Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has defeated U.S. Rep. David Trone in the hotly contested Democratic primary race for Maryland's open U.S. Senate seat, NBC News projects.
Her opponent in this fall's general election is set to be former Gov. Larry Hogan, who served two terms as a popular Republican governor in the highly Democratic state. On Tuesday night, he easily won his party's nomination for Senate, according to NBC News projections.
“People in Maryland know pretty well,” Hogan told News4. “They voted for me twice in two different elections in a very, very blue state. I know this is a different kind of race, but we’re going to try to go out there and meet every voter in every county and try to convince them that I’m going to be the same guy that they’ve support for the past eight years as governor.”
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“What we know is Maryland has been a blue state, but it will only stay a blue state if we put in the work, because Larry Hogan, his BFF Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump’s Republican party want to flip this seat,” Alsobrooks told the crowd at her watch party.
The primary tees up what could be a heavyweight fight in the general election. When it comes to the general election, this Senate race will have national consequences. Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate.
The seat up for grabs has belonged to Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, since 2007. However, Cardin announced last year he would not seek re-election in 2024.
The Senate race in the solidly Democratic state would normally be a snoozer, but Hogan is a candidate unlike any other Republican. Over his two terms as governor, he won a significant number of Democratic votes and stayed popular across a wide swath of the state. He's been a sharp Trump critic, which endears him to a segment of the Democratic electorate and can blunt attacks from the left.
Meanwhile, Alsobrooks notched a striking win in a contentious primary in which she was dramatically outspent.
Her opponent, Trone, spent more than $61 million from his personal fortune as an owner of Total Wine & More and saturated the airwaves with TV ads during the primary. Those ads took a decidedly negative turn in the final weeks of the campaign.
Alsobrooks overcame Trone’s financial advantage by winning endorsements from the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Steny Hoyer. She campaigned on growing economic opportunity, education and abortion rights and slammed Trone for donating to Republicans around the country, including ones who oppose abortion rights.
"On November 5, 2024, we are going to defeat Larry Hogan, keep Maryland blue, and keep our Senate under Democratic control — spread the word," Alsobrooks posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday night.
Alsobrooks, who's in her second term as county executive and served two terms as state's attorney in Prince George's, emphasized a career in public service.
She racked up dozens of high-profile Democratic endorsements from across the state. If she wins the nomination and then the general election this fall, Alsobrooks would become the state's first Black politician elected to the U.S. Senate and only the second woman.
As some Maryland voters headed to the polls Tuesday, they said they were thinking about who was more likely — Alsobrooks or Trone — to beat Hogan in the general election and keep the seat in Democratic hands.
On Tuesday night, Hogan congratulated Alsobrooks on her win in a post on Facebook.
His post continued: "I know Angela well, and I value our respectful relationship. I look forward to a real debate on what this campaign is about: who can actually help fix the mess in Washington. Voters have a clear and stark choice: more of the dysfunctional partisan status quo or real independent and bipartisan leadership. We need leaders who will stand up to the political bosses and bring both parties together to actually get things done, like keeping our communities safe, improving education, and addressing the out-of-control cost of living. I have a proven track record of that exact kind of strong independent leadership."
He also appeared to be to be gearing up for a long fight in the general election.
"We're gonna be outspent, and there's no question I'm the underdog," he said earlier Tuesday.
More than 150,000 Marylanders voted early, while many more cast mail-in ballots.
"I'm coming out today because I am supporting the people that want to help lead our district, our country, and I feel like it's very important to do what is right," one woman said during voting on Tuesday. "And it's our civic duty."
Several U.S. House races set
Incumbent congressmen Glenn Ivey, Steny Hoyer, Jaime Raskin and Kweisi Mfume are projected to win their Democratic U.S. House primaries. Meanwhile, Johnny Olszewski is projected to win the Democratic nomination for District 2’s open seat after Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D) decided not to run for reelection after 20 years.
In District 1, Blane Miller is projected to win the Democratic nomination and face Rep. Andy Harris, the only Republican member of Maryland’s congressional delegation, who is projected to win his party’s nomination again.
In District 6, Democrat April McClain Delaney and Republican Neil Parrott are the projected nominees for Trone’s House seat.
State Sen. Sarah Elfreth, the youngest woman to ever serve in the Maryland Senate, is the projected nominee over former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn in District 3’s crowded Democratic primary.
Kim Klacik is projected to win the Republican nomination for District 2. Republicans George McDermott (District 4) and Michelle Talkington (District 5) ran unopposed.
The Republican primaries for District 3 and District 7 were too close to call as of 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to NBC News.
Polls closed in Maryland at 8 p.m.
