The balance of power in the U.S. Senate could be decided by Maryland. That's what's at stake as voters weigh whether to send Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks or former Gov. Larry Hogan to the Upper Chamber come January.
Alsobrooks, the Democrat, and Hogan, the Republican, met Thursday in the only debate of the race with four weeks to go until election day. The hour-long discussion was substantive and civil, but there were some disagreements.
No matter who wins the election, history will be made. Alsobrooks would be Maryland's first Black politician elected to the U.S. Senate, and only the second woman. Hogan would be the first Republican in more than 40 years to become a U.S. senator representing Maryland.
The debate was moderated by NBC News Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd. News4's Tracee Wilkins, WBAL TV-11 anchor Deborah Weiner and Maryland Public Television anchor Jeff Salkin served as panelists, asking hard-hitting questions concerning voters this election cycle.
Questions were wide-ranging in scope and topic, covering abortion, the Supreme Court, NATO and the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as Maryland crime rates, marijuana policy and increasing grocery prices.
Who are the candidates?
The question at stake in the debate was not whether the candidates were qualified, but rather the direction Maryland's next senator moves the federal government.
Alsobrooks introduced herself in her opening statement as "a member of the sandwich generation" -- those who are caring for young children and aging parents at the same time.
"I grew up in Maryland, and I spent my entire adult life in public service," she said. "In the United States Senate, I will stand up for our values, creating economic opportunity for every Maryland family. I'll also fight for our freedoms, like a woman's right to choose, contraception and IVF."
She has emphasized public service throughout her campaign, and is in her second term as county executive and served two terms as state's attorney in Prince George's County.
Hogan served two terms as governor in a solidly blue state, winning a significant number of Democratic votes each time and staying popular during his tenure from 2015 to 2023. He easily won the Republican nomination despite a late entry to the race.
When asked whether he can keep that bipartisan spirit and truly be an independent actor in the Senate, Hogan responded that he has a "proven track record." That's a fair assessment: Hogan's reputation is an unusual one that stands apart from many Republicans in the party.
Though the debate was at times tense, Hogan began his opening statement with a trademark reach across the aisle through the politics, saying early on: "I like and respect Angela Alsobrooks."
Many of the policies espoused on his campaign website are more moderate than those of other Republicans, from public support of Roe v. Wade to support of universal background checks for gun buyers.
But his bipartisanship and independent streak has been a double-edged sword at times.
When he described the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 as "one of the darkest days in American history," and urged the public "to respect the verdict and the legal process" after Trump's hush money trial in New York, a Trump campaign official to post, on X, "You just ended your campaign."
However, the criticism has not stopped Trump from endorsing Hogan in the race.
Reproductive freedoms and the Supreme Court
The intra-party conflict gave Alsobrooks openings to go on the attack while establishing her own stances on some issues, such as abortion and the Supreme Court.
"The stakes of this election could not be any higher," she said. "We are facing an election where the future of our country and our freedoms are at stake."
Though Hogan has a long history of supporting Roe v. Wade, Alsobrooks pointed to 2022, when Hogan vetoed legislation to expand abortion access in Maryland. The bill ended a restriction that meant only physicians could provide abortions. Democrats in the state legislature overrode his veto, but Hogan then used his executive power to block funding set aside to support training non-physicans.
"A woman's right to choose is on the ballot," Alsobrooks said, affirming her support for reproductive healthcare in an election where Marylanders will vote on an amendment to the state constitution protecting reproductive freedom.
Though Hogan countered the argument with his track record protecting reproductive rights, his own words on the Supreme Court justices who reversed the Roe v. Wade decision two years ago came back to haunt him when Alsobrooks cited an August speech where he called those Trump-appointed justices "incredible."
During the debate, Hogan cautioned against politicizing the Supreme Court, and criticized Sen. Mitch McConnell for his decision to rush the appointment of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett's confirmation took place in less than a month, despite McConnell's refusal to consider former President Barack Obama's final court appointee, Merrick Garland, so close to an election in 2016.
When asked how he would have voted on Trump's Supreme Court appointees, Hogan said "I wasn't there and I don't know how I would have voted."
In contrast, Alsobrooks advocated for reforms to the Supreme Court, ranging from term limits to expanding the number of justices on the court.
"I think there are ethical problems with the Supreme Court," Alsobrooks said. "I think they no longer support the will of the people."
National security and international conflict
Both candidates expressed support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, with Hogan going as far as support for Ukraine entry into NATO.
Alsobrooks sidestepped NATO membership as an option, but emphasized the importance of shoring up the international alliance to deter other international conflicts, like the threat of China invading Taiwan.
The two differed when it came to Israel.
Retiring Sen. Ben Cardin, whose seat is the one each candidate is hoping to fill, strongly supports Israel in the growing war in the Middle East.
Alsobrooks said she recognizes the "horrific attack that occurred in Israel on Oct. 7," and supports bringing home the hostages. She also said she supports a ceasefire, and a two-state solution, "making sure as well that we get aid into Gaza for the Palestinians who are suffering."
Relationships with other countries in the region will be important for "long-term stability," she said, especially when facing the threat of Iran.
Hogan said he falls closer to Cardin's stance, quickly saying he "would be a strong supporter of Israel, as I always have been," and classifying support for Palestine as "both-sideism."
"We as a country have to stand with our allies, and Israel is our most important ally," Hogan.
Hogan's strong belief in "peace through strength" was part of why he entered the race, he revealed during the debate.
The final straw was watching Republicans "tank the bipartisan deal that was going to secure the border, provide funding for Taiwan, for Ukraine, and most importantly for Israel. And they were for all of those things, but then they were told to change their vote."
The fate of that bipartisan border bill has come up in the presidential race on several occasions, and has been a talking point for Kamala Harris' campaign.
"I decided that night, I was going to go down to Washington and try to do something about it," Hogan said.
Gun violence and policing
The candidates both asserted that the federal government should be acting more on gun violence, with Hogan affirming support for "a bipartisan, common-sense assault weapons ban." He also stated that he supports stricter federal red flag laws and universal background checks, and said he wants to keep guns "out of the hands of the mentally ill."
Alsobrooks called the lack of federal action on gun violence "shameful," and voiced support for "eliminating assault weapons" and cracking down on ghost guns.
When asked about the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would restrict chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limit qualified immunity, and lowers the threshold to convict law enforcement officers for misconduct, Hogan ducked.
"I would have to take a look at exactly what the act says," Hogan said.
The bill does not defund police departments. It would restrict federal funding unless agencies adopt anti-discrimination training and policies. Hogan took the rest of his minute-long answer to discuss his history of support for law enforcement, and his "refund the police initiative."
When asked the same question about support for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Alsobrooks responded with a simple, "I would."
Recreational marijuana
Alsobrooks said that she would vote to legalize marijuana on the federal level, but was hesitant.
"I think it's an awful idea to have children — I've always been very clear on this issue, is that I'm deeply concerned about the impacts of marijuana on children," Alsobrooks said.
While she stated that adults should be free to make their own decisions, she expressed support for similar guardrails to those around alcohol when it comes to underage access.
Hogan hedged even further.
"I never really considered legalizing recreational marijuana on a national basis," Hogan said. "We haven't seen the full impacts of [state legalization] yet," citing concerns about driving under the influence.
Project 2025
When responding to a question about whether federal workers should be required to return five days a week to downtown D.C. offices, Alsobrooks took the opportunity call out the deeply unpopular Project 2025 conservative agenda.
"Our federal workers do a tremendous job," she said. "I'll be supportive of them, of their wages, and of their benefits. We know that if the Republicans gain control, they have put forward Project 2025, which anticipates that they would eviscerate the federal workforce, would politicize it, would harm our federal workers," many of whom are Maryland residents.
Hogan denounced Project 2025, saying "I'm the leading voice in the Republican Party against that," and calling many of the policies in the 887-page manifesto "crazy things," "absurd" and "ridiculous."
He also pointed to a Washington Post op-ed he wrote, published in July, titled "Project 2025 shreds American values."
"To call many of these ideas “radical” is a disservice," the piece reads. "In truth, Project 2025 takes many of the principles that have made this nation great and shreds them."
Project 2025, which repeatedly refers to the federal government, its agencies and employees as "the administrative state," is a playbook to decentralizing and dismantling that state.
The project proposes getting rid of a majority of federal agencies, and putting those duties in the hands of Congress.
"The surest way to put the federal government back to work for the American people is to reduce its size and scope back to something resembling the original constitutional intent," the document reads, interpreting that intent as a government where "federal law is enacted only by elected legislators in both houses of Congress."
According to Maryland's state government, 158,475 Maryland residents were federal workers in 2023. That is roughly 5.8% of Maryland's 2.7 million workers at the time whose jobs are threatened by Project 2025.
The debate ended on a civil note, with each candidate thanking the other for meeting them and participating.
Alsobrooks brought national concerns about opportunity, democracy and equality home to a local level for Marylanders, linking her campaign to that of the Vice President.
"It has been a great joy for me to have represented our state for the last 27 years," Alsobrooks said. "I'll continue as a senator standing up for our values, fighting every single day to preserve not only our freedoms, but economic opportunity for every member of our family in Maryland."
Hogan's closing statement zeroed in on recent partisanship, as he painted himself as an alternative.
"As I said at the beginning, we're going to hear a lot about Democrat versus Republican, red versus blue," he said. "All I really care about is the red, white, and blue. And I think that sending more partisan politicians, making Washington more partisan and more divided is not going to help."
"I'm trying to put people over politics, and country over party."
