Larry Hogan and Angela Alsobrooks traded accusations that their opponent has distorted the record — even as they acknowledged a few areas of agreement — as they faced off Thursday in the first debate in the campaign for Maryland’s open seat in the U.S. Senate.

Both candidates used the debate as a chance to promote their records while arguing the other is the poor choice for Marylanders in a hyper-partisan political environment. Alsobrooks, the Democratic county executive in Prince George’s, repeated her campaign message that Republicans should not control power in the Senate; meanwhile, Hogan, the former Republican governor, asserted he is an independent thinker not beholden to party leadership.

“The only way we’re going to make a difference is if we can find strong, independent leaders,” said Hogan, who described positions at odds with the Republican Party, including support for protecting abortion access and criticism of former President Donald Trump.

Alsobrooks countered that Hogan won’t have a chance to vote to protect abortion if Republicans have the majority and control the agenda in the Senate. Hogan could have run as an independent, but he “gladly put on their jersey,” Alsobrooks charged.

“I do not believe that having a majority controlled by Republicans is in the best interest of our state or our country,” Alsobrooks said.

The one-hour debate moved swiftly through a variety of topics, from abortion and gun control to foreign policy questions on the Middle East, Ukraine and Taiwan. It was the first time the two have faced off in this campaign and may be the only time they share a stage, as no other debates or forums are on the schedule in the final weeks of the campaign.

The candidates did not tread on much new ground but sharpened their attacks on one another. While the debate was civil, both took opportunities to make pointed criticisms of each other.

The two have known each other for years, as Hogan’s tenure as governor and Alsobrooks’ tenure as county executive overlapped. Early on, each made a brief acknowledgement that they had worked together on some matters, including sending state dollars to support economic development and health projects in Prince George’s.

“I like and respect Angela Alsobrooks,” Hogan said in his opening statement. “We got a chance to work together while I was governor. We accomplished a great deal together for Prince George’s County, and she’s got a great life story.”

Hogan said he was running not so much to beat Alsobrooks, but to bring “common sense, bipartisan solutions” to Washington. As he spoke, Hogan briefly fumbled and said he was running for governor, but corrected himself and chuckled.

The pleasantries about cooperation were short-lived.

“The former governor is right,” Alsobrooks said. “We worked together very well and built a new cancer center, made record investments in Prince George’s County. But the fact of the matter is, if he wanted to be an independent, he should have run as one.”

Both candidates said the other had misrepresented their records and statements.

Hogan called out Alsobrooks for repeating a quote in which he seemed to praise Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court as “incredible” justices. The Maryland Democratic Party had seized on that comment and sent people dressed as justices to mock Hogan at a recent campaign stop.

Hogan said he was giving a speech to a Jewish group and the high court had recently ruled in a case about discrimination against Jewish students for scholarships, a ruling that he supported.

“I thought that was an incredible decision, but I called them out on all the bad decisions,” Hogan said.

“Her whole campaign is based on lies,” Hogan said at another point, answering a question about abortion. He defended his decision to veto a bill expanding which providers can provide abortion care, saying that it would open it up to “non-licensed” providers like midwives. Nurse midwives and certified midwives are licensed health professionals in Maryland.

Alsobrooks said the promises Hogan is now making about supporting abortion access are meaningless if his election helps propel Republicans to power.

“I believe it when he says he’s had a change of heart,” Alsobrooks said. “The fact of the matter is there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate.”

Alsobrooks also had criticism for how Hogan has portrayed her in the campaign, particularly how Prince George’s County handles matters involving illegal immigrants.

Hogan has charged that Prince George’s is a “sanctuary” county that refuses to comply with requests from immigration officials to hold illegal immigrants in the county jail who otherwise would be released.

“It’s not true,” Alsobrooks said. “What he said about not cooperating with the federal government is just a lie.”

Her explanation: “I changed the policy to ensure that when we released people who were accused of gang activity or violence, that we notified the federal government.”

The two also disagreed on foreign policy, with Hogan professing strong support for Israel’s defense and Alsobrooks saying that while Israel should defend itself, Palestinians also need peace and security, and humanitarian aid needs to help those devastated by the war in Gaza.

On Ukraine, Alsobrooks charged: “The Republicans have not supported Ukraine and will let them fail.”

Hogan responded: “Here we go again with the Republican and Democrat thing.” He said he would support Ukraine, including admitting the country into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Alsobrooks was quizzed about tax credits she improperly received on two properties she owned, but Hogan was not questioned on a new report that as governor he voted for government subsidies for affordable housing developers that may have previously done business with his real estate company.

Alsobrooks repeated that she was unaware that there were senior tax credits on the property previously owned by her grandparents that she took over, and that she set about paying the taxes once she was alerted.

Hogan, asked by reporters after the debate about the votes for companies that had worked with his real estate company, said the report was an “October surprise” that didn’t have any truth to it.

Alsobrooks and Hogan are vying for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat that is open following longtime Democratic Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin’s announcement that he wouldn’t run for reelection, a race that is more competitive than the state has seen in years.

Control of the U.S. Senate is at stake, with Democrats hoping to hold onto their slim 51-49 margin and Republicans hoping to flip enough seats to gain control. While there are tighter Senate races in other states, Maryland is competitive enough that it has drawn national interest and funding, with political action committees flooding airwaves with attack ads.

Hogan is seeking to become the first Republican Maryland has elected to the Senate since Charles Mathias in 1980. Hogan has emphasized that he is the candidate that Marylanders know, and said that he would be a Senate voice independent of party politics.

The debate is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Thursday on Maryland Public Television and WBAL TV and radio, as well as at 8 p.m. on C-SPAN.

Correction: A photo caption has been updated to correct the spelling of Donna-Lisa McClendon’s surname.