“Maryland emerges as 2024’s most brutal Senate primary,” declared the news site Axios this week. Greenbelters voting in the Democratic Primary will find 10 candidates running for the U.S. Senate seat, with no incumbent for the position. The retiring incumbent, Senator Ben Cardin (D), leaves an opening for which the brutal race of note is between the two top-runners, U.S. Representative David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.
Trone has faced criticism for some of his recent negative ads, including one saying the Senate is no place for “training wheels,” which was later edited to remove the comment. Meanwhile, Alsobrooks has accused Trone of trying to buy a Senate seat and criticized his donations to Republicans who oppose abortion (though Trone himself does not). In terms of policy the pair broadly agrees. Both list education, environment, criminal justice reform, gun violence and veterans among their priorities.
Alsobrooks
If elected, Alsobrooks would become Maryland’s first black senator. She has served as Prince George’s County Executive since her election to the position in 2018 and was previously the county’s State’s Attorney. Alsobrooks was born and raised in Prince George’s County and emphasizes her long history of public service and experience reducing violent crime as State’s Attorney. As County Executive, Alsobrooks says she’s focused on creating jobs and economic opportunity. As for public education in the county, she cites the 10 new schools that have been built, expanding access to healthcare, mental health and addiction treatment and youth outreach. Her campaign lists 16 areas of priority, among them abortion rights; she says on her first day in office she’ll co-sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act and stand up against Republican attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Other priorities include climate change and protecting the Chesapeake Bay, gun safety, voting rights and “protecting democracy,” saying she will fight for the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, expand and protect voting rights and believes the filibuster in the Senate should be eliminated. For her full priorities visit her campaign website at angelaalsobrooks.com.
Trone
Trone is in his fifth year as Representative in the U.S. House for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. He is also a wealthy businessman, co-owner of Total Wine and More, the largest private wine realtor in the country with an annual revenue of $3.1 billion. Despite his fortune, Trone aims to connect with workers and the middle class, explaining that he knows what it’s like to experience financial insecurity because his father went into bankruptcy and lost their family farm. He bills himself as a job creator and someone in a financial position to reject PAC money, lobbyists and corporations and match Republican spending that will back Larry Hogan for the senate seat in the fall election.
His priorities are similar to Alsobrooks’ and his campaign website outlines 15 of them. Among them he cites jobs and economic development, advocating for raising the minimum wage; healthcare, including fighting addiction and the mental health crisis; criminal justice reform; and supporting education and medical research. Trone also lists abortion rights among his priorities and voted for the Women’s Health Protection Act. He has a rating of 100 (out of 100) from Planned Parenthood in their ratings of representatives based on their voting records. For the complete details of Trone’s priorities visit his campaign website at davidtrone.com.
Campaign Spending
As of April 24, Trone had loaned his campaign over $54 million and his campaign spending is approximately 10 times that of Alsobrooks’. Campaign finance records show Trone’s campaign has spent $51,413,130.29 in total disbursements between January 1 and April 24. During the same period Alsobrooks’ campaign has spent $5,875,228.01 in total disbursements.
Endorsements
Alsobrooks has been endorsed by the Washington Post and Governor Wes Moore. Among Maryland’s Democratic congressional delegation she is endorsed by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-3), Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-7) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8). Among State Senators for Prince George’s County she’s endorsed by Jim Rosapepe, Alonzo T. Washington, Ron Watson, Nick Charles and C. Anthony Muse. She’s endorsed by State Delegates for Prince George’s County Ben Barnes, Anne Healey, Nicole Williams, Kym Taylor, Adrian Boafo, Marvin E. Holmes Jr., Jazz Lewis, Andrea Harrison, Denise Roberts, Karen Toles, Kent Roberson, Veronica Turner, Jamila Woods, Jeffrie E. Long Jr. and Kevin Harris. Alsobrooks is also endorsed by Senator Chris Van Hollen and Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.
Trone is endorsed by an array of unions, including LiUNA!, State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County Aisha Braveboy and Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. Among Maryland’s Congressional delegation, he is endorsed by Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2), the only Democrat not endorsing Alsobrooks. He is also endorsed by State Delegates for Prince George’s County Ashanti Martinez, Dani Taveras, Mary Lehman, Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Joanne Benson, State Senator for Prince George’s County.
The Senate seat has long been securely Democratic but former governor Larry Hogan, who enjoyed broad support as a Republican within a predominantly Democratic state, is the likely Republican nominee. The race for this seat in November could make Maryland a deciding state in which party controls the Senate.