And don't think this hasn't registered with the major factions in the Democratic Party.
Manning may be an unstable freak and convicted felon, but he will have backers with money and campaign experience, and enough of a base of hard-left anti-American nihilists to make the primary race interesting.
And what if, by some miracle, Manning wins the primary? Does Maryland have a "sore loser law" that would prevent Cardin from running as an independent?
Does the GOP have candidates willing and capable of being other than the usual sacrifical lambs in Maryland?
It would not be wise to underestimate Manning--not the man, but those who would use him. He might be wholly unsuitable to serve, but not wholly incapable of being elected.
We can only hope.
Ben Cardin has always tried to run as a relative "centrist" (his campaign slogan for 2012 was "My Friend Ben") -- somebody backing Manning could really leverage this...
The big "IF" is if the "LGBT" lobby gets behind Manning. If they do, then it could be an interesting primary season.