5 takeaways from the Maryland Senate debate

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) sparred in their lone debate this cycle Thursday night as they look to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) next year. 

Alsobrooks has emerged as the favorite, with polls showing her squarely in the driver’s seat. According to an aggregate of Maryland polls compiled by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill, she holds a nearly double-digit lead over the popular ex-governor. 

Hogan, a critic of former President Trump, is attempting to pull a major upset after his two terms at Government House in Annapolis and has created a rare general election fight in deep blue Maryland. But he faces an uphill battle in a state where President Biden saw his third-highest margin of victory in 2020.

Here are five takeaways from the Maryland Senate debate.

Abortion takes center stage

The battle over abortion access played a major role Thursday as Alsobrooks repeatedly criticized Hogan on an issue that has emerged as a winning line for Democrats.

The topic came up during Alsobrooks’s opening and closing answers and was the first question asked by moderators.

Hogan has repeatedly said he supports codifying Roe v. Wade after it was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2022, and he reiterated the position during the hourlong back-and-forth.

But Alsobrooks countered that his actions during his final year in office tell a different story, pointing to his veto of a bill to allow nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants to provide abortions. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature overrode the veto.

“The fact of the matter is, when the former governor had an opportunity to stand up for the women of Maryland, he didn’t,” Alsobrooks said. “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.”

“I believe it when he says he’s had a change of heart,” Alsobrooks added. “The fact of the matter is, there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate.”

Hogan cried foul, saying he vetoed the bill over worries about nondoctors providing that care.

“Her whole campaign is based on lies,” Hogan said at one point while answering an abortion-related question.

Alsobrooks added that she sides with Vice President Harris and would support scrapping the legislative filibuster in order to codify abortion rights. 

Hogan sells moderation

Hogan is one of the country’s most prominent moderate Republicans and GOP Trump opponents, and he tried to make that abundantly clear throughout the evening.

He pitched himself as a much-needed voice of reason squarely in the middle of the political universe. 

“You’re going to hear nothing but red vs. blue,” Hogan said 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 later. 

He repeatedly criticized Trump, whom the ex-governor has had a testy relationship with throughout much of the past decade. 

Hogan added that he supports keeping the legislative filibuster in place and name-checked the likes of moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) as two members he hopes to work alongside in the upper chamber.

“It’s a terrible idea,” Hogan said about calls for nixing the filibuster, tying Alsobrooks with Trump on the subject, as the ex-president was a vocal backer of getting rid of it. “You’ve got to be careful with what you wish for, because you don’t know who’s going to be jamming things through. I like the idea of continuing to have to find people across the aisle, find that bipartisan compromise.” 

Alsobrooks looks to tie Hogan to Senate GOP

Alsobrooks argued repeatedly that a Hogan victory would do nothing other than ensure the GOP can pass its agenda, including a national abortion ban, as she worked to tie the former governor to top Senate Republicans.

Alsobrooks numerous times said that a win by Hogan would ensure Republicans control of the upper chamber and give power to the likes of Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) atop the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees, respectively. 

She also pointed to the support Hogan has received from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who helped encourage Hogan to run for the seat after failing to get him to run in 2022 against Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). She added that he “gladly put on their jersey” earlier this year with his bid.

“The fact of the matter is, if he wanted to be an independent, he should have run as one,” Alsobrooks said. 

“When Mitch McConnell called him, he put the jersey on,” Alsobrooks said toward the end of the debate. “He ran into the game.”

Alsobrooks tries to clear up tax credit controversy

The Maryland Democratic nominee also attempted to clear the air after a report indicated she benefited from tax credits she was not qualified for and was able to save thousands of dollars on a pair of properties in the DMV area. 

According to a report by CNN in late September, Alsobrooks claimed a homestead tax exemption for more than a decade on a rental property. The exemption is only supposed to be applicable to one’s primary residence.

She also claimed a tax break aimed at helping senior citizens at her home in Washington, D.C., which allowed her to cut her taxes in half. 

Alsobrooks said the home in Washington was owned by her grandmother and that the tax credit was still in place when she assumed the mortgage, adding that she never applied for it. 

“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,” Alsobrooks said.

Hogan responded that he did not think voters should base their votes on this idea alone, but that Alsobrooks should explain what exactly happened.

Republicans have used the report in TV advertisements to attack the Democratic candidate.

Foreign policy plays a role 

While the debate largely centered on domestic subjects, the pair also addressed a number of foreign policy issues, including the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and the prospect of conflict between China and Taiwan down the road. 

Hogan maintained that the U.S. needs to keep up support for Israel. Alsobrooks agreed that Israel has a right to defend itself but also called for a cease-fire between Israeli forces and Hamas and for humanitarian support for those affected by the war in Gaza. 

The responses came after one of the moderators asked if Alsobrooks’s Israel stance is more akin to Cardin or Van Hollen. The retiring senator presided over the House chamber when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress in July, while Van Hollen did not attend. 

Alsobrooks said she would have attended the address. 

She also used the foreign policy section to tie Hogan to national Republicans for the increasingly isolationist view that is cropping up in sections of the party, especially those who have opposed boosting aid for Ukraine and are not supportive of the NATO alliance.

The two also split for the time being on whether Ukraine should be admitted as a NATO member, with Hogan backing the idea while Alsobrooks said the idea should be “explored.”