Campaign

Raskin offers key endorsement in Maryland Senate race

by Julia Mueller - 03/25/24 10:33 AM ET

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has endorsed Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks over fellow Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) in Maryland’s closely watched Senate race.

“Who do we want on the floor of the U.S. Senate defending women’s right to choose? I want Angela Alsobrooks. Who do we want defending the right of the people to vote? I want Angela Alsobrooks,” Raskin said in a video announcing his endorsement.

Alsobrooks and Trone are vying in the Maryland primary for the Senate seat left open by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

Raskin’s endorsement comes after a Washington Post-University of Maryland (UMD) poll released last week found Trone leading Alsobrooks by roughly 7 points in the primary race.

Whichever Democrat emerges from the primary is likely to enter a potentially difficult general election race against former Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who made a surprise entry into the race last month. Maryland is typically a blue state for Senate races, but Hogan’s entry appears to give the GOP a fighting chance in the state.

The Post-UMD poll found both Trone and Alsobrooks losing a hypothetical general election match-up against Hogan, despite a majority of Marylanders saying they would prefer it if Democrats controlled the upper chamber.

“If Larry Hogan were to go to the Senate, he’d be another brick in the wall for Donald Trump and his party,” Raskin said in the video. He added that Alsobrooks, if she scored the seat, would be “defending democracy and freedom against Donald Trump and the MAGA right.”

Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, last year turned down the idea of running for Cardin’s Senate seat and launched his reelection bid for the House.

“I am thrilled to have the endorsement of my friend, @jamie_raskin. He is a fierce defender of democracy and a passionate advocate for Marylanders and I can’t wait to get to work with him to deliver for all Americans in the Senate,” Alsobrooks said on X, formerly Twitter.