Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) posted a video announcing her run for U.S. Senate and planned to hold a rally with supporters on May 9. If elected, she would be the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Maryland and join the three Black U.S. Senators currently serving: Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (D), New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (D) and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (R). The Senate seat will be vacant as incumbent Senator Ben Cardin (D) officially announced his retirement on May 1 after decades in state and national politics.
Alsobrooks was first elected as Prince George’s County State’s Attorney in 2010, replacing now-Congressman Glenn Ivey (D). Alsobrooks served two terms as State’s Attorney, and later became the first woman to serve as Prince George’s County Executive. Her tenure leading Prince George’s has focused on economic development, new school construction and managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alsobrooks has hired Dave Chase as her Campaign Manager, who recently served as Campaign Manager for Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan’s U.S. Senate run. Following the election of Governor Wes Moore, it will be seen if his blueprint to electoral success can be replicated.
Montgomery County Congressman David Trone (D) and Montgomery County Councilman At Large Will Jawando have also announced as candidates. After enduring chemotherapy for five months, Montgomery County Congressman Jamie Raskin (D) said in a recent TIME article that he will make a decision by the end of May. Both Alsobrooks and Jawando supported Moore early in his gubernatorial campaign, but it remains unclear if Moore will support any particular candidate.
After five months of chemo, I am taking the month of May to seriously investigate the 2024 election, the Senate, the House, and the role I can best play in Democratic victory and progress in the country,” Raskin said
Maryland’s senior senator announced today that he will not be running again for the seat he has held for nearly two decades, leaving a rare vacancy for the Senate position.
Cardin first won his Senate seat in 2006 in a contested primary against Baltimore Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D). He played a large role in establishing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that kept many businesses afloat during the earliest stages of COVID-19.
“It’s been the honor of my life to represent the people of Maryland in the General Assembly, as Speaker of the House of Delegates, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and now in the United States Senate,” Cardin said in his statement.
Following this announcement, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D) said:“From increased funding for our schools to bringing more resources to the Chesapeake Bay to expanding health care services and empowering minority, women, and veteran-owned small businesses – Senator Cardin has never backed down from a challenge or taking on special interests. We all witnessed this last week on the Senate floor as he led the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment because, as he said, ‘There is no time limit on equality.’”
Both Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and Congressman David Trone (D) have been gearing up in preparation for Cardin’s retirement. Alsobrooks is term-limited in her current role as County Executive, and Trone has the ability to completely self-fund his race. Both candidates have reportedly hired staffers. Trone hired Daniel Morrocco and Alsobrooks hired Tim Chase as their respective Campaign Managers, each having led statewide races in the past.
U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin (D), well-known for his role in the impeachment trials against former President Trump, is a candidate with a strong national fundraising network and name recognition, but is unlikely to run.
Congressman John Sarbanes (D), whose father served in the Senate and who has represented a large swath of Maryland due to his district’s dimensions, is another potential candidate.
Former gubernatorial nominee Ben Jealous (D) and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski are also rumored to be interested.
