Maryland Gov. Wes Moore leads new Angela Alsobrooks ad in final push before primary

BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen — doubling down on their support for Angela Alsobrooks in the hotly contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate — are leading a new star-studded television ad aimed at highlighting her endorsements from top Maryland officials.

The governor is also scheduled to headline a large fundraiser for the two-term Prince George’s County executive Tuesday in Baltimore — underscoring the push to elevate both Alsobrooks’ bank account and name recognition in the final sprint before the May 14 primary.

“We’re all supporting Angela because we know her record and we believe in her vision,” Moore says in the 30-second TV spot launching Thursday in both the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., media markets. In another radio-only ad launched by the campaign this week, Moore says Alsobrooks “has been a partner every step of the way” in efforts to reduce homicides, spend more in public education and protect reproductive rights.

Alsobrooks has trailed U.S. Rep. David Trone in independent polls, including by 19 percentage points in a recent poll from The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 and the University of Baltimore. Still, she’s maintained the largely two-way race is a “statistical tie.”

Moore, who is popular in Maryland Democratic circles as the state party’s effective leader, endorsed Alsobrooks in October but has largely shied away from public campaigning on her behalf since then — a period that included the three-month legislative session and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

In that time, Trone has spent most of the $41 million of his own money that he’s sunk into the race, blanketing the state with ads introducing himself to voters.

Alsobrooks raised $7.1 million through April 1 and has had ads on TV, though they have paled in comparison to Trone’s massive media buys.

The new ad starts with Moore and Van Hollen before shifting quickly to other top Democrats, some of whom highlight Alsobrooks’ positions on specific issues.

In one version of the ad running in the Baltimore area, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. talks about her support for investing in education and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume talks about public safety. In another version for the Washington suburbs, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer says, “Angela will get things done,” and U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey talks about education.

In both versions, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin — a Montgomery County Democrat who almost ran for U.S. Senate himself — talks about defending democracy and voting rights, and Comptroller Brooke Lierman speaks about reproductive rights.

Others shown include U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, county executives Calvin Ball (Howard) and Steuart Pittman (Anne Arundel), and former county executives Don Mohler (Baltimore), Rushern Baker (Prince George’s) and Ike Leggett (Montgomery).

The move follows a few weeks in which Trone has announced endorsements of his own. They include Aisha Braveboy, Alsobrooks’ successor as Prince George’s County state’s attorney after her election as county executive in 2018, and state Attorney General Anthony Brown, who quickly appeared in a television ad for Trone.

Moore’s upcoming fundraiser for Alsobrooks will also feature Mfume, Raskin, Sarbanes and Lierman, and it will ask for donations ranging from $50 to $3,300. Hosts include Craig Thompson, a lawyer who Moore appointed to lead the powerful Maryland Stadium Authority; Matt Gallagher, who served as chief of staff to Gov. Martin O’Malley; and other prominent civic leaders.

Financial resources will be important both in the remaining weeks of the primary and in the general election, where the Democratic nominee is expected to face Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan in November. The winner will succeed retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin.

Mail-in voting is underway and early in-person voting in Maryland is scheduled for May 2 through May 9.

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