Most incumbents look safe in Maryland congressional races Instead of seeking an 11th term in a familiar, mostly rural area that had been safe for years, Bartlett, 86, found himself fighting uphill on turf that dips into Washington's suburbs and gives Democrats a numerical edge. Analysts called him perhaps the nation's most vulnerable Republican. Also of interest was the campaign for U.S. Senate, although polls suggested that Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) would win with ease. But Republican challenger Daniel J. Bongino sought to fend off a third place finish behind S. Rob Sobhani, a former Republican candidate who used his private fortune to power an independent campaign for the Senate. Elsewhere, most of the state's congressional delegation was expected to coast to reelection. In the 3rd District, Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes was expected to win reelection easily against Republican Eric D. Knowles and Libertarian Paul W. Drgos Jr. In the 4th District, Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D), who has acquired a reputation for bucking her party on issues such as the expansion of gambling, was considered a heavy favorite against Republican Faith M. Loudoun and Libertarian Scott Soffen. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D), dean of the state's delegation and its longest-serving member of Congress, was expected to sail to another term representing the 5th District, where he faced Del. Anthony J. O'Donnell (D), who is the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and two other challengers. In the 8th District, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, 53, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, was expected to dispatch Republican Ken Timmerman and two other challengers in Van Hollen's bid for a sixth term. But the most closely watched race pitted Delaney, a businessman from Potomac, against Bartlett in a district now stuffed with Montgomery County Democrats. With the intensity that helped him build two financial firms, Delaney first pulled off an upset victory over a primary candidate favored by Maryland's Democratic power brokers. Then he put on a steady, well-organized campaign that depicted Bartlett as out of touch and out of gas. Bartlett, 86, whose career has been as varied as it has been long, has held the Western Maryland seat for 20 years with little fuss. His mantra has been less government, whether discussing health care, education or defense. Bartlett positioned himself as a traditional conservative. He argued that Americans were taxed enough and that federal spending had spun out of control. He was critical of foreign wars to protect the oil supply. He said he would repeal Obamacare, except for some likable provisions, and replace it with tax-exempt medical accounts. Delaney cast himself as a moderate Democrat whose ability to cut a deal in the world of finance would help him reach across the aisle in Congress. Delaney, chairman and a co-founder of Chevy Chase-based CapitalSource, called for using equal doses of government intervention and private innovation to revive the economy. When Delaney talked about overhauling the economy, he sounded like someone who knows markets and trusts them, referring to himself as a "capitalist" in a debate in Hagerstown. But he reminded voters that his path to becoming a multimillionaire began in the New Jersey home of an electrician whose union had put Delaney through college. Delaney also spent a lot of his own money. On Oct. 31, he kicked in an additional 250,000. That came just five days after he added $136,750. All together, Delaney lent his campaign $2.1 million. His entire campaign raised nearly $3.6 million. Bartlett, meanwhile, raised a little more than $1.1 million. Bartlett kicked in nothing himself. Bartlett took his time deciding whether he would fight or quit after redistricting made his district competitive, and critics said he was slow to fire up social media or build a grass-roots campaign. Bartlett was also prone to speak his mind, whether in a refreshing burst of candor or in a widely reported gaffe. He might talk about the nation's need to wean itself from oil dependence. Or he might suggest that government-backed student loans were on a slippery slope to fascism - a remark for which he later apologized. But Delaney's race might have received its biggest boost in Annapolis when state lawmakers approved the new redistricting plan. Under the new configuration, the 6th District has 192,820 Democrats, 145,620 Republicans and 98,654 unaffiliated or third-party voters.