Hogan, Alsobrooks Spar Over Abortion, Ethics Before MD’s Senate Race

MARYLAND — The control of the U.S. Senate could be decided in a high-profile Maryland election that may affect abortion policy nationwide.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) faces Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) in the Nov. 5 contest to replace the retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D). Libertarian Mike Scott is also running. Write-in candidates include Patrick J. Burke of the American Solidarity Party, unaffiliated Billy Bridges and unaffiliated Christy Renee Helmondollar. Click any candidate’s name to learn more about them.

Hogan would be Maryland’s first Republican U.S. senator in 37 years. Democrats currently hold a 51 to 49 advantage in the Senate if you count independents who lean liberal. A Hogan victory could give the GOP its 50th Senate seat, granting the next vice president the tie-breaking vote.

Alsobrooks leads Hogan in almost every poll conducted since she defeated the self-funded Total Wine & More Co-Owner and U.S. Rep. David Trone (MD-District 6) in the Democratic primary. A Real Clear Politics average of polls done in the Alsobrooks vs. Hogan matchup give her a lead of 48.8 percent to 41.2 percentage points for Hogan.

On Oct. 9, the UMBC Institute of Politics published poll results that had Alsobrooks with 48 percent of the vote compared to Hogan’s 39 percent. Six percent plan to vote for another candidate, while 5 percent are undecided.

The survey of 863 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. The survey was conducted over landlines and cell phones from Sept. 23 through Sept. 28. The random sample was stratified by county.

Hogan’s Popularity, Conflicts

Hogan was one of the nation’s most popular governors during his two terms from 2015 to 2023. He was Maryland’s first Republican governor to win re-election since the 1950s. He left office with a 77 percent approval rating, though Democrats outnumber Republicans 2:1 in Maryland.

Supporters cheered Hogan’s pandemic-era leadership and public dissent from fellow Republican and then President Donald Trump, especially after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.

Hogan didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020. Hogan won’t vote for Democrat Kamala Harris or Trump this Nov. 5 either, though Trump endorsed Hogan in the Senate race. Alsobrooks is endorsed by former President Barack Obama.

Opponents criticized Hogan for underfunding public transit and instead prioritizing the widening of Interstate 270 and 495. Baltimore’s Red Line light rail project was canceled and the Washington area’s Purple Line sputtered amid delays and contract disputes during Hogan’s administration. Gov. Wes Moore (D) has since recommitted the state to pushing ahead on both projects.

Hogan again met criticism in mid-October when TIME covered potential conflicts of interest with his real estate firm. TIME said clients of Hogan’s firm won “nearly 40% of the competitive affordable housing awards overseen by the governor.”

Eight days later, TIME reported that land owned by Hogan’s stepmother got $15 million in tax credits and $1 million in state funds for an affordable housing development. TIME said Hogan’s stepmother later sold that land for $3.75 million to Osprey Development, a client of Hogan’s firm.

TIME reported that Hogan put his real estate firm in a trust after taking office to prevent conflicts of interest, but the governor continued to meet with his company’s leaders. TIME said Hogan also voted five times to send additional money to clients of his firm, though a top ethics official warned him he “should not personally participate in any matter that may come before a state agency that involves his business.”

“Governor Hogan and his office played no role in the evaluation or selection process for these merit-based awards,” Hogan spokesperson Michael Ricci told TIME. “All decisions are made by agency officials on a competitive basis as part of a rigorous application process held by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). These safeguards prevent any personal or political considerations from entering the process.”

Alsobrooks’ Tax Issues

Alsobrooks was elected as Prince George’s county executive in 2018 after serving as the jurisdiction’s state’s attorney for seven years.

Seen as a rising Democratic star, Alsobrooks has campaigned on curbing gun violence and reducing the cost of groceries.

Alsobrooks took a hit in late September when CNN reported that she improperly claimed tax credits that saved her roughly $16,000.

CNN reported that Alsobrooks improperly claimed a homestead tax credit for a house that was no longer her primary residence. CNN also said she claimed a tax credit intended for seniors on a house that previously belonged to her grandparents. Alsobrooks said she’d fully repay any debts she owed.

The Baltimore Sun reported on Oct. 7 that the District of Columbia billed Alsobrooks $47,580 for back taxes and interest. Alsobrooks is working to pay off the bill, The Sun said, noting that payment is due by Oct. 31.

“As soon as Angela was made aware of these tax credits, she took immediate action,” Alsobrooks senior adviser Connor Lounsbury told The Sun. “She has now received the bill from D.C. and is working to pay it back in full. But that won’t stop Larry Hogan and his Republican billionaires from continuing their false attacks.”

Abortion Is Focal Point

Alsobrooks has also repeatedly voiced her pro-choice abortion stance. Abortion is timely this election year, as a referendum will ask Marylanders if the right to an abortion should be enshrined in the state Constitution.

Abortion has been a prominent election factor since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, letting each state decide whether abortion is legal in its jurisdiction.

Alsobrooks and Democratic leaders allege that Hogan can’t be trusted with abortion. Hogan instead called the issue “settled law” and said he would oppose a national abortion ban.

“[Larry Hogan] has not been pro-choice and it’s so cynical to say that he would then vote to codify in federal law,” Alsobrooks said on CNN in September. “If we gave the Republicans the majority in the Senate, there would be no vote because they’ve already made it very clear — this Republican party — that they wish to have a national ban on abortion.”

Democrats question if Hogan would flip his abortion stance if pressured by GOP leadership. They point to his veto of a bill to let nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants perform abortions. The Maryland General Assembly later overrode Hogan’s veto and enacted the law.

Hogan has said he’s personally pro-life but would protect pro-choice legislation.

“National partisan groups are now spending millions of dollars lying about Governor Hogan’s views and record on supporting choice for one reason: they know he is a threat to the broken status quo politics of Washington,” Hogan spokeswoman Blake Kernen said in a September press release. “The legislation he vetoed threatened to lower the standard of care for Maryland women— it had nothing to do with access to abortion. In the Senate, Governor Hogan will work to codify Roe v. Wade as the law of the land and expand access to IVF.”

Kernen said Hogan funded “access to abortion in the budget every year” and “was the first governor in America to provide over-the-counter birth control paid for by Medicaid.”

Bipartisanship Or Partisanship

Hogan has run TV ads promising he would vote for Marylanders, not his party. His commercials focus on his bipartisan popularity as governor.

Voters have grappled with their past Hogan fandom and their current concern over the Senate majority.

“My overall first pick is Larry Hogan,” Linda Strumsky, an Ellicott City Democrat, told Patch in a March questionnaire. “My hesitation comes from a fear of voting for one more Republican in Congress. Larry Hogan has a track record that he is for the people. I am just unsure of the pressures he would be under as a member of the Republican Party in the Senate.”

Odenton Republican Allan Schwartz said he voted for Hogan in the Senate primary.

“People say [Hogan] was a RINO (Republican In Name Only), but he wasn’t. He knew how to work both sides,” Schwartz told Patch at polls during May’s primary election.

The winner will replace Cardin in January. Cardin is not seeking re-election after serving nearly 60 years in elected office. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1967 to 1986, the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007 and the U.S. Senate since 2007.

How To Vote

Early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 24 through Thursday, Oct. 31. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day that week. Marylanders can vote at any early voting center in the county they live in. All the early voting center locations are posted here.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents must vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day.

Residents can request a mail-in ballot from the State Board of Elections or their local board.

Marylanders can learn how to vote by mail or dropbox here.