By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) faced off against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in their first and only debate. The two front runners are aiming to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who has said he will not seek a seat in Congress in Jan. 2025.
On Oct. 10, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd moderated the debate alongside three panelists, WBAL’s Deborah Weiner, NBC Washington’s Tracee Wilkins and Maryland Public Television Anchor Jeff Salkin. The two candidates answered questions about reproductive freedom, foreign policy and more.
On the issue of abortion, Hogan stated that he would codify Roe v. Wade if elected, however Alsobrooks stated that Hogan’s actions told a different story when he was governor.
“The fact of the matter is when the former governor had an opportunity to stand up for the women of Maryland, he didn’t,” said Alsobrooks. “He vetoed abortion care legislation. He double downed and refused to release the funding to train abortion care providers. This was just two years ago.”
“The fact of the matter is there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate,” added the Prince George’s executive.
Hogan fired back and stated, “Her whole campaign is based on lies.”
“When I ran for governor, I promised to support women’s access to abortion and I delivered on that promise for eight years,” said Hogan.
To which Alsobrooks stated, “The problem he’s going to have is his party doesn’t agree with him. The Republican Party has declared war on the reproductive freedoms of women, contraception, IVF. The fact of the matter is there will be no vote on Roe if he gives a majority to the Republicans.”
During the debate, the former Maryland Governor made it clear to voters that he is running as a moderate and not as a Republican.
“You’re going to hear nothing but red vs. blue,” said Hogan during his opening remarks. “I care more, a lot more about the red, white and blue.”
“The only way we’re going to make a difference is if we can find strong, independent leaders,” Hogan added.
However, Alsobrooks used her time to undermine Hogan and tie him to the Republican Party.
She contended that if Hogan were to win the election, he would help the GOP pass legislation that aligns with the party’s agenda including passing a national abortion ban.
“The fact of the matter is, if he wanted to be an independent, he should have run as one,” said Alsobrooks. “When Mitch McConnell called him, he put the jersey on…he ran into the game.”
Later in the debate, Alsobrooks addressed controversy that she benefited from tax credits that she did not qualify for and used thousands of dollars on a pair of properties in the DMV.
According to reports, the Prince George’s County executive claimed a homestead tax exemption for more than a decade that is to be used on an individual’s primary residence, yet the property at issue was a rental. In addition, Alsobrooks also claimed a tax break created to help senior citizens for her home in Washington, D.C. This helped her cut her taxes in half.
During the debate, Alsobrooks argued that the Washington D.C. home belonged to her grandmother and that when she took on the mortgage the tax credit was already in place.
“When I learned about it, I reached out to the D.C. government, and I have paid back the amount of that tax credit, and I’m working to pay off the interest,” said Alsobrooks.
Although the two candidates focused most of their attention on issues plaguing the nation, they briefly discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Alsobrooks stated that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and called for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in order to provide aid to those impacted in Gaza.
“We recognize a horrific attack that occurred in Israel on Oct. 7 and I believe that in this moment, we have an obligation to make sure that we’re getting those hostages home to their families,” said Alsobrooks. “And then we get to a ceasefire, making sure, as well, that we get aid into Gaza for the Palestinians who are suffering.”
Hogan said that the U.S. needs to continue to support Israel and he criticized Alsobrooks for supporting both sides.
“At moments like this, people have to stand up and be counted and we as a country have to stand with our allies and Israel is our most important ally,” said Hogan. “And I don’t think you can try to walk down the middle on this issue.”
With just a few weeks to go before Nov. 5, Alsobrooks holds a nearly double-digit lead ahead of the former governor and could become the state’s first Black senator.