Larry Hogan concedes the U.S. Senate race on Tuesday night, acknowledging Angela Alsobrooks’ history making victory as Maryland’s first Black woman Senator. Screenshot taken from WBAL broadcast.
ALSOBROOKS WINS DECISIVE, HISTORIC VICTORY FOR U.S. SENATE: Democrat Angela Alsobrooks is projected to win Maryland’s unexpectedly competitive Senate race Tuesday, according to the Associated Press and Edison Research, extinguishing Republican hopes that popular former governor Larry Hogan could wrestle away the reliably blue seat and help deliver control of the chamber to his party. Erin Cox and Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
- Hogan, who stress-tested a decade’s worth of goodwill and rare, lasting popularity with a long-shot campaign for U.S. Senate this year, saw his winning streak come to an abrupt end Tuesday. Ten years after he unexpectedly won the governor’s mansion and six years after he won it again, the Republican lost to Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in one of the most competitive and expensive races in Maryland’s political history. Staff/The Baltimore Sun.
- Hogan conceded around 10 p.m., calling Alsobrooks a “dedicated public servant” and said “we can all take pride” in her history-making achievement of becoming Maryland’s first Black woman senator. Staff/The Baltimore Sun.
- With 92% of the 1,958 precincts reporting at 11:20 p.m., Alsobrooks, a Democrat, had 1.2 million votes to 1.1 million for Hogan, a Republican, a 52% to 46% lead. Libertarian Mike Scott had 59,395 votes for 2% of the early total. William Ford and Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- In the nation’s history, only two Black women had ever been elected to the Senate before, with one other who was appointed — a tally that was boosted significantly with the victories of Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in neighboring Delaware. Pamela Wood and Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
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Alsobrooks’ quest resonated with voters. Jackson Lasher, a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Maryland, said he changed his voter registration from New York to Maryland to help elect Alsobrooks. “I wanted the Democrats to have the majority this time and she has a really good record in Prince George’s County,” Lasher said. Jack Bowman of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
WHAT ALSOBROOKS PROMISED & HOW SHE WON: On the campaign trail, Alsobrooks closely aligned herself with Vice President Kamala Harris, her personal friend, arguing that Harris’s agenda would be thwarted before she was even sworn in if her Republican opponent, former governor Larry Hogan, won and handed a Senate majority to the GOP. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
- Alsobrooks went out of her way to acknowledge Hogan’s greatest strength — his likability — before dismissing his personality as an unworthy reason to vote for him. Instead, she tethered Hogan to the same Republican Party that had embraced Donald Trump and warned that electing Hogan could give the GOP command of the Senate and decisive influence over who is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Paul Schwartzman/The Washington Post.
DELANEY-PARROTT RACE TOO CLOSE TO CALL: Neither candidate has yet prevailed in the tense contest for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, the state’s most competitive House race this year that has been marked by aggressive attacks between the candidates. The race between Democrat April McClain Delaney and Republican Neil C. Parrott has revolved around concerns over issues affecting women and, for Parrott, calls for stronger border security. Katie Shepherd and Dana Munro/The Washington Post.
- In early returns, Parrott was showing large leads in the state’s three westernmost counties: Garrett, Allegany and Washington. Frederick County was more evenly divided with about 80% of precincts reporting at 11 p.m. McClain Delaney had a wide lead in her home county, Montgomery, the northern-third of which is in the 6th District. Danielle E. Gaines and Elijah Pittman/Maryland Matters.
OLSZEWSKI, ELFRETH WIN U.S. HOUSE SEATS: Johnny Olszewski Jr., the two-term Democratic Baltimore County executive, won his congressional bid to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, besting Republican Kim Klacik. State Sen. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat, similarly defeated Republican Robert J. Steinberger in the race for U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes’ congressional seat. Staff/The Baltimore Sun.
- Three newcomers will join the Maryland delegation in the House in January – but it remained unclear near midnight Tuesday whether one would break the Democratic hold on the 6th Congressional District. Katherine Wilson of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES: Marylanders overwhelmingly voted in favor of enshrining access to reproductive rights, including abortion, in the state Constitution Tuesday. With two thirds of Maryland’s precincts reporting, the Associated Press said Question 1 passed. The measure will guarantee “every person … the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the ability to “prevent, continue or end one’s own pregnancy” without interference from the state, once adopted in the Maryland Constitution. Staff/The Baltimore Sun.
- Critics fear the broad language will allow lawmakers to apply unrelated concepts to the amendment, including gender-affirming surgeries, and widen the access minors have to abortions without parental consent. Marissa Yelenik of Capital News Service/MarylandReporter.com.
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MO CO TERM-LIMITS COUNTY EXEC; HARFORD DOES SAME FOR COUNCIL: Maryland voters made significant changes to their local governments Tuesday — though not as extensive as they could have been. In Montgomery County, voters overwhelmingly embraced a two-term limit for their county executive — meaning incumbent Marc Elrich (D) will be out of a job in two years. Voters in Harford County also imposed term limits on their county council members for the first time. But voters in Charles and Wicomico counties opted to maintain the status quo in their local governments, despite high-profile, emotional debates to change them. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
BRANDON SCOTT GETS RARE 2nd TERM AS B’MORE MAYOR: Baltimore woke up Wednesday morning with something it has not had in two decades: a second term mayor. Winning the general election, a formality in Democrat-controlled Baltimore, Brandon Scott has effectively been given a mandate to govern. He won the May primary by 14 points against former-Mayor Sheila Dixon, a stark contrast from 2020 when he eked out a win against her. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
PROPOSAL TO CUT SIZE OF B’MORE COUNCIL FAILS: Baltimore voters defeated the Question H ballot measure, which aimed to reduce the size of the City Council from 14 to eight districts, with more than 62% of voters saying “no.” The vote marks the first time a city ballot measure has failed since 2004, when voters cast ballots against a proposal to lower the minimum age requirement for members of the City Council from 21 to 18 years. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
- The outcome, council members and advocates say, sends a clear signal to Baltimore County media mogul David Smith that the city is not interested in his brand of politics. This is just the second time in 25 years city voters have voted down a ballot measure. Lee O. Sanderlin and Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
INNER HARBOR REDEVELOPMENT BALLOT QUESTION WINS APPROVAL: Baltimore voters backed the proposed $900 million development in the Inner Harbor, unofficial election results for Question F show. About 60 percent of city voters supported the charter amendment that would allow the project’s design proposal to move forward. Staff/The Baltimore Sun.
- A ‘yes’ means MCB Real Estate has cleared its greatest hurdle yet in the hometown firm’s quest to redevelop Baltimore’s most intriguing piece of real estate — and demolish the waterfront pavilions known as Harborplace. Giacomo Bologna/The Baltimore Banner.
JOLENE IVEY WINS PG COUNCIL AT-LARGE SEAT: Prince George’s County council member Jolene Ivey beat Republican Michael Riker on Tuesday night in a special election to fill former council member Mel Franklin’s at-large seat. The seat became vacant two months before Riker pleaded guilty in a felony theft fraud scheme in August. Dana Munro and Steve Thompson/The Washington Post.
CHEF JOSÉ ANDRÉS CONSIDERS CHALLENGING REP. HARRIS: José Andrés, a James Beard award-winning chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant, floated the idea that he would challenge Maryland’s lone Republican congressman for his seat. The Montgomery County resident called U.S. Rep Andy Harris, who represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, a “disgrace” and said Maryland “deserves better.” Clara Longo de Freitas/The Baltimore Banner.
