to the table, the only candidate with significant foreign affairs experience, something any successor to the great Ben Cardin should possess. Cardin worked in a bipartisan manner to pass the landmark human rights Magnitsky legislation, giving the U.S. unprecedented power to punish human rights abusers within foreign governments. This legislation was so effective that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his agents attempted to collude with the Trump campaign back in 2016 to undermine the effectiveness of these sanctions. Cardin was strong on supporting Ukraine, as am I, with my analysis being praised even by a top advisor to Zelensky.
• As Democrats, we have to embrace what brought us success in 2018 midterms, the 2020 presidential election, and in a historic gain in the Senate and holding most of our ground in House in the 2022 midterms: maintaining a practical agenda designed to produce results and huge portions of the American electorate. At a time when Republicans are increasingly ideologically extreme, now is not the to shrink the big tent of the Democratic Party or to narrow our appeal by veering into ideological extremes in turn. For example, it’s pretty wild we still have a Democratic Senator in West Virginia, which voted for Trump by nearly 40 points in 2020. As a liberal Democrats, I disagree with Sen. Manchin on much but attacking him does not help our cause.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Unfair question, because pretty much all of them. I've always care about foreign policy deeply because America, even for its many flaws/mistakes, has been a force for good in the world on a level no other nation has been in human history, even today, from the impact of George W. Bush’s PEPFAR program in reducing AIDS in Africa to USAID empowering women in the Middle East. But we are only as strong as our example at home, so I also care deeply about preserving democracy against fascism, having strong schools for all our kids regardless of poverty or race, protecting the bodies of women from government control or sexual assault and domestic violence, ensuring families have enough food, ensuring our economy is working for all our citizens not just a wealthy few, making sure our infrastructure is worthy of our ambitions, making sure our defense industry’s waste is curbed even while ensuring technical dominance and production capacity will increase while caring for our veterns, ensuring systemic racism/criminal justice reform are properly dealt with so that we do not defund the police but reform and retrain the police to recognize that, yes, Black Lives Matter, to make sure Congress actually legislates a solution to our immigration crisis, to keep our children safe from Big Tech, to ensure our cyberdefenses are worthy of the 21st century, to expand Medicaid, to increase Social Security viability by ending caps on FICA taxes, and I will have specific, detailed policies these all

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Many people, but today, especially Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Cardin, Jamie Raskin, and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

So many, but Hamilton to be sure, Gettysburg (Chamberlain's speeches and discussions), The Thin Red Line, The Oxford Very Short Introduction to Kant, Why Orwell Matters and Homage to Catalonia, Letters to a Young Contrarian, Federalist Papers, and the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, Rome and the Barbarians, King Leopold's Ghost, Michael Collins

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Passion for helping people and knowing the issues, having actual policies that can work and help people, and a focus on progress. In addition, intellectual curiosity, knowing American and world history, perseverance, eloquence, flexibility, and the ability to listen to and work with a wide variety of people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Passion for making a different and two decades of studying, writing about, or working in public public, politics, and international affairs. Deep knowledge of U.S. history, excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and that I am already putting out far more detailed plans than any of my competitors.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Help constituents, help all Americans, pursue justice, and defend democracy at home and abroad.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Helping a lot of people a lot, defending democracy, facing down fascism and extremism, and honoring Ben Cardin's legacy.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Challenger space shuttle exploding

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Working a summer in high school for Barnes and Noble. I love books!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Unlike most of my opponents and like many of my fellow Marylanders, I have struggled financially well into adulthood, so I appreciate your struggles in more personal ways and am here to always be on your side.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Domestic extremism.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I'm open to the idea but it's still the voters who decide each election and some of the best senators had long careers so for now I am not for them.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Its small number of office-holders, its rules, its equality for all states, and its relatively long terms.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Absolutely. Experience always matters!

What do you think of the filibuster?

It should be used to block extreme legislation and to help build consensus, not used to block any legislation by a minority intent on obstructionists, which is exactly how Republicans are abusing it today.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ben Cardin, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

Like any nominee for anything: on relevant experience, character, and that they are not extremists

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

One focused on results for the American people and protecting democracy.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

It depends, but often yes. Something is better than nothing. You can still fight for your beliefs and end up compromising. But there are some on the far left that view compromising as selling out and that is often not a fair criticism, often there was no realistic chance to get votes from more moderate members of congress who live in swing districts and do not have the same level of public support in their districts for more liberal Democratic policy ideas. My philosophy is do as much as possible that can actually pass Congress, both the House and the Senate, fight like hell and take what you can get in the end. And hope to revisit and go farther after winning more seats for Democrats!

How should the U.S. Senate use its investigative powers?

To protect our people, our nation, our allies, and democracy and to ensure justice, fairness, and opportunity for all Americans. And especially to hold powerful to account when they abuse your power. No one is above the law, even Donald Trump!

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None yet

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees to their Cabinet?

Relevant experience and expertise, character, and that they are not extremists but practical.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Brian Frydenborg campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. Senate Maryland	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

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Footnotes

[show]

Maryland's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Angela Alsobrooks (D)

Chris Hollen (D)

Representatives

District 1

Andrew Harris (R)

District 2

John Olszewski (D)

District 3

Sarah Elfreth (D)

District 4

Glenn Ivey (D)

District 5

Steny Hoyer (D)

District 6

April McClain-Delaney (D)

District 7

Kweisi Mfume (D)

District 8

Jamie Raskin (D)

Democratic Party (9)

Republican Party (1)