With a month and a half to go until Election Day, top Democrats are warning that Maryland Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks needs to improve her recognition among voters statewide as she runs against popular former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan.
Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County in the D.C. suburbs, beat Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) in a competitive primary back in May. In the months since, Democrats have poured millions of dollars into ads attacking Hogan’s moderate image, especially on abortion. But there’s still a widespread feeling among Democrats that Marylanders simply aren’t as aware of Alsobrooks when compared to the former two-term Republican governor.
Earlier this week, DSCC Chair Gary Peters made a striking admission that Alsobrooks “needs to be known by folks across the state.” We spoke with Maryland Democrats to see if they agreed with Peters that their Senate candidate could be messaging better in the final stretch of campaigning.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) echoed Peters’ concerns, noting that “polls are showing that she’s not as well known as we’d like to have her in Maryland.”
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), a mainstay of Baltimore County politics for decades, told us that he hasn’t campaigned with Alsobrooks in Baltimore. However, Ruppersberger said he’d be holding an event with Alsobrooks soon.
“First thing, she’s from the Washington suburbs. So is the former governor, but she’s been really active there,” Ruppersberger said of Alsobrooks. “I think she wins it, but it’s going to be close.”
Connor Lounsbury, a senior adviser to the Alsobrooks campaign, said in a statement that “as people get to know Angela, the more excited they get.”
“We will continue to meet people across this state and introduce both Angela and the high stakes of this race,” Lounsbury said.
Democratic optimism: Every Democrat we spoke to still predicted that Alsobrooks would come out on top in November, despite concerns over her statewide image.
“She’s going to win. She’s ahead in the polls,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told us. The RealClearPolitics average has Alsobrooks leading Hogan by seven points.
Maryland is a deep-blue state, after all, and electing a Republican governor versus electing a Republican senator are two very different propositions for voters. Plus, Democrats feel good about the energy created by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
“The top of the ticket is bringing out exactly the kinds of people who would be Alsobrooks supporters: Women, minorities and progressives,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) — who was once courted to run for Senate this cycle — told us.
Democrats also said the onslaught of ads slamming Hogan on abortion rights and his GOP issue positions will sway voters.
“The ads are pretty powerful and I think they’re going to be very effective as far as getting the message across about his previous record, especially with respect to the abortion issue,” Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said.
— Max Cohen
