Angela Alsobrooks Beats Larry Hogan in Maryland US Senate Race

(Left) Maryland Democratic Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks speaks at an event in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. (Right) Maryland Governor Larry Hogan holds a news conference in Annapolis, Md., on Aug. 5, 2021. Chip Somodevilla, Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In Maryland, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, defeated former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on Nov. 5, keeping the seat blue as Democrats seek to hold their edge in the Senate, projected The Associated Press.

With her win, Alsobrooks will become the first black senator from the former slave state and Maryland’s first female senator since Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). She takes office on Jan. 3, 2025.

While the GOP is expected to take back the Senate, Republicans saw Hogan as making the race competitive.

More than $39 million was poured into the contest, according to the Federal Election Commission. As of Oct. 16, Alsobrooks raised more than $28 million, while Hogan raised almost $11 million.

Hogan touted his willingness to stand up to Democrats and Republicans and reiterated his staunch criticism of former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.

“One voice standing up can make a difference. And I don’t think we need more partisan politicians who are going to be rubber stamps for their party,” said Hogan during the Oct. 10 debate with Alsobrooks, their only meeting.

“What we need are people that are willing to stand up and work with both parties or to criticize both parties when they’re wrong.”

Nonetheless, Trump endorsed Hogan.

“I’d like to see him win,” Trump told Fox News in June. “I think he has a good chance to win. And we’ve got to take the majority.”

Hogan declined Trump’s endorsement.

“I didn’t seek it, I didn’t want to have it, and I have no interest in it. It’s not something we’re going to be promoting, that’s for sure,” he told WTOP, a radio station in Washington.

“In a state that Donald Trump lost by 33 points, it doesn’t really carry a lot of voters over to our cause,” he said.

Hogan said he will not vote for Trump or Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Neither one of the two candidates has earned my vote, and the voters in the country are going to be able to make that decision,” he told CBS' “Face the Nation” in September.

Alsobrooks has been the executive of Prince George’s County, just outside Washington, since 2018 as the first woman in that role and Maryland’s first black female county executive. She previously was the top prosecutor in the county.

In May, she become the Democrat nominee for Senate after defeating Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), who mostly self-financed his own campaign, putting in more than $62 million.

Alsobrooks has expressed support for Harris and the Democrat agenda and spoke in August at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

During the debate, Hogan and Alsobrooks agreed on the issues of abortion and guns. The two called for codifying the overturned Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and for a national so-called assault weapons ban.

However, the two disagreed on the issues of inflation and Israel.

Regarding the former, Hogan blames reckless spending by both parties, while Alsobrooks blamed what she said is corporate greed.

Alsobrooks also said that while Israel has a right to defend itself, there needs to be a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group. Hogan unequivocally expressed support for the Mideast country.

“I don’t think you can try to walk down the middle on this issue,” he said.

Finally, Alsobrooks has called for abolishing or reforming the filibuster, which requires 60 votes in the Senate to overcome. Alsobrooks called the procedural maneuver “destructive.” Hogan said it should be preserved in the name of bipartisanship.