ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Some Maryland Democrats larry hogan, the former two-term Republican governor is in a deep blue state. But they don't want to hand over the vacant Senate seat, and possibly control of the chamber, to Republicans this year.
Party voters in Tuesday's primary will decide which candidate they think is best positioned to defeat Hogan in November in a state that hasn't had a Republican senator in more than 40 years. David Tron, who is in his third term in the House of Representatives, and Angela Alsobrooks, a Prince George's County executive, are the frontrunners among the 10 candidates.
John Fisher said he voted for Tron after leaving an early voting site at an Annapolis entertainment center. It was a difficult choice for the 75-year-old former federal employee. In the end, he hired a candidate he thought was more experienced.
“I think he can probably beat Larry Hogan, who I actually like, except he's not going to have a Republican majority in the Senate,” said Fisher, who voted for Hogan in the 2014 gubernatorial race. –If I can do that,” he said. And in 2018.
Lisa Hartman, 65, joins a long list of prominent supporters of the candidate, including Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Steny Hoyer and former Sen. Barbara Mikulski. Noting that they were all in a row, I voted for Mr. Allsbrooks at the same venue.
“She had the support of almost the entire Democratic Party and David Trone. I was tired of hearing all his commercials,” said Hartman, who voted for Hogan in the governor's race.
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Trone, who owns a national chain of liquor stores called Total Wine and More, has poured more than $61 million of his own money into his primary bid, potentially a record for a self-funded Senate campaign.
Hartman said Tron's advertising is relentless. “I feel like he’s trying to buy the election,” she said.
Hartman said he would have considered endorsing Hogan in November given any other circumstances. But she believes the stakes are too high, given that Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate and have won twice as many seats as Republicans this year.
“I would like to vote for him in the next election, but given the circumstances, I won't,” Hartman said, adding that she might change her mind later.
In this government town, about 30 miles from the capital, people tend to understand the political implications of race.
“If you go to any kind of gathering, you can hear this all over town,” Hartman said.
Maryland Democrats had to endure intense negative campaigning. One Tron ad featured a local Prince George's official saying, “The U.S. Senate is no place for training wheels.''
The attack ads have prominent Democrats concerned that party unity is critical in an election that would normally go their way, given Republicans' 2-1 lead statewide.
Trone noted that he won the election in a part of the state that has more Republican voters than most other Maryland congressional districts.
“Voters across Maryland know that I am in the best position to defeat Larry Hogan in November,” Trone said in a statement Friday. “Through this campaign, we have built a broad coalition led by workers who want change.”
Despite being wasted, Allbrooks said in an interview that an appeal he thinks will inspire Marylanders will give him the support he needs to win in November.
“If the message is simply to vote against Larry Hogan, that's not the most persuasive way forward,” she said Friday. “What I offer is a really positive message that brings people together, and I believe that will lead to victory in the general election.”
She said her campaign is based on expanding economic opportunity, investing in education, making communities safer and protecting abortion rights.
Preserving reproductive freedom has been the case in other states since the Supreme Court overturned constitutional abortion rights in 2022, and is an issue Maryland Democrats hope will come to the rescue in November. It is. A constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion will be on the ballot in Maryland in November.
Tron also supports abortion rights. Indeed, the broad similarities between candidates on policy issues may push identity politics to the forefront. Allbrooks will be the first black U.S. senator from Maryland, which has a 29% black population, the highest of any state outside the Deep South.
This is important to Donna Gaswright, 69, who cited the historical significance and Alsobrooks' extensive experience as a local official as the main reasons for voting early in Annapolis.
“She was someone I knew better than most people. And as a Black woman, I feel like I'm more seen and heard by people who look like me.” Gaslight said. “She felt like she could bring the interests of women and minority women more to the forefront.”
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Allbrooks is the chief executive of Maryland's second-largest precinct, and Prince George's is a Washington suburb home to the state's most registered Democrats. She highlighted that Trone has donated in the past to some Republican candidates who supported abortion bans.
“He has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to defeat good Democratic candidates,” Allbrooks said in a televised debate last month.
The money Tron spent on the campaign helped him connect with some voters.
“I've been listening to his ads over the last few years, and I've just supported a lot of the issues that he's focused on,” said Anne Hamilton, 47, an early voter from Annapolis. ” he said.
Mr. Tron criticized Mr. Alsobrooks for receiving large donations from special interests, which he did not see the need for because of his wealth.
“I'm the only candidate on this stage who won't accept money from Exxon,” Tron said during the debate. “I don't think they're not helping us with environmental issues. I'm the only candidate who hasn't received funding from Pfizer. Pfizer isn't helping reduce health care costs.”
Trone, who describes himself as a progressive Democrat willing to work with Republicans, touted support from the state teachers union, which has about 75,000 members and significant political influence. He has the backing of prominent Prince George's allies and Attorney General Anthony Brown, a former member of Parliament from Mr Alsobrooks' home county.
Some Democratic leaders worry that the intensity of the race could make it even more difficult to contest against Mr. Hogan. Six former Maryland Democratic Party chairmen expressed support for Alsobrooks in a joint statement Wednesday, saying Tron's negative ads could jeopardize the unity of Democrats.
A statement signed by Kathleen Matthews, Terry Lierman, Susie Turnbull, Peter Crowther, Ike Leggett, and Yvette Lewis said, “Self-funder retains Maryland Senate seat.'' It is simply wrong to accept that this is a solution to “In fact, we need candidates who can inspire women and voters of all ages and backgrounds.”