CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the first name of Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Senate Debate Recap, New Endorsements Unveiled
In possibly the only televised debate of Maryland’s competitive Democratic primary, both Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone sought to show themselves as not only the best Democrat for the job, but also as contenders to defeat former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in the general election.
While Maryland has reliably sent Democrats to the Senate for decades, Hogan is currently leading in head-to-head polls against both Trone and Alsobrooks and national Republicans helped fund a $1 million ad buy to support his campaign.
One of Alsobrooks’ biggest points was that she supports campaign finance reform and that “money can’t buy you love, and it can’t buy you Maryland” in regards to Trone’s outsized personal spending on the race. Campaign finance reports show that Trone has spent over $40 million in total.
Trone acknowledged this spending to help Democrats across the country and to open an abortion clinic in rural western Maryland that would also help West Virginians.
During the debate, Alsobrooks touted support from Gov. Wes Moore (D) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D), while Trone was proud to announce fresh endorsements from Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D), and Prince George’s County Council members Krystal Oriadha (D) and Ed Burroughs (D).
Outgoing Sen. Ben Cardin has not endorsed a candidate, and stated that he does not plan to unless the race gets divisive.
Important issues that the candidates tackled were TikTok and the war in Gaza. Alsobrooks did not support a TikTok ban and cited Israel as an ally that needs accountability and restraint without widening Middle Eastern conflict. Trone voted to change the ownership of TikTok to an American company in a House vote, viewing the social media app as a national security risk, and said he urges international cooperation in partnership with the United States to relieve tensions.
It is expected that more polling will be conducted before the May 14 primary.
Many Maryland primary voters have already received their vote by mail ballots, and early voting will begin on Thursday, May 2.
To watch the debate in full, visit here.
Countywide Juvenile Curfew Bill Introduced
Prince George’s County Council member Edward Burroughs (D-District 8) introduced a bill that would allow retail, entertainment, and dining business owners to request juvenile curfew zones.
With this legislation, applications would be submitted to the police chief and would require the approval of the county council member and two-thirds of other store owners within the proposed zone. Violators of the curfew would be subject to a fine.
This bill may receive a vote before the council adjourns for summer vacation.
Burroughs told The Informer that this bill doesn’t fully solve the problem of juvenile crime, an issue he has focused on during his tenure on the council. While Burroughs admitted that he was hesitant to introduce the bill, he believed that some remedy needed to be done to improve safety.
“At best, [these zones] are a band-aid to a much larger problem,” said Burroughs. “If we don’t significantly invest in young people and their ability to do productive things and have productive activities, we’re not going to get very far on the issue of juvenile crime.”
In 2022, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks implemented a youth curfew to address a perceived rise in crime, particularly carjackings.
County Council member Krystal Oriadha (D) also introduced a bill to clamp down on ghost guns in Prince George’s.
“We need to give all the tools possible to the police and prosecutors when it comes to getting guns out of the hands of young people,” she said.