baltimore, maryland
CNN
—
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan decided not to run for a Maryland Senate seat last cycle, claiming he had no ambitions for high office. And until earlier this year, Hogan still indicated he wasn’t interested.
But after years of pleading from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders, as well as a direct pitch from former President George W. He jumped into the election race and expanded the support of the Republican Party. The path to a majority will open this fall.
“I don’t have a strong desire to be a senator yet. I wasn’t looking for the title. I don’t need the job. But I’m so frustrated with how broken our political system is.” Hogan spoke in an interview with CNN during a campaign stop at a food market in Baltimore last week. “George Bush was a very good salesman and was trying to convince me that the party and the country needed me, and that I would have had an important voice that could make a difference. ”
The surprise appointment of Mr. Hogan, a popular former governor and highly regarded by Republican leaders, will shake up the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in November, when the Senate majority will be on the line. Ta.many years The state’s safe blue seats, which President Joe Biden led by more than 30 points in 2020, are now suddenly more competitive, with about six more vulnerable seats needed to maintain a narrow Senate majority. That complicates the calculations for Democrats trying to protect their seats.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party remains divided over who to choose as its candidate in the May 14 primary. The race is between U.S. Rep. David Trone, a three-term congressman and founder of beverage retailer Total Wine & More, and Angela Trone, Prince George’s county executive and former state’s attorney for the county. It is now a two-way contest between him and Mr. Alsobrooks.
The outline of the lace is Although things are still taking shape, Democrats have already nationalized the campaign and positioned Hogan as the party’s most extreme element, even though Hogan is running as an independent-minded candidate and trying to maintain his campaign. It suggests a plan to connect. Distance from former President Donald Mr. Trump.
“He’s going to vote and caucus with the Republicans. So let’s get the idea that he’s some kind of bipartisan individual. That’s just not true,” Trone said in an interview at campaign headquarters. told CNN during the event. “He’s a valuable addition to Mitch McConnell.”
Hogan told CNN he would not vote for either Trump or Biden. However, he still considers himself an underdog and admits that he faces a difficult path to victory. Furthermore, a governor’s popularity does not necessarily lead to his election to the Senate.
“It’s very difficult,” Hogan said. “This is even more difficult because this is the year of the president. Donald Trump is the front-runner. He lost by 33 points, so he has to overcome that challenge.”
Still, the race will be far more competitive and expensive than Democrats initially anticipated. Democratic officials said the party was closely monitoring the race, but cautioned that it was too early to tell whether the campaign arm would divert valuable resources to the state. And Republican leaders see Maryland as a key race on the expanding battleground map.
“Everyone in the National Party, from Leader (Chuck) Schumer on down, is taking this very seriously,” Tron told CNN. “They understand who Larry Hogan is…but being governor is a whole different breed than going to Washington.”
The race is already one of the most expensive in the country, driven largely by Tron’s personal wealth. As of late last year, the most recent data available, Trone had poured $23 million of his own money into the primary. Overall, his campaign has spent nearly $30 million on advertising, while Mr. Alsobrooks has spent only $1 million and Mr. Hogan only about $26,000 so far.
Tron, whose platform is to advocate for getting money out of politics, argued that not having to rely on corporations for cash is a great asset and suggested there is no limit to the amount he can invest. What does it take?” Tron said.
Mr. Tron’s ability to self-fund could make him more competitive against Mr. Hogan, thus making him a more attractive candidate in the eyes of Democratic leaders who do not choose sides in the primary. there is a possibility. Opponents, however, criticize the lawmaker’s eagerness to spend his own money on his campaign.
“It goes against what we expect from a democratic standpoint. It’s terrible,” Allbrooks told CNN during a phone banking event at the University of Maryland. “And what I do know is that money can’t buy Maryland.”
Democratic candidates vie for congressional support
While Mr. Tron and Mr. Alsobrooks are competing for the nomination, they are also competing for support in Congress.
Tron, while touting himself as the most progressive candidate in the race, has touted his business history and bipartisan track record, and is among House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He has gained high-profile support from the leadership.
“We’re definitely the frontrunner,” Tron said. “I think I can bring it home and then beat Larry Hogan.”
Alsobrooks disputed the idea that Tron was the favorite to win, calling their matchup a “close match.”
“I think it’s up to the people to decide who is the frontrunner in the race,” she said.
Mr. Albrooks has the support of all but two members of Maryland’s House of Representatives other than Mr. Trone, as well as Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Five members of the Congressional Black Caucus also announced their support for Alsobrooks shortly after Trone accidentally used a racial slur during a recent Congressional hearing.
“The people who have supported me have done so because they know us well,” she said. “And they decided that I had the best experience and the best track record to serve the people of Maryland.”
Tron said he had intended to use the word “bugaboo” but accidentally mispronounced it, resulting in an offensive word.
“When we went back and realized we had said that, we immediately apologized,” Tron said.
Allbrooks, who has focused on building grassroots support, is one of only two Black women running for the U.S. Senate. She has positioned herself as a champion of change, arguing that she is a more inspirational candidate than Tron and pointing out that there are currently no women in Maryland’s delegation. Some Democrats have privately expressed frustration that more steps have not been taken to pave the way for her candidacy.
“It’s important for America to have people of all genders, all races, and all backgrounds,” Allsbrooks said.
Hogan is an ultra-localist but faces questions about abortion and Trump
With the Democratic Party in a close race, Mr. Hogan is trying to run a hyper-local campaign, launching a 10-day bus tour across the state and demonstrating his willingness to work across the aisle.
“We go to every corner of the state. Connecting with real voters who don’t think like people inside the Beltway is what really helped me win,” Hogan said. “They’re just worried about someone going out there to tell them that openly and represent their interests. They like the fact that I’m nonpartisan. think.”
But with abortion rights on the ballot in Maryland this fall, he faces questions from voters about his record as governor. That included vetoing a bill to expand abortion access in the state that was ultimately killed by Democratic lawmakers. Restriction that only a doctor can perform the procedure.
A Maryland resident, who said he was undecided and said he was an independent, approached Hogan while campaigning in Baltimore and asked him about his views on abortion. Afterwards, she told CNN that she got a general answer from Hogan.
Hogan insisted he does not support a federal abortion ban, but dodged a question about whether he would vote to codify Roe v. Wade.
“I’m not going to talk about speculation surrounding the specific language of a particular bill, but we’re going to talk about that during the campaign,” Hogan told CNN.
Tron criticized Hogan for not answering directly. “If you think about such problems, you might know what you would do,” he said.
And while Mr. Hogan is running as an anti-Trump Republican, it remains to be seen whether he can successfully pull Mr. Trump away at arm’s length, or whether there is room for someone like Hogan in today’s Senate Republican Party. Whether or not this is the case remains an open question.
“Instead of doing the right thing and voting for Biden,” Albrooks said, referring to Hogan’s contribution in the 2020 presidential election under the name of Ronald Reagan, The governor was there, too.” “So why would we expect him to operate in a bipartisan manner? Well, he didn’t at the most critical moment of ensuring that Donald Trump doesn’t get re-elected.”
CNN’s Kristin Wilson, Sheden Tesfaldet, David Wright and Haley Talbot contributed.
