Former prosecutor Angela Alsobrooks seeks to bring ‘results’ for Maryland voters with historic campaign

As part of theGrio’s “Running Black” election series, we sit down with Prince George’s County Executive Alsobrooks, who is running to become the first Black American from Maryland to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

TheGrio’s “Running Black” election series profiles Black candidates running for office in the 2024 elections. If successful, each candidate profiled could make history in their state. Hear from them in their own words about what’s at stake in their races, for the country, and for Black and brown communities on the political margin.

Angela Alsobrooks could make history in the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Maryland if she is able to win a crucial primary race in May. The Prince George’s County executive could be the first Black American elected to the Senate from the state. She would also become only the third Black woman to ever be elected to the upper chamber of Congress.

However, Alsobrooks will have to first best two heavy hitters for the coveted seat in Congress. One of her biggest contenders, U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-Md., has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019 and was endorsed by House Minority Leader, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Alsobrooks, who has managed Prince George’s County’s local government for more than five years, told theGrio that she’s the better candidate because she has a “record of actually delivering results for Marylanders.”

“I have built mental health care and addiction care facilities,” she said. “I’ve broken ground on ten new schools, created economic opportunity, and created jobs in Maryland.”

Even if the Maryland native is able to win over Democratic voters in the primary, Alsobrooks will have to outpace former Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who recently announced his bid for the Maryland U.S. Senate seat on the GOP side.

The Democratic candidate told theGrio that she believes Hogan, who remains popular among Marylanders according to polling, will fail to get the momentum he needs in the general because Maryland voters “will understand that he is anti-choice, he does not support voting rights, and his party has been aligned with the NRA.”

Alsobrooks said Hogan’s run for office has “little to do with him” and “more to do with the larger Republican Party’s agenda … to elect a Republican and change the balance of power in the Senate.”

“That party is hook, line, and sinker connected to Trump right now in a way that is so dangerous and can never be trusted,” she argued.

Alsobrooks believes her commitment to public service over the years will resonate with voters and help her get elected to Congress. She earned a juris doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law and worked as a line prosecutor at the Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office. She was elected to Prince George’s County executive in 2018, and in 2023, she made a bid for the U.S. Senate after Senator Ben Cardin announced that he would not seek re-election for a fourth term last year.

Since announcing her run for office, Alsobrooks received endorsements from several members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including U.S. Reps. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

If elected to the Senate, Alsobrooks plans to focus on creating more economic opportunities for her constituents.

“People are very concerned about creating jobs and increasing income,” she said. “It’s an issue that resonates in rural and urban parts of the state.” She added, “They want to live in places that are safe and affordable.”

Alsobrooks said that if she were to become a member of Congress, she would push for “comprehensive gun reform.” She said “dangerous guns” need to be removed from “our streets” and that Congress “needs to pass commonsense policies.”

“You have so many families now who do not feel safe in their communities, and then there are parents like me who don’t even feel that your children are safe in places where they have a right to feel safe,” she shared.

Currently, only one Black woman is serving in the U.S. Senate, junior U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler, D-Calif. In 2023, Butler became the third Black woman to ever serve as a U.S. senator after Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Vice President Kamala Harris was the second Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, serving California from 2017 to 2021. Carol Moseley Braun was the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate in 1993. She represented the state of Illinois until 1999.

Alsobrooks said representation matters and that, if she were elected, it would not only be an essential marker for Black Americans but for America as a whole.

“I think everyone should be able to look inside that Senate and see a part of their lived experience,” she said. “I think it makes the policies more complete.”

Alsobrooks added that if voters want to see “progress” and “an agenda that responds directly to the needs of Americans,” they should vote for Democrats in the 2024 general elections.

“The people of Maryland deserve a senator who not only fights hard for them but one who understands them and shares their concerns,” said Alsobrooks.

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