It’s something of a miracle that Democratic state Sen. Jim Brochin has held onto this district, which stretches from the Baltimore City line to the Pennsylvania line. It was purposely drawn to shore up other Senate Democrats at his expense. Thus, his decision this year to run instead for county executive created a big opportunity for the GOP, and they are taking advantage of it with a stellar candidate in Del. Chris West. Mr. West, an attorney, made an immediate impact in Annapolis four years ago with his intellect, work ethic and willingness to build coalitions across party lines. Two of the most important things that happened in Annapolis during the last four years were the Justice Reinvestment Act and the effort this year to save the Affordable Care Act in Maryland by adopting policies that led to reduced rates on the Obamacare exchange. Mr. West was right in the middle of both of them, helping to broker the key deals that enabled them to move forward. This district has become accustomed to a senator who is both pro-business and pro-environment, and Mr. West boasts an 80 percent lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters and a 95 percent lifetime rating from Maryland Business for Responsive Government. We'd be shocked if anyone comes close to that feat. His opponent, Democrat Robbie Leonard, is an appealing candidate who has sought to emulate Mr. Brochin’s retail politics recipe for success. He is willing to take some courageous positions — for example, advocating for non-partisan redistricting reform in Maryland whether other states join in or not, something his party’s leadership opposes. But we haven’t for a moment regretted our decision four years ago to endorse Mr. West over Mr. Leonard, and we are happy to do it again.