Unsettled Races Give Maryland Votes Added Weight

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—For the first time in decades, unsettled races are giving Maryland votes added weight.

Alex DeMetrick has more on how the Maryland Primary could be a game changer.

Hillary Clinton brought her race to Maryland on Sunday.

"I need your help on April 26th, here in Baltimore and across Maryland," Clinton said during an announcement in Baltimore.

The Sanders campaign for the Democratic nomination took a stroll through Baltimore before Christmas. He might want to come back.

"This is a place where the candidates who aren't the front runners can pick up delegates and make it more valuable to them," said Matthew Crenson.

Matthew Crenson is a political scientist at Hopkins, he says Maryland is unusually important this year.

"Bigger this year than any time since 1984, which is the last time the democratic nomination was still up in the air when the Maryland primary occurred," he said.

Clinton holds the delegate lead over Sanders with 118 up for grabs in Maryland.

A win takes over 2,300 delegates.

On the Republican side Donald Trump leads Ted Cruz, with 38 Maryland delegates at stake.

To win the nomination takes over 1,200 delegates.

"Any candidate for president who gets more than 15-percent of the vote in a district, is entitled to at least some of the delegates in that district," said Crenson.

While Maryland's vote is more important this year, don't expect a lot of attention election night.

"It's going to be overshadowed by Pennsylvania, which holds the primary on the same day and it's a winner take all state," says Crenson.

But the delegate scramble still makes Maryland a player.

Ohio Governor John Kasich has announced that he will make a campaign stop in Howard County on Wednesday.

It's not known if Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz plan to make a campaign stop in Maryland.