Maryland voters made history on Tuesday, voting to send Angela Alsobrooks to Washington as the first Black woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
In the nation’s history, only two Black women had ever been elected to the Senate before, with one other who was appointed — a tally that was boosted significantly with the victories of Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in neighboring Delaware.
“Doesn’t it feel good to be in Maryland tonight?” Alsobrooks said to cheers at her celebration party in Prince George’s County, where she serves as county executive.
Alsobrooks noted that more than 2,000 people have served in the United States Senate in the nation’s history — “and only three have looked like me.”
Alsobrooks thanked those who came before her and paved the way for her election. She said she will carry their “sacrifices and stories” with her to Capitol Hill.
A half an hour earlier, a deafening roar burst out of a crowd of several hundred ebullient supporters at the Alsobrooks party when Maryland Democratic Party Vice Chair Charlene Dukes announced the victory.
“It is my absolute pleasure, absolute pleasure,” Dukes said to cheers, “to tell you that our county executive, our friend, your neighbor, our sister in service is the United States senator!”
All night, guests had been glued to large screens showing a feed from MSNBC, cellphones ready to capture the moment of their candidate’s victory.
Meanwhile, aHogan conceded defeat at his watch party in Annapolis.
“I just spoke with County Executive Alsobrooks and I congratulated her on a hard-fought victory,” Hogan told his supporters at about 10 p.m. “In our nation’s history, only three African American women have ever served in the United States Senate. Tonight, regardless of who you voted for, we can all take pride in the election of the first Black woman to represent Maryland.”
Hogan thanked those in “deep-blue Maryland who were willing to put country over politics and split their tickets.”
Alsobrooks thanked Hogan for his congratulatory call. “I know that we both share a very deep love for Maryland,” Alsobrooks said.
And she addressed those who did not vote for her: “I hear your voice and I will be your senator, too,” she said.
During her 15-minute speech, Alsobrooks thanked a long list of people who made her victory possible, from her family to volunteers and the “baddest campaign team” in the business. Some of the biggest cheers came when she thanked members of the “Divine Nine” historically Black fraternities and sororities who mobilized voters.
Alsobrooks pledged to focus on issues important to Marylanders, from expanding economic opportunities and protecting reproductive rights to strenthening democracy.
“To each and every Marylander, I say this: I will make your care my concern; your hope my focus; and your dreams my work in the days and years to come,” she said.
Behind her, several dozen people waved lime-green signs reading “Angela is my Senator” and blue signs reading “Team Maryland.”
Alsobrooks’ supporters reveled in the victory.
“Maryland: We just voted to codify abortion rights inside of Maryland’s constitution,” said Gov. Wes Moore. “We just voted to send Kamala Harris to the White House to be our next president! And we just voted — overwhelmingly, decisively and lovingly — to send our friend Angela Alsobrooks to the United States Senate!”
“I am so proud to have been for Angela,” U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the dean of the state’s delegation to Capitol Hill and a key backer of Alsobrooks, said earlier in the night.
“I am so proud that she is going to be my United States senator, your United States senator, your United States senator and your United States senator,” Hoyer said to applause as he pointed to the crowd.
The ballroom was bathed in bright green light, the signature color of the Alsobrooks campaign. Guests could take pictures in front of a backdrop featuring a life-size photo of Alsobrooks surrounded by green and silver balloons.
Alsobrooks and Hogan have been fiercely competing for months in a battle to take over the Senate seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, who opted not to run again. Each had hoped their victory would propel their party to power in the Senate, where Democrats held a narrow, 51-49 advantage heading into the election.
The race was unusually competitive for Maryland, which has elected only Democrats to the Senate for nearly four decades. And the national implications of the race drew attention and money from deep-pocket interests beyond the state’s borders. Tens of millions of dollars poured into the candidates’ own campaigns, and outside groups spent tens of millions more on a blitz of TV ads — making this likely the most expensive campaign in state history.
In the waning days of the campaign, Hogan gave $500,000 of his own money to his campaign committee, according to federal records.
Each brought experience and strong arguments to the race: Hogan is the popular, two-term former governor, while Alsobrooks has twice been elected county executive in Prince George’s and was a prosecutor before that.
Hogan repeatedly professed that he would be an independent and moderating voice if elected to the Senate, regardless of which party is in control. Hogan has repeatedly clashed with Donald Trump, even though the ex-president did give a lukewarm endorsement to the former governor.
On abortion, Hogan staked out a position at odds with most of his party, saying he would support codifying the right to abortion care nationally.
Alsobrooks, meanwhile, emphasized that she would help Democrats pass policies that Marylanders favor — and that Hogan would empower Republicans to make unpopular votes, like restricting abortion.
Both candidates touted their records in office. Hogan pointed to leaving the state with a budget surplus, though that was driven largely by federal pandemic aid and his efforts to shrink the state workforce.
Alsobrooks pointed to her work boosting economic development in Prince George’s and a lower crime rate while she was a prosecutor, though she faced criticism within her own party during her tenure.
And both faced controversies: Alsobrooks improperly received tax credits on properties that she’s promised to pay back, while Hogan has been questioned over whether he was involved with affordable housing subsidies being granted to companies that may have done business with his real estate firm.
Both candidates expressed cautious optimism as they cast their ballots Tuesday morning.
“It’s a beautiful day for an upset victory,” Hogan said outside Davidsonville Elementary School, looking at a few dozen supporters wearing T-shirts with his face and name on them.
“From the very beginning, the other campaign has been pouring in tens of millions of dollars of dark money from across the country, and what we have is all of you,” he said. “And they’re bringing in big stars. Our stars are the regular folks right here in Maryland.”
Hogan did not mention that he’s had support from a super PAC called Maryland’s Future that has spent tens of millions of dollars on attack ads targeting Alsobrooks.
Alsobrooks did have big political stars supporting her name, including former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. But her biggest supporter joined her at the polls on Tuesday: Her 19-year-old daughter, Alex.
“It’s my daughter’s first time voting, and in our country in 2024, my daughter had a chance to vote for her mother and Kamala Harris this year for her first vote,” Alsobrooks said after the pair voted at Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro. Later in the day, Alex introduced her mother at the victory party.
Alsobrooks said she was buoyed by the positive energy she’s seen among voters.
”It’s been a competitive race. It’s been a challenging year and a half,” she said. “And I’ve been really blessed to have a tremendously talented campaign team as well as dedicated volunteers and Marylanders who have been engaged, who opened their homes and met me in coffee shops and met me at Metro stops and have shared with me their hopes, dreams and desires for their families, and I will not let them down.”
Alsobrooks said she was “prayerful” that she will be victorious and head to the U.S. Senate.
Voters offered a variety of motivations for picking their preferred Senate candidate.
Donna Allen, a 49-year-old unaffiliated voter from Annapolis, said she had some positive memories of Hogan as governor, but she voted for Alsobrooks in what she called a “faith vote.”
“I want to believe that Alsobrooks is going to do a great job in office,” she said, after casting a vote at the Walter S. Mills-Parole Elementary School on Tuesday.
As for Hogan: “He just seemed to move from that to being a little bit too political, you know, more about just gaining that status in the government than about the people,” she said.
Alanna Martin voted in a way that Hogan encouraged in his ads: For Harris for president and for Hogan for Senate.
“He’s got a proven track record of finding compromise and I think our country needs more compromise,” said Martin, 39, who voted in Howard County on Tuesday.
During early voting last week, 29-year-old Mateo Diaz voted for Alsobrooks in Glen Burnie. Diaz said he didn’t know much about Alsobrooks except that, like him, she is a Democrat, and he wasn’t going to vote for Hogan.
When Hogan was governor, Diaz recalled him prioritizing police funding over school budgets. Hogan’s priorities did not match his, Diaz said.
“If we’re constantly not helping them [Baltimore school children] and empowering them and leaving them to the circumstances they face, I feel like it’s a way to keep folks in a compromised position,” he said.
Cedric Tolson, an unaffiliated voter, cast his ballot for Hogan during early voting in Odenton. Tolson, 40, said he’s prioritizing immigration and the economy, concerned that noncitizens may be allowed to vote and frustrated that Democrats haven’t done enough to bring down inflation.
Tolson said he feels that Alsbobrooks “sold out” to developers and didn’t earn his vote.
“I’m Hogan all day,” he said.
Baltimore Banner reporter Maya Lora contributed to this article.
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