Alsobrooks defeats Trone in Senate primary, will face Hogan in November

BALTIMORE — Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, backed by Maryland’s governor and other leading Democrats, defeated wealthy, self-funded Democrat David Trone for a chance to become the state’s first Black U.S. senator.

If she defeats the Republican nominee, former Gov. Larry Hogan, in November, she would also become only the fourth Black woman in U.S. Senate history and join Maryland’s currently all-male congressional delegation.

Alsobrook beat Trone on Tuesday despite the fact that he massively outspent her in what became the costliest Senate primary in state history.

“Our race here proved once and for all that the power of money does not outweigh the power of people,” she said in an email to supporters in which she claimed victory.

Democrats will count on Alsobrooks to help them retain their narrow control of the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, Hogan is vying to become Maryland’s first Republican U.S. senator in 44 years.

Alsobrooks led Trone in the count of all early voting returns statewide. Alsobrooks also led in returns from primary day itself and was rolling up big numbers in her home county of Prince George’s, which has more registered Democrats than any county in the state. In early returns as of 10 p.m., she was winning more than 70% of the Prince George’s vote.

Trone held a very slight lead in Montgomery County as of 10 p.m., where he lives and which has the second-largest amount of Democratic voters. Trone performed well in Western Maryland and most of the Eastern Shore, as he had predicted.

Trone, 68, a third-term congressman and the co-founder of the Total Wine & More retail chain, lent his campaign more than $60 million, making him the nation’s largest self-funder of the 2023-24 election cycle, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan research group.

Trone and Alsobrooks, 53, each sought to present themselves as their party’s best chance to beat Hogan in the fall.

President Joe Biden easily won Maryland’s Democratic primary, as expected, while former President Donald Trump won the state’s Republican nomination.

Trone, who represents Western Maryland in the U.S. House, wallpapered the state with ads. He held double-digit leads in independent polls in February and April, but a May 6-8 survey by Emerson College Polling/The Hill/DC News Now found the candidates in a close race.

The campaign of Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive — who, like Trone, had never sought statewide office — produced a late string of ads, including one depicting her with Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and other members of the state’s congressional delegation.

Her campaign counted on broad turnout and support in her home county of Prince George’s to counteract early support Trone may have received from ballots mailed in while he was dominating the airwaves in early April. Since neither candidate is from Baltimore, the city and Baltimore County were considered wild cards.

Trone targeted Baltimore, which has had at least one senator for 47 years, but has no hometown candidate in this race. After voting Tuesday near his Potomac home, Trone spent the rest of the day seeking votes in the Baltimore area.

Alsobrooks also campaigned Tuesday in Baltimore, where she graduated from the University of Maryland law school, but began and ended the day in Prince George’s trying to mobilize her base.

In the returns as of 10:10 p.m., Alsobrooks led in Trone led in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.

The candidates vied for the seat held by Democrat Ben Cardin, a Baltimorean who will retire in January.

Voter Mary Badinelli, 76, of Columbia, said the Senate race was a toss-up for her, but she picked Alsobrooks on Tuesday because Badinelli thinks she had the best chance of defeating Hogan. Badinelli has no problem with Hogan, she said, but it’s important to her that Democrats control the Senate.

Democrats hold a more than 2-1 voter registration advantage in Maryland.

It was the first election for BJ King, 19, of West Friendship, a Washington College student and registered Democrat. King said the Senate race was the most important to him, and he voted for Trone.

“For Senate, it’s definitely about who do I think can beat Hogan in November,” King said.

In Carroll County, Susanne Arthur, 76, of Westminster, said that although she would like to see another woman in the Senate, she voted for Trone over Alsobrooks because he was more likely to get elected in November.

Voter Anthony Scott, 49, of West Baltimore, went to the Westside Skill Center in Baltimore but found out he had to go to a different polling place. Still, he said was going to vote “no matter what.”

Scott said he was going with Trone: “He does what’s right,” Scott said.

Democrats hold a 51-49 U.S. Senate majority. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is retiring, and Democrats must defend a handful of seats in November in states that Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020.

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Baltimore Sun reporter Dan Belson and Baltimore Sun Media reporters Sherry Greenfield and Thomas Goodwin Smith contributed to this article.

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