Juanita Hall, 65, beamed with pride knowing she did her part to help vote into office the first Black woman U.S. senator from the state of Maryland.

Calling this vote a Barack Obama moment, Hall said she voted for Angela Alsobrooks over Larry Hogan because she wanted change.

“I wanted to see something different other than white males all the time. It’s nice to get things from a woman’s perspective. It’s good to see us have a voice,” the rhinestone-bedazzled Hall said amid an energized Alsobrooks election results watch party in College Park.

Alsobrooks’ historic win Tuesday night also gave Maryland the distinction of becoming the first state to elect a Black governor, attorney general and U.S. senator concurrently, making it the nation’s center of Black political power.

Two years ago, Gov. Wes Moore and Attorney General Anthony Brown broke barriers as the first Black candidates to be independently elected to statewide offices (three Black men had previously been elected lieutenant governor as part of a ticket). And Maryland has the country’s highest percentage of state lawmakers who are Black; they chose Adrienne A. Jones as speaker of the House of Delegates in 2019.

Gov. Wes Moore acknowledged the historic moment before a crowded, roaring ballroom. “Two years ago, I was humbled and honored that together we made history. And now tonight I stand tonight, humbled and honored. Tonight, we made HERstory.”

Alsobrooks thanked all of those who came before her and made it possible to be on the stage.

Three sitting Black politicians in the state’s top elected offices makes Maryland a role model worth studying by political strategists, said Michael K. Fauntroy, an associate professor of policy and government and director of the Race, Politics, and Policy Center at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Massachusetts voters have elected a Black governor, attorney general and U.S. senator, but at different times.

Political insiders like Fauntroy attribute the state’s unique trifecta to a variety of factors: the state’s diverse population; the region’s historically Black colleges and universities helping to grow a class of Black voting professionals; a strong network of Black fraternities, sororities and social groups; a migration of Black voters from Washington, D.C. to Maryland; and increasing willingness among white voters to support Black candidates.

“There is not a region of this country with this level of hypereducated professionals,” Fauntroy said, which could make it a difficult scenario to replicate. “White Marylanders aren’t surprised to see Black people at the top of the ticket.”

Fauntroy calls the elected Black officials in Maryland a “deep bench.” “There is something other states can role model against,” he said.

The Rev. Jerome Stephens, an associate pastor at New Shiloh Baptist Church and former aid to Sen. Ben Cardin, said the Black church has also played a part in helping Maryland set a standard by providing a model to elect top-tier elected officials. Working with these traditional groups as well as “everyday people with their neighbors” has increased voter participation, which yields victories, he said.

“Also having good candidates with crossover appeal with the ability to raise campaign funds matters,” he said, adding that these efforts work in Maryland because they are better organized than other states.

Del. Stephanie Smith points to how the 2020 Census established Maryland as one of the most racially diverse states in the nation and the most diverse on the East Coast.

“Maryland is often called America in miniature. We represent our nation’s demographic, rural, suburban, and urban diversity and the future of our country,” she said. “With significant federal and military employment hubs and a robust higher education landscape, we have been a fertile ground for the growth of Black political leadership from Parren Mitchell to Angela Alsobrooks.”

Former Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who voted for Alsobrooks, is not surprised by the success of Black politicians in Maryland.

“Harriet Tubman. Frederick Douglass. Thurgood Marshall. The list goes on. Maryland has led the nation when it comes to Black public servants. Freedom fighters and bold leaders are born here,” she said.

When it came time for Ronald Carter, 62, to vote, he thought of his late mother. She would’ve voted proudly, he said, for Kamala Harris to become the first female president and for Alsobrooks to become Maryland’s first Black woman senator.

”It’s wonderful, to me,” he said at the polls Tuesday, adding that he voted to protect women’s reproductive freedoms, too.

At the Alsobrooks watch party, friends Sara Thomas and Ameenah Karim screamed with joy at news of each victorious Democratic candidate.

“I just saw that Angela won!” Karim gushed as she looked at her cellphone for election updates. “I’m feeling excellent. I was at the polls at 7 a.m. this morning.”

There was no choice for senator, the pair said.

“She was the only candidate,” said Karim, 49, a Bowie resident. “She’s going to do us proud.”

Thomas, 54, a small business owner touted the way Alsobrooks led as county executive of Prince George’s County.

“She’s a woman. She’s Black. As a small business owner, I like her,” she said.

Karim said she was not surprised that Maryland has become a national leader for electing Black politicians.

“It was time for Maryland,” she said.