Senate Candidate Angela Alsobrooks on Court Reform, Abortion Access and Voting Rights

Leading Prince George’s County in Maryland since 2018, Angela Alsobrooks is now aiming to represent the entire state as a U.S. senator. She is vying for the seat that is now open as Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin — who has served in the position for over 15 years — is retiring.

Before becoming the county’s top executive, Alsobrooks served as the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney for eight years. Since 1997, she has served the county in numerous capacities, such as being the ​​county’s first full-time domestic violence prosecutor.

In 2018, Alsobrooks made history as the first woman to be Prince George’s County’s top executive and set an even larger precedent as the first Black woman to become a county executive in Maryland.

She could make history again in November. If she wins this upcoming election, she will become Maryland’s first Black senator and will be one of the only — if not the only — Black women serving in the Senate.

Alsobrooks is running against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a self-proclaimed moderate Republican, who led the state for eight years. His staunch platform of being against MAGA extremism took a hit last month when former President Donald Trump endorsed him.

In Democracy Docket’s latest candidate Q&A for the 2024 cycle, Alsobrooks discusses the importance of federal voting rights legislation, explains why “courts are on the ballot,” highlights her support for protecting reproductive rights and reveals her favorite foods to season with Old Bay — Maryland’s signature spice.

Responses have been edited for style and clarity.

Why are you running for U.S. Senate? How did you come to that decision?

I’ve been in service for 27 years. I started as a domestic violence prosecutor. I’ve been fighting for our communities and the things that we all want to see in our communities, like access to affordable housing that’s safe, economic opportunity and health care that is affordable for all. And [I’m] making sure we’re preserving our democracy and the freedoms all of us have fought for. 

Running for Senate is an extension of my desire to better our communities. In this moment, we’re fighting for the future of our country, fighting to have our daughters — like my 19-year-old daughter —have the privacy and freedom that they need to be able to make their own healthcare decisions. 

We’ve seen through many of these decisions on the Supreme Court that we’re now literally fighting for our democracy, voting rights and freedom. I’m running because I believe in the future of our country, and I believe those freedoms that we fought for ought to be preserved.

How have you protected democracy thus far in Prince George’s County? And how do you look to do that as a U.S. senator?

There’s no stronger way to do it in this moment than by running for the United States Senate. Maryland has been selected as one of the four top states that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Republicans have targeted as a place that would give them the opportunity to flip the Senate majority to a party led by former President Donald Trump that has very intentionally worked to undermine the freedoms that we’ve come to enjoy. 

And I’m fighting to make sure that those freedoms are preserved, we have that 51st vote and we are able to not continue to impanel these conservative justices that are doing things like overturning [Roe v. Wade]. We see the disturbing decisions that are coming out of the Supreme Court, and so I’m standing up and fighting to make sure a woman’s right to choose is protected, along with many of the other freedoms that we deserve.

Back in March, two right-wing groups — Maryland Election Integrity and United Sovereign Americans — sued the state to gain access to their voter rolls, questioning the voter roll maintenance and other election procedures. How do you think that this impacts voters in Maryland going forward and other voting rights cases as well?

These efforts to suppress the vote are not just limited to Maryland. We unfortunately saw some of this MAGA influence in Maryland where these frivolous cases have been filed, but what we know is that they are being filed all across the country. And again, this is a very concerted effort, it’s a very organized effort in Maryland across the state to suppress the vote. 

It’s the reason we have to lean into legislation like the For the People Act. We have to double down and make sure we are working to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And we have to do everything we can to preserve our right to vote and our freedoms. The stakes couldn’t be any higher in this race to make sure the Democratic Party remains in the majority in the Senate so that we have a firewall to protect these freedoms and to have the opportunity to further voting rights. 

You have emphasized the importance of passing federal voting rights legislation, like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Why is that so important? And why is that a priority of yours? 

It’s core to our democracy. America is based on and built on the premise that our democracy is secure. We are a leader across the world. And what we know is the opportunity to go into the voting booth, to make your voice heard and known is a fundamental right of every American, and it is at risk. 

And we know it’s at risk. Look at the Supreme Court case, giving immunity to the president, saying as long as you’re in the presidential office and you commit a crime in your official capacity — a person who tried to thwart and overthrow our democracy — you should be given immunity. This is a scary, scary time. 

The For the People Act and the Voting Rights Act are necessary, unfortunately, at this moment, because there are those who would align with Trump and others to throw us back generations to make sure people are not able to access the vote. You saw here in Maryland, people wanting to throw people off the voter rolls and wanting to create roadblocks. It’s not just Maryland; look in Georgia. They want to make it a crime to bring a bottle of water to the voting booth. These are efforts that must be thwarted.

You just spoke about the U.S. Supreme Court’s Trump immunity decision. Can you talk about how that ruling has impacted your strategy going forward?

Our strategy has been the same: to communicate that this election and the stakes of it could not be any higher. There are two differing visions of what the future of our country looks like, and I happen to share the vision that all of us should continue to enjoy voting rights and other freedoms. 

But we know as well that no person is above the law. And what we know is that the Supreme Court was packed by Trump. This was started by McConnell when he blocked former President Barack Obama from appointing Merrick Garland. This foundation was laid many, many years ago. 

In this election, there’s an effort to make sure that we do not continue to impanel these conservative justices who have now undermined the public’s faith in our Supreme Court, who have made these radical decisions, and we must have the 51st vote [in the Senate], and we must have the majority held by the Democratic Party. 

Your Republican opponent, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, was endorsed by Trump. Can you talk about what your perspective on that is and how that impacts the race going forward?

Hogan was handpicked by McConnell. And when he selected him to run in the race, he said it was the ‘get of the year’ because he believes Hogan provides the Republican Party one of the best chances they have to flip the Senate to be held by a Republican majority. 

Trump came along and endorsed Hogan. Why? Because Hogan, McConnell and Trump have a goal that they share. That goal is flipping this Senate seat and getting a majority, empowering a caucus, which again, is the same caucus that has been in line to impanel these conservative justices that overturned Roe, and they are not done yet. They’ve abridged the reproductive freedoms of women. We’ve seen this through IVF — them refusing to vote to secure IVF and contraception as a right that women have. Hogan, McConnell and Trump have that in common, and that is the reason we cannot allow Hogan to have that 51st vote. 

It must stop. And again, McConnell is to blame. He also refused to hold Trump accountable on January 6 as a result of his activities, and so we have to stop and cannot give any further power to that caucus.

You mentioned the importance of judges. As a U.S. senator, if the Democrats do have the majority in the Senate, would confirming judges be a priority of yours? 

Yes, we see now that the avenue used to abridge our rights has come through the Supreme Court, as well as through local district courts. So, I would be fighting to make sure we are not confirming more of these conservative justices who are intent on rolling us backward. But we also have many of the other local courts that the Senate has the opportunity to confirm judges to that are doing things like rolling back rights for our LGBTQ+ community and many other freedoms. The courts are on the ballot.

What have you seen in local elections and Maryland elections that you would like to change?

I’m fortunate that Maryland is a state that really has leaned into, in many instances, protecting our rights. This year, we have — for example — a ballot initiative that will help us to decide about codifying in our state constitution a woman’s right to choose. This is very important. 

When we think about Hogan, who is my opponent, we know that he vetoed important legislation that would have expanded abortion care access in our state. And when he was overridden by our majority Democratic legislature, he withheld the funding for it. 

And so we know that abortion care is not secure and that it is necessary to enshrine it not only in the state constitution but also to make sure the Women’s Health Protection Act is passed, so that we can then once again codify it in federal law — a woman’s right to choose — and that we have all the protections that will be necessary to secure that. 

How important are ballot initiatives in promoting democracy and the voices of the people?

These ballot initiatives give the public the opportunity to be heard and to express their desires and values, and so they’re very important.

You could be one of the only — if not the only — Black woman in the U.S. Senate. How important is that to you? And what perspective do you feel like you’re bringing?

Well, I think it’s important for all of us to look in the Senate and see ourselves — [senators] of every race, of every gender and every background — and what I believe that does is allow us to have the kind of policies that are complete. It’s absolutely important that we have women, it’s important that we have Black women, it’s important that we have women and men of every race and background in that body. 

And in Maryland, our federal delegation of 10 people does not have any women at all. It is an all-male delegation. I think it’s going to be really important that we elect women who will bring a lived experience that I think is important as mothers and wives and sisters and daughters.

You were born and raised in Maryland. So as a fellow Marylander, I have to ask you, what is your favorite food to put Old Bay on?

It goes well on so many things, but they make potato chips that are quite delicious with Old Bay on them. You can also do a little Old Bay on your eggs if you want. There are a lot of options for Old Bay. A little seafood salad …ee could just go on and on, but I think Old Bay on potato chips [is my favorite] — or french fries! On french fries, it’s really very good.