By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Political Writer
Tmcqueen@afro.com
U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.-03) recently announced his endorsement of Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) for U.S. Senate.
Sarbanes said he sees Alsobrooks as “good for Maryland” and “terrific for our country.”
“It’s why I’m as motivated as I am in this moment to support her and her candidacy,” said Sarbanes.
Maryland is primarily a Democratic state, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary election may likely be the overall winner. The Maryland primary is on May 14.
Alsobrooks has over 160 endorsements from local, state and national leaders and organizations. Gov. Wes Moore (D), U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D) are a few notables on that list.
“Thank you so much again, congressman, for your support today and for your leadership. We are just really grateful — 15 years pushing democracy at a time when people weren’t talking about it the way they are today, but you had the foresight to know that this moment was coming,” said Alsobrooks.
Alongside the announcement was a roundtable discussion with Towson University (TU) students on protecting democracy and voting rights. Students asked questions about how to keep their friends and family engaged in politics and the importance of voting for Americans.
“Make a project of voting. Commit to it, be intentional about it,” said Sarbanes. “If people are trying to stop you from voting, get creative and figure out every single way to get around those obstacles. That kind of creativity, when it comes to democracy, can determine whether we hold on to this democracy or not.”
Alsobrooks encouraged the students to speak with their peers and make sure they are engaging and participating in the voting process. As well, she wanted them to remind their peers that “this is your country too” and that they have a stake in how it turns out.
Citiyana Amsalu, a criminal justice major and political science minor at TU, commented on the event.
“I would say that that was very refreshing,” said Amsalu. “My big thing is making sure that people who are running for Senate, or anything electoral, engage with voters. Making sure voters know moving forward, you can vote, it’s okay to go and there should be no fear. I think it was really great that we addressed this and had a talk about it.”
Shawn Bell, a political science major at TU, shared his thoughts on Alsobrooks.
“I’m lucky to be from Prince George’s County, Md., and she is just an outstanding individual who will be an amazing asset in Congress,” said Bell.
Alsobrooks is running against U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Md.-06). Over 60 congressional members have endorsed him for his bid for U.S. senator, including U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.-02) and U.S. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas-32). He has about 130 endorsements in total.
There are about 12 others in the race for U.S. senator, including John Thormann (R) of Baltimore County, Md., and Robert K. Houton (D) of Montgomery County, Md.
Tashi McQueen is a Report for America corps member.
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