Alsobrooks criticizes Hogan on abortion during Maryland Senate debate; he says she misrepresents his position

Jeff Barker, Baltimore Sun on Oct 10, 2024

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BALTIMORE — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks immediately criticized Republican opponent Larry Hogan on his abortion record in their only currently scheduled debate on Thursday, saying: “The Republican Party has declared war on women’s reproductive freedoms.”

Alsobrooks referenced Hogan’s record, including his 2022 veto of legislation allowing nurse practitioners, midwives and other non-physician medical professionals to perform abortions in Maryland. After the Democratic supermajority in the General Assembly overrode his veto, Hogan declined to release $3.5 million in funds set aside for training additional clinicians to perform abortions in Maryland before doing so was required the following year.

Hogan countered during the debate that she has mischaracterized his abortion record. He said he is in favor of restoring the precedent set by the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

“Her entire campaign is based on lies,” Hogan said. He said “everybody in Maryland knows” he protected abortion during his eight years as governor.

However, Hogan sought to set a cordial tone as the debate began.

“I just want to start by saying that I like and respect Angela Alsobrooks. We got a chance to work together while I was governor,” Hogan said. “The reason I’m stepping up to run is not to run against her or to try to defeat her.”

He then said: “The reason I decided to run for governor” before quickly correcting himself and saying “run for Senate.” He then said he is running because of his concern about “the direction of our country. What we see today is nothing but divisiveness and dysfunction in Washington.”

Alsobrooks, a Democrat who is the Prince George’s County executive, and Hogan, the Republican former two-term governor, are vying for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin.

Democrats hold a 51-49 Senate edge. The party must defend a handful of seats in November in states that Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, plus three others — West Virginia, Ohio and Montana — won by former President Donald Trump, who is again the Republican nominee.

Polls have showed Alsobrooks leading Hogan by — or a little above — single digits.

The debate was taped at 1 p.m. at Maryland Public Television in Owings Mills.

The debate was moderated by Chuck Todd, chief political analyst for NBC News. Panelists included Jeff Salkin, news anchor with MPT; Alexis Taylor, managing editor at AFRO News; Deborah Weiner, news anchor at WBAL-TV in Baltimore; and Tracee Wilkins, investigative reporter at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.

There was to be a five-hour gap between the end of the hour-long debate, which began at 1 p.m., and the taped broadcast, which was to be shown at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and at the same time on WBAL-TV and WBAL-AM in Baltimore, and on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.

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