One of the most closely watched, expensive Senate races in the country roared toward the finish line on Monday, with Democrat Angela Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan each making a final round of campaign stops in a scramble for votes.
On Tuesday morning, Alsobrooks and Hogan will each head to their local polling place and cast votes for themselves. Then they’ll wait to see how millions of other Marylanders voted — and whom they selected to fill a rare open Senate seat, which could determine which political party will control the chamber.
Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, and Hogan, the former two-term governor, have been locked in an intense battle for months over the Senate seat, a race that’s sure to be the costliest in Maryland history.
Both candidates spent the final day of the campaign greeting voters and volunteers.
From Rockville to Annapolis and later that evening in Baltimore County, Hogan traversed Central Maryland Monday, meeting with groups of veterans, law enforcement officers and first responders to pay homage, he said at his midday stop, to “those who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us.”
“I can’t think of anything more fitting than spending our last day of this incredible campaign with the men and women who fought for us,” the 68-year-old Hogan told supporters at Mike’s Restaurant & Crabhouse near Annapolis.
Alsobrooks, meanwhile, chatted up commuters in Greenbelt, encouraged volunteers in Waldorf and rallied with supporters in Riverdale Park.
“We’re almost there,” the 53-year-old Alsobrooks told teachers’ union members in Waldorf on Monday afternoon. “I hope that you get the same sense that I get from everybody out there. They’re excited. We’re all ready for Election Day.”
Since the May primary, the two candidates have battled over who is the best to represent Maryland. The race has largely been framed along party lines, with Alsobrooks working to convince voters that they should elect her to ensure a Democratic majority in the Senate and Hogan touting himself as an independent thinker who isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers in both parties.
They’ve debated issues including abortion, immigration, the economy and the war in Gaza.
Heading into Election Day, more than 1.5 million Maryland voters — out of about 4.2 million registered voters — had already cast their ballots through early voting or mail ballots.
Independent polling has shown Alsobrooks with a lead — which Hogan smacked down during his stop in Annapolis.
”Let me tell you something: In 2014, one week before the election, they said we were down 12 points, and we won the biggest surprise upset in America,” he said to a round of applause.
However, Hogan’s two victories in deep-blue Maryland came in nonpresidential election years.
Alsobrooks, meanwhile, expressed optimism about the election, but urged supporters to keep working through to the end. She and Hogan are vying for the seat currently held by Democrat Ben Cardin, who is not seeking reelection.
If elected, Alsobrooks would be Maryland’s first Black senator; Hogan would be the first Republican senator in more than three decades.
“Thank you for your work knocking on doors and making phone calls. … Now I get to tell you the good news. Are you all ready for the good news?” Alsobrooks said to a chorus of “yeahs” in Waldorf.
“The good news is we’re going to win!” Alsobrooks said to cheers.
Meanwhile, at Hogan’s midday stop in Annapolis, 92-year-old veteran James “Jim” Baker of Caroline County said he appreciated the former governor’s focus on rural issues and his past financial stewardship of the state. Hogan stepped down in 2023.
“He left the state with money in the bank,” Baker said.
Asked if he thinks Hogan will pull off a third statewide victory, Baker held out both hands with fingers crossed.
Near the end of the event, in a quiet corner of the restaurant, Hogan said he’s proud of his campaign efforts and has no regrets. To win in the Democratic-dominated state, Hogan must win nearly all Republicans, a majority of unaffiliated voters and one-third of Democrats. His criticism of former President Donald Trump may turn off some Republicans, but could expand his reach with independents and some Democrats.
“No one’s outworked me,” Hogan said. “We worked every single day for the past nine months, day and night, seven days a week, and we’ve touched just about everyone everywhere, and that’s why I think we’re going to pull the race off. But we left it all on the field. There’s not much left to do.”
Hours later, a few hundred Alsobrooks supporters gathered in an unfinished office space in Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County for a rally with a series of speeches from Democratic leaders extolling the candidate’s virtues, punctuated by upbeat songs like “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang and “Freedom” by Beyoncé.
Sarah and Harvey Moseley of University Park counted themselves among the enthusiastic supporters of Alsobrooks.
“We need a senator that’s a Democrat. We need a woman,” Sarah Moseley said.
Their daughter-in-law, Kristen Moseley of College Park, said so many rights are on the line: women’s rights, voting rights and democracy itself.
“She is exactly what we need for this time,” Kristen Moseley said, before joining her in-laws to watch U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, the 85-year-old dean of the congressional delegation, dancing with supporters and a group visiting from Denmark.
The crowd roared when Gov. Wes Moore predicted wins by presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Alsobrooks. They waved “All in for Angela” and “Keep Maryland Blue” signs.
“We are not going back, we are only going forward,” Moore boomed into the microphone. “We are going to send a message so loud that our ancestors are going to hear it!”
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen asked the crowd: “Are we going back?” And when they shouted back: “No!” Van Hollen said, “I think you mean, ‘Hell no!’”
When Alsobrooks took the stage, her first attempt to speak was drowned out by chants of “Angela! Angela! Angela!”
Alsobrooks recounted the 1 1/2 years of campaigning that led to this moment.
“Tomorrow,” she vowed, “We’re keeping this seat.”
Alsobrooks encouraged the crowd to “take the joy” with them, rather than fear or nervousness, as they head to the polls on Tuesday.
“We are showing up tomorrow because we are faithful and we understand the power of our voice,” Alsobrooks said.
At the same time, dozens of Hogan supporters gathered at a police union lodge in Parkville, in Baltimore County.
Hogan was introduced by Bobby Zirkin, a former state senator and a leader of the Democrats for Hogan group. Zirkin served under four governors and said, “I never enjoyed my experience with a governor as much as I did with Larry Hogan.”
Hogan entered to a rousing round of applause and thanked supporters for their hard work.
He joked that he didn’t get into the race because he needed a job; rather, he said the divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington drove him to run.
He said the race between him and Alsobrooks was “not just your typical fight between Republicans and Democrats,” but about something more important: “This is literally a fight for America’s future.”
The Republican looked at the clock hanging on the wall that read about 7:40 p.m. and predicted he’d pull off an upset.
“In 24 hours and 18 minutes,” he said, “We’re going to have a pretty big victory party in Annapolis.”
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