Angela Alsobrooks will hold the Maryland Senate seat for Democrats, CNN projects

CNN
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Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will win the Maryland Senate, CNN projects, defeating Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan, whose candidacy made the race to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin competitive in this otherwise deep-blue state.

Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, will become just the fourth black woman to be elected to the Senate after Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester won earlier Tuesday, and the first black senator to represent Maryland.

Her victory is a relief for Democrats, who faced a daunting Senate landscape before this race came on the map. With most competitive races played out in states that former President Donald Trump either won or narrowly lost four years ago, Democrats didn’t expect to spend in a state that President Joe Biden won by more than 30 points.

Democrats’ central argument against Hogan, who left office with high approval ratings after two terms, was that he would be a voice for Republicans in the Senate — particularly on the issue of abortion.

Hogan tried to pitch himself as an independent voice, unnoticed by this party. In his first election ad, he said he would support the codification of Roe v. Wade in federal law. And he rejected Trump’s endorsement after the former president said he would like to see him win the state.

But Democrats effectively nationalized the race. Over the summer and fall, Alsobrooks grew her name recognition and gained ground among voters who said they worried about Democrats holding the Senate, according to a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll.

Alsbrooks, a mentee of Vice President Kamala Harris, also benefited from her rise to the top of the ticket, which increased enthusiasm for electing black women. Neither turned their history-making potential into a key message on the trail, but it resonated in a state where black voters — and black women in particular — are a crucial part of the electorate. Alsobrooks’ home turf of Prince George’s County is home to one of the largest middle-class black populations in the country.

Alsobrooks’ history-making potential was also influential for some voters in the primary when she scored a stunning primary defeat over Rep. David Trone, who broke the record for self-financing a Senate primary campaign. The co-owner of Total Wine & More spent more than $60 million of his own money, but came up more than 10 points short. The Democratic Party quickly coalesced around Alsobrooks, who already had the support of most of the state’s congressional delegation.

Her election victory will now add a woman to the state’s all-male congressional delegation.