Maryland Democrats chose Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks as the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s primary election. It sets up a fall race against former Gov. Larry Hogan, who easily won the Republican nomination. Hogan’s presence gives the party its best chance to win a Senate seat in Maryland for the first time since 1980. Democrats almost certainly must win in November to keep the party’s slim majority in the body.
Incumbent Ben Cardin, 80, announced he would not seek a fourth term in office last year. That set off a scramble within the Democratic party to replace him, and Alsobrooks and Trone quickly rose to the top of the list. It was expected the winner of their clash would coast to the seat in the fall election. But on Feb. 9, the last day of candidate filing for the primary, Hogan announced he would seek the Republican nomination after consulting with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and former President George W. Bush. The 67-year-old popular two-term governor, portrayed as a moderate in large part because of his criticisms of former President Donald Trump, had previously shown no interest in the Senate race, instead making noise about a potential presidential run.
Alsobrooks is in her second term as county executive of Prince George’s County in the Washington D.C. suburbs. She previously served as state’s attorney in the county, which is the second largest by population in the state, with close to one million residents. If elected, the 52-year-old Alsobrooks would be only the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate, and the first from Maryland. She had the backing of most of the state’s Democratic establishment, including Gov. Wes Moore.
“I had an opportunity to speak with Congressman Trone,” Alsobrooks told her supporters in Greenbelt. “I thank him so much for his call and we are united in our focus to keep the Senate blue, and I am so grateful to have his support.” She then acknowledged the history of her victory. ““We have made history, and we have done so overcoming steep odds. So for anyone, hear me, who has ever felt counted out, overlooked, and underestimated…I hope you understand and share this moment and know…the impossible is still possible.” Alsobrooks ended up with nearly 54% of the vote with just a handful of precincts yet to report as of 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Trone is in his third term in Congress representing Maryland’s 6th district, which comprises the westernmost part of the state. The 68 year old is the co-founder of the national liquor store chain Total Wine and More. His wealth from that allowed him to mostly self-fund his campaign, spending over $60 million of his own money. As Trone conceded Tuesday night in Baltimore, he urged his supporters to move forward by backing Alsobrooks and re-electing President Joe Biden. “We cannot let the party of Trump take our Senate,” he said. “We can't let them take our country.”
Hogan easily won the GOP primary with over 60% of the vote. The only other candidate with double-digit support was Robin Ficker, a perennial candidate and disbarred attorney best known for his days as a heckling fan at Washington Bullets (now Wizards) games at the Capital Center in Landover.
“Like you, I am completely fed-up with politics-as-usual in Washington where the politicians — on both sides — seem to be more interested in attacking each other than in actually getting anything done for the people they represent,” Hogan told supporters on primary night in Annapolis. “I don’t come from the performative arts school of politics. I come from the get-to-work and get things done school, and I'll work with anyone who wants to do the people's business. Most Marylanders and most Americans prefer straight talk to empty rhetoric and they think it’s time for less talk and more action.”
Polls had shown a tight race, with Hogan benefitting from his statewide name recognition and popularity as Governor. But the most recent polls done this month — from Public Policy Polling and Emerson College — show Hogan trailing Alsobrooks. The PPP poll had her winning 46 to 37 percent with 17 percent undecided, and the Emerson College poll had Alsobrooks up 48 to 38 percent with 14 percent undecided.
Charles Mathias is the last Republican to win a U.S. Senate race in Maryland, winning his third and final term in 1980. The closest the party has come to winning this century was in 2006, when Cardin won his first term by defeating then Lieutenant Governor and future Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele 54 to 44 percent.
WYPR's Rachel Baye and Scott Maucione also contributed to this story.
