By Ashlee Banks
Special to the AFRO
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is headed to the U.S. Senate after defeating former Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.
On Nov. 5, Alsobrooks made history to become the first Black candidate elected to the U.S. Senate to represent Maryland.
Cheers rang out through the Hotel at the University of Maryland, where Alsobrooks held her election night watch party celebration, as the polls confirmed her victory.
Following the election results, Alsobrooks thanked God, her family and Maryland voters for supporting her through this journey.
“We stand tonight united as one Maryland and to each and every Marylander I say, I will make your care my concern. Your hope [is] my focus and your dreams [are] my work in the days and years to come,” she told the crowd. “To the people who did not vote in this election, I want you to know that I see you too and I will never stop working to prove that public service and the work we do can and must change the lives of people for the better.”
“I ran for the Senate because of all of you. For the young people and elderly…for the future that you one day will inherit and the country that I know we all can be,” added Alsobrooks. “I know that we can be a country that yells less and listens more and fears less and trust more.”
Hundreds of Alsobrooks supporters attended the election night watch party celebration and enjoyed music, drinks and hours d’oeuvres well into the evening. Members of Congress were also in attendance including U.S. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-8), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.-4) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.-3).
Raskin told the crowd that Alsobrooks’ victory will protect democracy.
“We are fighting for freedom. We are fighting for progress,” said Raskin. “We offer a very simple device to the public…everything you need to know about voting is everything you need to know about driving. If you want to go forward you put it in D. You want to go backwards, you put it in R.”
“We’re sending Angela Alsobrooks to the U.S. Senate to stand strong for American democracy and freedom,” added Raskin. “Frederick Douglass said ‘if there’s no struggle there’s no progress…there must be struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott also attended the election night festivities.
Scott, who was re-elected to his position on Election Day 2024, told the AFRO that he is excited to work with Alsobrooks in the near future.
“We have a great relationship and partnership and we want to continue that and grow that to the next level,” said Scott. “She understands how important the senate seat is when you talk about resources for the city, when you talk about the Red Line, the ‘Highway to Nowhere,’ [the] Frederick Douglass tunnel and the Howard Street tunnel [and] the work that we’ve done to reduce violence.”
“Angela has been in a seat like mine, so she understands that at the local level we need our senators to help and show up with us and I know she’s going to do that without batting an eye,” added Scott.
Moore told the crowd that he is excited that Alsobrooks was elected by Maryland voters.
“We just voted overwhelmingly, decisively and lovingly, to send our friend Angela Alsobrooks to the United States Senate,” said Moore. “Tonight we made ‘herstory.’ What we also did as Maryland is send a fighter to Capitol Hill.”
“She will make sure that we codify Roe,” the governor added. “We are sending someone to Congress who is going to make sure we get these illegal guns out of neighborhoods and out of our streets.”
Alsobrooks is the fifth Black woman to serve in the upper chamber of Congress. On Nov. 5, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) became the fourth Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Prior to their victories, only three Black women served as U.S. Senators including Laphonza Butler, (D-Calif.), Vice president Kamala Harris who also represented California and Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.).
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