OWINGS MILLS, Maryland. – In the first and only debate of an unusually competitive Maryland Senate race on Thursday, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and former governor Larry Hogan argued over the issue of abortion and whether they should better represent the deep blue state. A staunch Democrat or an anti-Donald Trump Republican.
Hogan distanced himself from the former president and current presidential candidate of the Republican Party, presenting himself as willing to put “the country above the party”. He emphasized his support for codifying federal abortion protections and argued that Maryland could fight back against growing partisanship by electing “strong, independent leaders.”
Alsobrooks rejected that picture, arguing that a vote for Hogan would mean a vote for the Senate's Republican majority, which would threaten abortion rights and support for Ukraine. And when asked where he differed from those within his party, he declared: “I support the democratic agenda.”
The battle over abortion rights has taken center stage, with campaign ads echoing on airwaves across the state. Throughout the debate, which was moderated by NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd and three speakers – Deborah Weiner, anchor at NBC affiliate WBAL in Baltimore; NBC Washington investigative reporter Tracy Wilkins; and Maryland Public Television anchor Jeff Salkin – Hogan pledged to support a bill to codify abortion protections as his “first” priority in the Senate and called attacks against him on the issue “insulting.”
“You won’t hear anything but red versus blue. I care a lot more about red, white and blue,” Hogan said. “When I ran for governor, I promised to support women’s access to abortion and I kept that promise for eight years.”
But Alsobrooks said Marylanders need look no further than the “R” listed next to Hogan’s name on the ballot.
“The problem he will have is that his team doesn’t agree with him,” he said. “The Republican Party has declared war on women’s reproductive freedom, on contraception, on in vitro fertilization. The truth is that Roe will not have a vote if it gives the Republicans a majority.”
Hogan, a popular two-term former governor, drew on his history with state voters in the race. He is well ahead of the state's overall Republicans as he seeks to become the first Republican to represent Maryland in the Senate since the 1980s.
But Alsobrooks — backed by prominent Democrats in Maryland like Gov. Wes Moore and nationally like former President Barack Obama — continues to lead in opinion polls in a race that Democrats must win to have any chance of holding the Senate. next year. He is eager to become Maryland's first black senator.
National Democrats and Republicans have invested millions in the race in places that don't typically see competitive statewide races — with Joe Biden winning Maryland by 33 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election.
In September alone, Alsobrooks' campaign and its Democratic allies spent $13 million on campaign ads, according to tracking firm AdImpact. Over the same period, Hogan's campaign and the Republican Party spent $8 million on advertising.
In just the first 10 days of this month, Democrats have already spent $5.5 million on advertising, while Republicans have spent more than $8 million.
Both candidates largely agree that the Supreme Court has become highly politicized. But Hogan, who criticized the hour in the 2020 confirmation process for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, sidestepped whether she would have voted to confirm Barrett or Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed by just one vote, another Trump appointee.
“I wasn’t there and I don’t know how I would have voted,” he said.
Alsobrooks, for his part, said he supports changes to the Supreme Court. “I am very worried about this Supreme Court. I think they no longer represent the will of the people,” he said, adding that he supports “either” term limits for judges or the expansion of courts.
Hogan criticized Alsobrooks and “both sides” of the aisle for “trying to change the rules so they can pack the court.”
“If you can’t get a person to go through and vote for a Democrat or a Republican judge, I’m not going to support them,” Hogan said.
But Alsobrooks points to a speech Hogan gave in 2022 at a Jewish Republican Coalition meeting, where he praised Trump for nominating “an incredible judge to the Supreme Court.”
During the question-and-answer speech, Hogan called for a “course correction” within his own party, away from Trump, and made significant criticisms of his party’s standard-bearers. But he also said that “we must give President Trump all the credit he deserves for his accomplishments in office,” including tax cuts, his support for Israel and comments about his Supreme Court justices.
Responding to Alsobrooks' criticism on Thursday, Hogan said the praise came from that year's court ruling lifting restrictions on government funding for private religious schools, including Jewish day schools.
“I thought it was an incredible decision, but I called out all the bad decisions,” he said.
The winner will replace Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and will work with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, who also sits on that committee.
That dynamic was one of the reasons Thursday's foreign policy was big. Regarding Israel, Alsobrooks was asked whether he would like to emulate the approach of Cardin (Cardin was presided over by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's summer speech to Congress) or Van Hollen (he boycotted the speech and criticized the “extremist coalition of far right” by Netanyahu). He is angry.
“I am nobody. I’m Angela Alsobrooks,” she said, praising the support of both Democrats.
“We recognize a terrible attack that occurred in Israel on October 7th and I believe that at this time we have an obligation to bring these hostages home to their families and then we can stop. , we are suffering in Gaza, ensuring that aid is available for these Palestinians,” he said.
Alsobrooks spoke of the need for “peace and security in Israel (and) peace, security and self-determination for the Palestinians in Gaza.”
Hogan responded by praising Cardin, saying he would be “a champion for Israel like Ben Cardin” and criticized Alsobrooks’ response for “trying to trivialize both sides.”
“In moments like these, people have to stand up and be counted, and as a country, we have to stand with our allies, and Israel is our most important ally,” Hogan said.
“And I don’t think you can try to take the middle path on this issue,” he added.
The candidates agreed that the United States should continue to support Ukraine as it continues to combat Russian aggression.
Pressed on whether he would support Ukraine's effort to join NATO, Hogan said yes.
Alsobrooks was non-committal, saying instead: “It’s a complicated question about whether we should. I think it should be explored.”
Brooks also addresses the revelation that he claimed a tax break to which he was not entitled on a property in Washington, an issue that became part of a Republican attack on him. The Democrat said it was an oversight that occurred when he took over his grandmother's mortgage payment and didn't realize the senior credit was still applied.
“When I discovered this, I contacted the D.C. government and refunded the amount of this tax credit and am working to pay off the interest,” he said.
Asked about the matter, Hogan responded: “I don’t know if people should make decisions based on that. I think he should be given the chance to explain himself.”
