Alsobrooks will win Maryland Democratic Senate nod, CNN projects, defeating a record-breaking self-funder

Angela Alsobrooks will win Maryland’s Democratic nomination for US Senate, CNN projects, advancing her potentially history-making candidacy to the competitive general election with implications for control of the chamber next year.

Angela Alsobrooks will win Maryland’s Democratic nomination for US Senate, CNN projects, advancing her potentially history-making candidacy to the competitive general election with implications for control of the chamber next year. The Prince George’s County executive’s victory is a stunning defeat over three-term Rep. David Trone, who loaned his campaign at least $61.77 million, breaking the record for self-funding a Senate primary campaign. She’ll face Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan, whose entrance into the race earlier this year shook up the Senate battlefield. Hogan will easily win his primary Tuesday, CNN projects. With Republicans already poised to flip a Senate seat in West Virginia, the party only needs to pick up one or two more seats, depending on who wins the White House, to secure the majority. That’s raised the stakes for Maryland, where the candidacy of the popular former governor is likely to make the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin more competitive than expected in a state that Joe Biden carried in 2020 by one of the largest margins in the country. While Trone, the co-owner of Total Wine & More, had an enormous financial advantage – outspending Alsobrooks on the airwaves about $47.5 million to $4 million – she had powerful endorsements from Maryland’s elected officials, including Gov. Wes Moore and every other member of the congressional delegation except for one House member and Cardin, who remained neutral. Alsobrooks is vying to be only the third Black woman elected to the Senate – and the first Black senator from Maryland. (The one Black woman currently serving — California’s Laphonza Butler — was appointed and isn’t running to stay beyond this year.) That history-making potential resonated with many of her supporters, who also wanted to see a woman in Maryland’s 10-person congressional delegation, which is currently all male. Besides touting her record in Prince George’s County, Alsobrooks and her allies pointed to her profile to make the case that she was the better general election candidate. She argued that she was a stronger messenger on abortion rights, for example, and frequently highlighted her opponent’s past contributions to Republicans who have since signed abortion restrictions. (Trone has argued that those were business expenses while touting the millions he’s donated to Democrats.) EMILY’s List also made a $2.65 million investment highlighting Trone’s donations to Republicans on air.