(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for the U.S. Senate seat for Maryland in favor of Angela Alsobrooks. See all Maryland race results here.
Democratic candidate Angela Alsobrooks and former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan battled it out for the seat of incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who retired after serving 18 years in the U.S. Senate.
Hogan, backed by Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and wildly popular in the state, served as Maryland governor from 2015 to 2023 and was only the second Republican in 50 years to hold the office. His Senate campaign priorities centered on “fixing broken politics,” honoring veterans, supporting law enforcement, securing the border and making housing affordable.
The former governor does not identify as a career politician despite his near-decade as governor. Despite the endorsement from Trump, Hogan has been outspoken about the former president, even releasing a campaign ad highlighting the “horror” of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Democratic challenger Alsobrooks, backed by Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, has served in various public offices, including most recently as an executive of Prince George’s County, Maryland.
As an unknown figure on the national political stage, Alsobrooks was given a prominent primetime spot during the Democratic National Convention in August to help launch and strengthen her campaign. At the time and since, Alsobrooks highlighted that if elected, she would be the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.
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Her campaign priorities included protecting federal abortion rights, implementing universal background checks for guns and banning military-style weapons, creating a pathway to citizenship for immigrants already living and working in the U.S. and eliminating the filibuster in the Senate, among others.
Maryland has been a reliably Blue state and despite Hogan’s popularity, the last time a Republican was elected to U.S. Senate in the state was nearly 40 years ago in 1987.
A conservative super PAC jumped into the Maryland Senate race in late September funneling $18.3 million to flood the airwaves with three political ads in an attempt to bolster Hogan’s efforts. Meanwhile, a PAC linked to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., launched a $1.1 million ad campaign in early October to support Alsobrooks.
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Despite being a lesser-known figure, polling in the final weeks before the election showed Alsobrooks holding a steady lead over Hogan among Maryland voters.
A total of 34 Senate seats are up in 2024 with 23 being held by Democrats and Independents. Republicans can retake control of the upper chamber of Congress by stealing two seats from Democrats or by winning the 2024 presidential election and stealing just one other seat. The outcome of this race will affect the balance of power within the U.S. Senate in 2025.
