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Jimmy Williams
In the only televised debate of Maryland’s Senate race, former Governor Larry Hogan (R) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) faced off on Thursday, each sticking to their core messages and repeatedly accusing the other of distorting facts. The debate, taped at Maryland Public Television studios, aired later in the evening and framed the central issues in the tightly contested race to succeed retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D).
Hogan emphasized his bipartisan approach, drawing on his two terms as governor, where he maintained high approval ratings in a predominantly Democratic state. “We’re going to hear a lot about Democrat vs. Republican, red vs. blue. All I really care about is the red, white, and blue,” Hogan declared. He positioned himself as someone who could bring a nonpartisan approach to Washington. “Sending more partisans to Washington is not going to help.”
But Alsobrooks, repeatedly invoking former President Donald Trump and top Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz, painted Hogan as part of a national GOP agenda she says is out of step with Maryland voters. “He gladly put on the [Republican] jersey,” Alsobrooks said, referencing Hogan’s decision to run as a Republican. “When Mitch McConnell called him, he gladly got into the game.”
The candidates sparred most sharply over abortion. Hogan, who has identified as both pro-life and pro-choice throughout his career, pledged to protect the abortion rights previously safeguarded by Roe v. Wade. However, Alsobrooks questioned Hogan’s sincerity, noting his past veto of a Maryland law expanding access to abortion providers. “If the Republicans have the majority in the Senate, there will be no vote on Roe,” Alsobrooks warned, asserting that Hogan would empower a Republican caucus intent on restricting abortion rights.
Hogan defended his record, emphasizing that his veto of the 2022 legislation was about safety concerns, particularly over allowing midwives to perform abortions. “A lot of people in the medical community agreed with me,” he said. Hogan also pushed back on Alsobrooks’ claims about his stance on reproductive rights. “For you to lie about something as important as this issue is insulting,” he told her.
The debate also touched on foreign policy, with Alsobrooks distancing herself from both of Maryland’s current senators on U.S.-Israel relations. Hogan, a vocal supporter of Israel, took aim at Alsobrooks’ backing from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, calling him “probably the most anti-Israel member of the United States Senate.”
Alsobrooks also faced questions about her recent tax credit issues, acknowledging that she improperly claimed credits on two properties. “I always pay my taxes — always,” she said, adding that she was working to repay the interest on the money owed. Hogan downplayed the controversy, saying, “I’m not sure it should matter to voters.”
In contrast, Hogan dodged questions about a Time magazine report accusing him of awarding state contracts to his family’s real estate clients while governor. He dismissed the report as “completely false” and labeled it an “October surprise.”
As the debate concluded, both candidates appeared entrenched in their narratives. Hogan sought to project his bipartisan success as governor onto the national stage, while Alsobrooks framed the election as a fight against national Republican extremism, particularly on issues like abortion and healthcare.
