In the debate between the nominees in the US Senate race in Maryland, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks pointed to the actions of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in office as evidence that he fell short of standing up for abortion rights as he now claims he will. Hogan said he was mischaracterizing his position.
Alsobrooks, in an hour-long debate on Maryland Public Television, criticized Hogan for vetoing the 2022 expansion bill. abortion rights by ending the restriction that only doctors can provide abortions in the country. The legislature overrode the veto, and the law enables nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide care.
“The reality is that when the former governor had the opportunity to stand up for Maryland women, he didn’t,” Alsobrooks said. “They vetoed abortion care legislation. They came down twice and refused to release funding to train abortion care providers. That was just two years ago.”
Hogan countered by saying he supports abortion rights, and said Alsobrooks’ criticism did not reflect his position. He said he would sponsor legislation to codify it Roe v. Wadewhich was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2022. The former governor said he had vetoed it over concerns about allowing non-physician health care providers to perform abortions.
“It allows non-medical professionals, and for you to lie about something as important as this issue, it’s insulting,” Hogan said, adding that he later worried that the Maryland law would “turn back the clock on protecting women.”
But Alsobrooks said codifying Roe wouldn’t even get a vote if Hogan won the Senate race.
“The fact of the matter is there will be no vote on Roe, if it gives a the majority for Republicans in the Senate,” he said.
The former governor also said that he will be an independent voice that will stand up to partisanship in the Senate and do what he believes is best for the country.
“You’re going to hear nothing but red vs. blue,” Hogan said. “I care more – more – about the red, white and blue.”
But Alsobrooks countered that Hogan said he would be independent, that when GOP leaders recruited him to run for an office he had previously said he was not interested in seeking, he “liked to wear the jersey.”
“When Mitch McConnell called him, he was wearing his jersey,” Alsobrooks said, referring to the Kentucky senator and longtime Senate leader. “He ran to the game.”
The race has gained national attention because of the extraordinary competition this year in a deeply blue state, where the outcome could determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
Democrats now have a 51-49 Senate advantage, including independent senators who caucus with Democrats. And Democrats must defend 23 of the 33 Senate seats on the statewide ballot this November.
The candidates also disagreed on the question of whether to add more judges to the Supreme Court.
Alsobrooks said he supports reforms to the court, such as adding more members or creating term limits. But Hogan said if there’s one thing the country shouldn’t politicize, it’s the Supreme Court.
If elected, Alsobrooks would become Maryland’s first Black U.S. Senator. He is currently the county executive of Prince George’s County, Maryland’s second-largest jurisdiction on the outskirts of the nation’s capital.
While Republicans have not won a Senate race in Maryland in more than 40 years, Hogan has wide name recognition. In the last two U.S. Senate races in Maryland, Democratic candidates have won by more than 30 percentage points over lesser-known candidates. But Hogan, who was once considered the president and often appeared on a national news program, it’s the most terrifying Republican candidate of the year.
In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1, the popular former two-term governor won enough Democratic voters to win two statewide races in 2014 and 2018.
Still, Hogan has a tough needle to thread. This election is the first time Hogan is running on the same ballot as Trump, who is unpopular in Maryland. And Hogan has been one of the GOP’s fiercest Trump critics, which has helped him win the support of some Democrats, but also risked killing some Republican voters.
Alsobrooks also said she has paid back tax credits, after CNN reported she improperly claimed property tax credits for two homes, something her campaign said she did not know about. He said he still owes money on a loan for a house in Washington, DC, owned by his grandmother.
“When I learned about it, I reached out to the DC government, and I already paid back the amount of the tax credit, and I used it to pay the interest,” said Alsobrooks.
The Alsobrooks have been paying tax credits for the Prince George’s County home they rent.
During the debate, Hogan was asked about his decision not to vote for Trump in the last election. He also said he would not vote for Trump in this election.
“I think there are a lot of people in America who don’t feel that the two people at the top of the ticket are the best people to lead America,” Hogan said.
He once wrote in Ronald Reagan instead of voting for Trump – a point that Alsobrooks said should be a “disqualifier” for people running for the US Senate who claim to be interested in bipartisan cooperation.
“Instead of standing up, doing the right thing, casting the tough vote and voting for a Democrat, he voted for a dead man,” Alsobrooks said, adding, “I think the way he’s going to be a senator. can’t make a tough call.”
