Alsobrooks defeats Hogan in Maryland Senate race

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) defeated former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in the Maryland Senate race, keeping a Democratic seat in party hands, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.

She will replace Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who is stepping away after three terms in the upper chamber and 40 years combined in the House and the state House of Delegates.

Alsobrooks and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who was favored to win her race to replace Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), will be the only Black women in the Senate.

Much like most years in Maryland, politicos widely expected the Democratic primary to determine who would succeed Cardin. That all changed when Hogan, the popular two-term governor, filed to run for the seat hours before the filing deadline, ensuring the general election would matter.

Perhaps more than anything, Hogan’s decision meant Democrats would be forced to spend precious resources in the deep blue state that could otherwise be spent to prop up a number of key incumbents in red and purple states.

According to AdImpact, Democrats ended up spending more than $30 million in the Old Line State.

Despite Hogan’s sudden entrance into the race, Democrats saw a clear path to victory for Alsobrooks. While voters still viewed Hogan positively, they consistently thought it was important that Democrats control the Senate.

This led Alsobrooks and Democrats to consistently argue Hogan would be a rubber stamp for GOP leadership and that a vote for him would put polarizing Republicans, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), in charge of key committees.

She also repeatedly pointed to the vocal support and encouragement Hogan received from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) when he was considering a run. McConnell also pushed Hogan to run in 2022 against Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), which he decided against.

“The fact of the matter is, if he wanted to be an independent, he should have run as one,” Alsobrooks said during their lone debate, adding that Hogan “gladly put on the [GOP] jersey” this year with his run. “When Mitch McConnell called him, he put the jersey on. … He ran into the game.”

Hogan tried to consistently frame himself as a true moderate, having declared he would not support any nominee who does not garner bipartisan support.

He also found himself in a campaign-long battle over abortion, saying he supports codifying Roe v. Wade. He also dubbed himself “pro-choice” during the spring.

Alsobrooks and Democrats consistently sought to undercut that and press that he was only doing that now to win votes from the left and middle. They also pointed to actions he took as governor, including his veto of a bill to allow nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants to provide abortions.

The Democratic-controlled state Legislature overrode the veto, which Hogan issued due to worries about nondoctors providing that care.

“The fact of the matter is, when the former governor had an opportunity to stand up for the women of Maryland, he didn’t,” Alsobrooks said during the debate. “I believe it when he says he’s had a change of heart. … The fact of the matter is, there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate.”

Alsobrooks also found herself on the back foot during parts of the campaign, specifically after a report emerged that she claimed a homestead tax exemption for more than a decade on a rental property. The exemption is only supposed to be applicable to one’s primary residence.

She also claimed a tax break aimed at helping senior citizens at her home in Washington, which allowed her to cut her taxes in half. Alsobrooks said the home in Washington was owned by her grandmother and that the tax credit was still in place when she assumed the mortgage, adding that she never applied for it.

She maintained she has paid back the tax credit and is still paying off the interest.

GOP outside groups consistently ran ads on the tax credits, arguing she could not be trusted.

Alsobrooks nabbed the Democratic nomination after a bruising campaign against Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), who spent more than $60 million on the primary alone. She had much of the Democratic machinery in her corner, however, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Van Hollen.