Alsobrooks on her early life and political career Recorded May 24, 2021
Angela Deneece Alsobrooks (born February 23, 1971) is an American lawyer who is a United States senator-elect from Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland, from 2018 to 2024, and as the county's state's attorney from 2010 to 2018. She is the first female county executive of Prince George's County and the first Black female county executive in Maryland history.
Born and raised in Prince George's County, Alsobrooks graduated from Duke University and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She began her career as an attorney for local firms before becoming involved in county government as a domestic violence prosecutor and appointed official in county executive Jack B. Johnson's administration. She was elected state's attorney of Prince George's County in 2010 and reelected in 2014. Alsobrooks has served as Prince George's County Executive since 2018; she defeated former U.S. representative Donna Edwards in the 2018 Democratic primary election and ran unopposed in the general election. Alsobrooks was reelected in 2022.
Alsobrooks ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024 to replace retiring Senator Ben Cardin. She defeated U.S. Representative David Trone in the Democratic primary and won the general election against former Republican governor Larry Hogan, becoming Maryland's first African-American senator and the third African-American woman elected as senator of any U.S. state.[a] She will also be the second woman to represent Maryland in the Senate, after Barbara Mikulski. Alsobrooks is to be sworn in on January 3, 2025.
Early life and career
Early life and education
Alsobrooks was born to James Alsobrooks, who worked as a distributor for The Washington Post[1] and a car salesman,[2] and Patricia Alsobrooks (née James), a receptionist.[3] Her family moved from Seneca, South Carolina to Maryland in July 1956 shortly after her great-grandfather, J. C. James, was shot and killed by police officer Charles Lee[4] while resisting arrest.[5] Lee was not charged in James's death after a coroner's jury found that he had acted in self-defense after the two began to scuffle as Lee attempted to arrest James for creating a disturbance.[6] Alsobrooks has said that her surname is of West African or Native American origin.[7]
Alsobrooks was raised in Camp Springs, Maryland, and attended Benjamin Banneker High School in Washington, D.C.[8][9] She earned her bachelor's degree in public policy and Afro-American studies at Duke University in 1993,[10] and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1996.[9][11] After she was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1996,[12] Alsobrooks clerked for law firms DLA Piper and DeCaro, Doran, and for Circuit Court Judges William D. Quarles Jr. and Donna Hill Staton until 1997,[13][14] when she began working as an assistant state's attorney in Prince George's County, where she was assigned to handle domestic violence cases.[11][15] She left the state's attorney office in 2002 to become education liaison for Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson. In 2003, she was appointed executive director of the county revenue authority.[9][16]
Alsobrooks as Prince George's County State's Attorney in 2015
Alsobrooks was first elected Prince George's state's attorney in 2010 and reelected in 2014.[8][11] She is the first woman[18] and youngest person to serve as state's attorney in county history.[27] During her first election, Alsobrooks ran with the support of Maryland Secretary of Aging Gloria G. Lawlah, county executives Wayne K. Curry and Jack B. Johnson,[28] and incumbent state's attorney Glenn Ivey,[29] and ran on a slate with former state delegate Rushern Baker.[28]
As state's attorney, Alsobrooks took what was seen as a tough-on-crime approach while also supporting a rehabilitative approach for juveniles in the criminal justice system.[30][31] During her time in office, the violent crime rate in the county declined by 50%, in line with national trends.[32][33][34] Alsobrooks also increased prosecutions for car break-ins, vandalism, and burglaries,[35] and personally prosecuted Richmond Phillips, who was sentenced to life without parole for killing his mistress and their daughter;[36] and Daron Boswell-Johnson, who was sentenced to two life sentences after killing his two-year-old daughter and her mother.[37] She supported initiatives by county executive Rushern Baker to concentrate government resources in communities struggling with social problems and to take control of the Prince George's County school system, which she accredited to a decrease in crime in the county.[38] She also created a Special Prosecutions Unit within her office to handle economic crimes, public corruption, and police misconduct cases.[39]
Alsobrooks sought and secured funding to increase the number of attorneys in the office and increased conviction rates.[40] She also divided her office's prosecutors into the county's six police districts to handle cases specific to each region, and concentrated on addressing quality-of-life concerns, discouraging truancy, and increasing social services.[41] Alsobrooks worked with California Attorney General Kamala Harris to implement a program to reduce recidivism in Prince George's County, mirroring the "Back on Track" program introduced by Harris in California.[42][43]
Alsobrooks announced her intention to run for county executive on July 28, 2017.[45][46] Her platform included increasing education funding, expanding the commercial tax base, and improving public safety by increasing police hires.[15] During the primary, Alsobrooks was endorsed by The Washington Post,[47] U.S. senator Chris Van Hollen, U.S. representatives Anthony Brown[48] and Steny Hoyer, and numerous labor unions.[49] Alsobrooks won the Democratic primary election with 61.8% of the vote,[50] defeating eight other candidates, including former Congresswoman Donna Edwards and state senator C. Anthony Muse.[51] She faced Republican Jerry Mathis in the general election, who later dropped out and endorsed Alsobrooks on August 29, 2018,[52][53] allowing her to run without any formal opposition and earning 98.9% of the vote in the general election.[54]
Alsobrooks was seen as a possible candidate for the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election,[55][56] but she instead chose to run for re-election as county executive in 2022.[57][58] She endorsed Wes Moore in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2022,[59] which was later described as "the most vital endorsement" for Moore's campaign.[60][61] In November 2022, following Moore's win in the general election, Alsobrooks was named as a co-chair on the transition teams of both Moore and Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman.[62]
Tenure
Alsobrooks being sworn in as county executive, 2018
Alsobrooks was sworn in on December 3, 2018,[63] becoming the first woman to be elected county executive for Prince George's County[64] as well as the first Black woman to serve as county executive in Maryland.[65]
During her tenure as county executive, Alsobrooks faced criticism from Latino officials for not appointing a single person of Hispanic descent to her 39-member cabinet, despite Latinos making up 21.2% of the county's population.[71][72] In statements to The Washington Post, she acknowledged that more could be done to include Latinos in her government, and members of her office said that the administration often does not receive Latino applicants for appointable positions.[73] Following this criticism, Alsobrooks appointed Manuel Castillo as chief information security officer,[74] created the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and made Spanish translations of county documents more accessible,[75] and later claimed that Latino representation in the county's workforce had increased from 6% to 23% during her tenure.[74]
Alsobrooks resigned as county executive on December 2, 2024, following her election to the U.S. Senate.[76] The county's chief administrative officer, Tara Jackson, became the acting county executive upon her resignation.[77] A special election for county executive will be held in early 2025.[78]
On March 9, 2020, Alsobrooks announced that Prince George's County had recorded its first case of COVID-19.[79] She soon ordered the closing of all county buildings[80] and opened the first COVID-19 testing site in the county at FedExField on March 27, 2020.[81] Prince George's was the Maryland county hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,[82] with 74,704 total cases and 1,317 deaths in the county by March 2021.[83]
In April 2020, Alsobrooks praised the Hogan administration for its acquisition of 500,000 test kits from South Korea through Operation Enduring Friendship, later requesting 90,000 of these test kits for Prince George's County residents. In May 2020, as hospitalizations began to plateau statewide, Alsobrooks expressed concern with the state's potential plans to begin easing some COVID-19-related restrictions, citing health department reports showing that the county was still dealing with a surge in COVID-19 patients.[84] Later that month, Alsobrooks provided $8 million for a county rent assistance program to assist individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[85] She also joined almost every other county executive in sending a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan warning that their jurisdictions "lack sufficient resources" to take steps to reopen in the weeks ahead.[86] Alsobrooks announced on May 28, 2020, that the county would begin its "incremental opening",[87] and would form a "Prince George's Forward" task force to help the county recover from the pandemic going forward.[88][89] The county entered its second phase of reopening on June 15, 2020.[90]
In July 2020, following an increase in cases in the county, Alsobrooks created the COVID-19 Ambassador Compliance Team to make sure establishments followed the county's COVID-19-related restrictions.[91] As cases continued to increase, she initially declined to implement any new restrictions[92] before setting a 50-person limit on social gatherings the following day.[93] In September 2020, Alsobrooks declined to move into phase three of reopening, pointing out that 13 ZIP codes in the county had a positivity rate of five percent or higher.[94] In November 2020, Alsobrooks announced new capacity limits at bars, gyms, and restaurants in Prince George's County amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.[95][96]
In January 2021, Alsobrooks announced that the county health department would cancel any vaccination appointments scheduled after February 9 as part of a "reset" after noticing that people from neighboring counties were crossing into Prince George's to get the COVID-19 vaccine.[97][98] In February 2021, she launched a "Proud to be Protected" campaign with local hospitals and non-profits to tackle vaccine misinformation and encourage residents to get vaccinated,[99] and later joined statewide efforts to do the same.[100] In May 2021, Alsobrooks lifted most of the county's COVID-19 restrictions, citing a decline in COVID-19 cases.[101] She also joined local leaders in sending a letter to Governor Hogan encouraging him to impose a temporary statewide eviction moratorium to give local jurisdictions more time to set up rent relief programs.[102][103] In August 2021, Alsobrooks reinstated the county's indoor mask mandate following an increase in COVID-19 cases from the Delta variant.[104] The county's mask mandate was lifted on February 28, 2022.[105]
Alsobrooks's 2024 U.S. Senate campaign logoAlsobrooks speaks at a campaign rally in August 2024
On May 9, 2023, Alsobrooks announced her candidacy in the 2024 election for the U.S. Senate from Maryland.[65] If elected, Alsobrooks will become the first Black senator from Maryland, the first woman to represent Maryland in Congress since Barbara Mikulski's and Donna Edwards's retirements in 2017, and the third Black woman ever elected to the Senate.[106][107]
During the Democratic primary, Alsobrooks ran on a platform emphasizing "kitchen-table" issues, such as community safety and health care, while also focusing on her political career as a prosecutor and county executive.[108][109] She also campaigned heavily in the Baltimore metropolitan area, which was viewed as a key battleground area in the primary and general elections.[110][111][112] She was viewed by media outlets as an early frontrunner,[113][114] receiving several high-profile endorsements from the Maryland Democratic political establishment early into her candidacy, including from Chris Van Hollen,[115]Steny Hoyer,[116]Wes Moore,[117] and multiple state legislators and county executives.[65][118][119]
The Democratic primary quickly developed into a contest between money and endorsements,[120] with Alsobrooks receiving the most individual donations[121] while her closest competitor, David Trone, largely self-financed his campaign with $61.7 million and outspent Alsobrooks 10-to-1 as of May 2024.[122] Trone utilized his self-funding ability to run a heavy media blitz across the state, overwhelming the Alsobrooks campaign and its resources, which looked to form fundraising alliances with high visibility supporters.[123] As a result, the Alsobrooks campaign employed campaign events to meet with potential supporters directly and waited until the final weeks of the Democratic primary to run a slew of advertisements introducing her to voters, touting her achievements in office, and promoting her endorsements.[18][124][125]
Alsobrooks trailed Trone in opinion polls for most of the primary, but enjoyed a surge of support in its final weeks as voters finally tuned in and Trone's campaign suffered from various gaffes he had made on the campaign trail.[124][126] She won the Democratic primary on May 14, 2024, with 54% of the vote.[127] Her support largely came from the state's most populous and urban counties, especially in her home base of Prince George's County, while Trone's support came mostly from Maryland's rural areas and Frederick County.[124] Alsobrooks faced former governor Larry Hogan in the general election. She scrutinized Hogan's legislative record, sought to associate him with former President Donald Trump,[128][129] and sought to remind voters that a Hogan victory would lead to Republican control of the Senate.[130] She led Hogan in general-election polling, but by a smaller margin than Democrats usually have in Maryland.[2] Alsobrooks defeated Hogan on November 5, receiving 54.6% of the vote.[131]
Alsobrooks testifies in support of legislation to protect domestic violence victims, 2014
During her tenure as state's attorney, Alsobrooks said she opposed removing school resource officers from Prince George's County public schools. She also sought harsh sentences for juveniles who committed violent crimes and supported increasing minimum sentences for people convicted of illegal gun possession,[30] but also supported programs to make it easier to get convictions expunged, divert juveniles from the criminal justice system, and help nonviolent drug offenders attend community college or vocational training.[18] As county executive, Alsobrooks defended the Prince George's County Police Department from a racial discrimination lawsuit in which the county spent at least $17 million and settled for $5.8 million in July 2021.[75][132]
In one of her first cases as state's attorney in February 2011, Alsobrooks sought the death penalty against Darrell Lynn Bellard, who had killed four people, including two children, in Prince George's County.[133][134] After Governor Martin O'Malley signed a bill banning the death penalty into law in 2013, she withdrew her death penalty notice and instead sought a sentence of life without parole.[135] Alsobrooks did not say whether she supported attempts to place a ballot initiative on the 2014 ballot to overturn the death penalty repeal, but said that she would consider seeking the death penalty if it were available.[136] Bellard was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on June 27, 2014.[137] In December 2023, Alsobrooks told MoCo360 that she did not support reinstating the death penalty and would support repealing it on the federal level if elected to the Senate.[138]
In 2012, Alsobrooks said she opposed the Maryland Court of Appeals's ruling in Maryland v. King, which held that collecting cheek swabs from arrested individuals violates their Fourth Amendment rights.[139] When asked by The Intercept if she still supported collecting DNA information from arrestees, a spokesperson for Alsobrooks said that collecting these records is a "valuable tool" in prosecuting violent criminals. During the 2023 legislative session, Alsobrooks testified against a bill that would increase privacy restrictions on police collection of biometric data.[30]
During the 2013 legislative session, Alsobrooks testified for a bill to make mass violence threats a felony, which was introduced following threats were sent to Laurel High School and the University of Maryland, College Park,[140][141] and another bill to require police and healthcare workers to report threats of abuse.[142] She also supported a bill to increase sentences for crimes committed around minors.[143]
In 2014, after the Maryland General Assembly voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, Alsobrooks formed a committee to develop a plan on how to handle marijuana-related offenses.[144] As state's attorney, she advocated for drug diversion programs that would provide treatment services to individuals charged with low-level marijuana offenses, including a program that allowed low-level drug offenders to attend Prince George's Community College and complete community service instead of serving prison sentences.[145] In November 2015, Alsobrooks controversially claimed on WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show that the decriminalization of marijuana resulted in a 30% increase in murders in Prince George's County.[30] A spokesperson for Alsobrooks later said that her comments were "only theories that have not yet been proven by crime statistics".[146][147] In February 2019, after her political committee conducted a poll asking voters about legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, Alsobrooks said on The Kojo Nnamdi Show that while she did not care how adults used marijuana, she had concerns with how its use could impact kids' development and their ability to get a job.[148] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks said she would vote to legalize recreational marijuana on the federal level.[149]
During the 2015 legislative session, Alsobrooks said she supported the Second Chance Act, which allowed for the expungement of certain nonviolent misdemeanor convictions, including disorderly conduct, trespassing, and theft of less than $1,000.[150]
In November 2016, Alsobrooks spoke in support of a proposed rule prohibiting prosecutors from setting a high bail on poor defendants,[151] arguing that the change would provide equal protection under the law for low-income individuals.[152] In 2017, she opposed a bill that would set new standards for pretrial releases and increase the use of cash bail.[153] During her 2018 county executive campaign, Alsobrooks said she supported abolishing cash bail.[154]
During the 2018 legislative session, Alsobrooks testified in support of bills to make mandatory reporters liable for unreported child neglect,[155] to make contract killing a felony,[156] and to require domestic violence offenders to surrender their firearms.[157]
In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Alsobrooks announced that the county would forgo expanding its police training facility, instead funding a $20 million public health facility to treat mental health and addiction.[158][159] She also condemned a video showing county police officers throwing down and kicking an individual at a Langley Park gas station as "disgusting" and said the officers involved should be fired, and called for reform of Maryland's Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights.[160] In July 2020, Alsobrooks established a Police Reform Task Force to come up with recommendations on public police reform.[161] In February 2021, Alsobrooks announced that the county would implement the reforms recommended by the task force, including updates to the department's use of force policy and creating a new office of integrity led by an independent inspector general.[162][163]
In March 2022, after crime in Prince George's County had hit a 15-year high, Alsobrooks proposed a $57 million increase in police funding[164] and created a task force to intervene in and prevent violent crimes among juveniles.[165] In September 2022, she announced a 30-day juvenile curfew that charged violators with civil penalties and fines.[166][167] While it was in effect, crime decreased five percent but overall increased two percent during all hours of the day.[168] In October 2022, the curfew was extended until the end of 2022.[169] Following a large teen brawl at National Harbor in April 2024, Alsobrooks declared a state of emergency and signed an executive order reinstating the youth curfew.[170]
In June 2023, Alsobrooks issued her first-ever veto to an amendment to the county's $5.4 billion budget, which increased funding for the county's Emerging Adults Program, a program to reduce recidivism in young people, by $250,000.[171] She said her decision to veto the youth program funding was "strictly a budget decision", explaining that she had to optimize spending while not raising taxes as the county dealt with a potential $60 million budget shortfall.[172]
During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act[7] and called for reforms to the criminal justice system to promote safety, justice, and equity for residents.[173]
Development initiatives
During her campaign, Alsobrooks said she would "work with the owners of the Redskins as well as with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan" to keep the Redskins stadium in Prince George's County.[174] In 2019, Alsobrooks stayed neutral on Governor Larry Hogan's proposal to take control of the federally-controlled Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm to build a new stadium for the Redskins, saying that while the Redskins are a valued enterprise, she would not be willing to take funds from other higher priorities, such as education, public safety, health care and economic development, to keep the team from moving away.[175] In 2021, Alsobrooks proposed developing a year-round sports and entertainment venue near FedExField as an incentive to keep the Washington Football Team in Maryland.[176] During the 2022 legislative session, she supported a bill providing $400 million toward developing the entertainment venue, which was signed into law by Governor Hogan in April 2022.[177]
Alsobrooks speaks at a press conference to support building the new FBI Headquarters in Prince George's County, 2023.
In February 2023, Alsobrooks signed into law a bill to temporarily cap rent increases at 3 percent.[181] In April 2023, she expressed concerns with a bill to provide rental assistance to low-income residents, saying she wanted to wait for long-term recommendations from a housing work group.[182] In October 2024, Alsobrooks praised the passage of a bill to cap rent increases at 6 percent per year or the consumer price index plus three percent, whichever is lower.[183]
In June 2023, Alsobrooks said she opposed a bill to place a two-year moratorium on new townhouse developments in commercial areas and areas surrounding Metro stations, which she claimed would "discourage investment from businesses".[184][185] In October 2023, she expressed concerns with a proposal to limit new building permits annually issued by the county until 2029.[186]
Economic issues
In October 2015, Alsobrooks said she supported a bill that required Prince George's County businesses to provide employees up to seven days of paid sick leave annually.[187]
In 2019, Alsobrooks endorsed legislation in the Maryland General Assembly to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023,[188] saying "[n]o one jurisdiction can achieve this on its own, because unless each city and county adopts the $15 minimum wage, it will not be a viable solution".[189] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, she supported raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and indexing future increases to inflation, as well as repealing the disability exemption from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which allows employers to pay employees with disabilities below the minimum wage.[190]
During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks supported policies to "harness the benefits of cryptocurrency" to support underserved communities.[191] She also opposed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act[192] and supported raising the corporate tax rate, describing it as a matter of equity and fairness to middle class Americans,[193] as well as expanding the child tax credit and capping childcare costs for low-income families.[173]
Education
During her county executive campaign, Alsobrooks said that her administration would increase investment in pre-K education, career and technology education, and infrastructure improvement projects within the county's schools,[11] with the goal of achieving universal pre-K for every child.[174][194]
Alsobrooks speaks at a press conference announcing funds for school construction, 2018
In 2019, Alsobrooks announced that Prince George's County would use public-private partnerships to build and maintain several of the county's schools,[195] making it the first jurisdiction in the United States to do so.[196] According to The Baltimore Sun, six new schools have been built using these partnerships and eight more are currently being built as of September 2024.[75] During the 2019 legislative session, she supported Governor Larry Hogan's proposal to fund school construction projects in the state with revenues from casino gaming.[197] In 2020, Alsobrooks testified in favor of legislation that would allow the Maryland Stadium Authority to issue up to $2.2 billion in bonds to pay for school construction projects.[198] During the 2024 legislative session, she supported a bill giving Prince George's County more discretion over county telecommunications and energy tax revenues, saying that the county needed "flexibility" to plan for the future. Currently, the money earned from these taxes goes toward funding the county's school system.[199][200]
During the 2020 legislative session, Alsobrooks said that she supported the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, but expressed concerns with the education reform bill's funding requirements—which would have required Prince George's County to increase its education funding by $360 million by 2030—telling legislators that she would have to defund the county's police department to pay for the proposed education reforms.[201] She also said she would not raise taxes to fund the Blueprint.[202] In response, legislators amended the bill's funding formulas to lessen its impacts on poorer areas of the state, which decreased the bill's cost to Prince George's County to $183 million by 2030.[203] In September 2021, Alsobrooks wrote to Governor Hogan to express concern that none of the nominees to the state's education reform panel lived in Prince George's County. The panel refused requests to reopen applications, waiting for clarity from the Attorney General of Maryland.[204] In September 2023, she said she would support giving counties increased oversight over education spending amid the Blueprint's implementation.[205]
In January 2021, Alsobrooks appointed former state delegate Juanita Miller as chair of the Prince George's County Board of Education.[206] After ethics charges were filed against almost all members of the Prince George's Board of Education in August 2021, Alsobrooks asked the state's top school officials to "immediately" investigate the allegations.[207] The Maryland State Board of Education said it was unable to review the ethics allegations made against the school board members, saying that the report is confidential "until accepted by the local board of education".[208] In June 2022, Alsobrooks asked Miller to resign from the school board after the Maryland State Board of Education made public two charges against her.[209][210] Miller's term ended in the summer of 2024.[211]
In February 2022, Alsobrooks asked the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation to allow the Prince George's County school board to return to an all-elected school board, with nine members elected by district and one student member.[212]
During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks supported expanding the federal Pell Grant program and said she would work with the Biden administration to provide student loan relief.[213] She also expressed support for increasing funding for Title I schools and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.[173]
Electoral and ethical reform
In January 2020, Alsobrooks criticized a state law that prohibited Prince George's County politicians from taking contributions from developers with pending projects in the county, calling it "racially biased". Prince George's County was the only county in Maryland with a ban on developer contributions, passed in 2012 after Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson pleaded guilty to accepting $1 million in bribes from real estate developers.[214] She endorsed two bills to repeal the developer contributions ban partially,[215] which became law later that year.[216] During her 2018 campaign, Alsobrooks was criticized for taking donations from real estate developers and accused, without evidence, of doing "favors" for her political donors. Alsobrooks called these accusations an "evil lie", saying that 70% of her campaign's contributions had come from small donors.[217][218][219] An analysis of campaign finance records conducted by Bisnow Media showed that she had received over $50,000 in support from at least 18 real estate developers.[220] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks received a significant amount of contributions from real estate and development companies in Prince George's County and Washington, D.C.[221]
In July 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Alsobrooks sent a letter to Governor Larry Hogan asking him to provide multiple voting options for the 2020 general election, including mail-in voting and an expansion on in-person voting locations.[222] The following day, Hogan ordered the Maryland State Board of Elections to hold full in-person elections for the general election and to send all registered voters an application for an absentee ballot.[223] In response, she requested that the state elections board consolidate the county's 229 polling places into 15 vote centers, which Hogan criticized as a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Alsobrooks responded to this criticism by accusing him of mocking the county's residents for their concerns about the spread of COVID-19.[224][225]
During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks indicated that she would support extending voting rights to undocumented immigrants and 16-year-olds.[226] She also supported expanding the U.S. Supreme Court to thirteen members and imposing term limits on its justices.[227][228] Alsobrooks supports eliminating the filibuster[229] to pass the Freedom to Vote Act[213] and the Women's Health Protection Act.[149]
Environment
During her tenure as county executive, Alsobrooks established a county composting program for residents and spent over $1 billion on stormwater management programs.[230] She also signed an executive order setting a goal for the county to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared with 2005, and to achieve net zero by 2045.[231] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, she applauded the Inflation Reduction Act, promising to expand on its programs if elected, and supported initiatives to make electric vehicles more affordable, to increase federal funding for Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction programs,[230] and to impose a carbon tax on the biggest carbon polluters to pay for climate change mitigation programs.[232]
Foreign policy
Alsobrooks has cited preserving democracy as the most significant foreign policy issue facing the United States.[233] She supports the expansion of NATO[234] and building on U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates to counter Iran.[235]
Alsobrooks supports Israel's "right to defend itself" and has described herself as an ally toward maintaining the U.S.-Israel relationship, including supporting providing the country with funding and military assistance.[236] She supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[237] In 2019, Alsobrooks traveled to Israel with other local elected officials on an American Israel Education Foundation trip,[236] during which she met with military officials and Knesset members, and visited the Golan Heights.[238] In October 2023, Alsobrooks expressed support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war and spoke out against hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim people.[239] She later expressed support for a ceasefire in the war alongside the release of hostages held by Hamas,[237][240] and argued that the U.S. should withhold its offensive weaponry to Israel if it invades Rafah.[241] In April 2024, Alsobrooks distanced herself from U.S. senator Chris Van Hollen's calls to suspend U.S. arms transfers to Israel amid the war and criticized opponents of Israel within the Democratic Party as being "more interested in talking about problems than in fixing them".[238]
Alsobrooks supports Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said during her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign that she would support legislation to provide foreign aid to Ukraine if elected to the U.S. Senate,[3] and expressed interest in allowing Ukraine to join NATO.[149] She has also described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator and a tyrant, and expressed frustration with Republican efforts to hold up bills providing military assistance to Ukraine.[233]
Alsobrooks opposes sending U.S. troops to fight in the Russo-Ukrainian War[233] or in a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.[149]
Gun control
Alsobrooks testifies for the Firearm Safety Act with Governor Martin O'Malley, 2013
Alsobrooks testified in support of the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill restricting firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles.[242] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks blamed increases in gun violence on a lack of mental health resources and gun laws,[243] and supported providing cities with access to federal data to enhance law enforcement's ability to trace guns.[244] She also supports red flag laws and federal legislation to implement universal background checks for gun sales, combat gun trafficking, and ban assault weapons[245] and homemade firearms.[246]
In February 2014, Alsobrooks spoke in support of a bill to limit the state's Secure Communities program by requiring Maryland jails to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests to detain illegal immigrants for up to 48 hours.[252] In June 2019, she and other Democratic county executives released a joint statement condemning planned nationwide immigration enforcement raids.[253] In November 2019, Alsobrooks signed the Act Concerning Community Inclusiveness, a bill banning local agencies from cooperating with immigration enforcement.[254][255] In June 2019, Alsobrooks signed into law a bill prohibiting county police departments from working with ICE in noncriminal deportation cases.[256]
Alsobrooks supported the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland in 2012 and supported Question 6.[263] During her tenure as county executive, Alsobrooks issued several proclamations recognizing Pride Month and expanded health services with people with HIV/AIDS, and hired the county's first government liaison to the LGBTQ community in June 2023.[264] Later that month, she became the first county executive to fly the Progress Pride flag over county government buildings.[265] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, Alsobrooks supported the Equality Act[266] and criticized anti-trans laws passed in Republican states as well as national efforts to "undermine equality and promote discrimination" against LGBT individuals.[263][264]
In February 2019, after it was reported that state delegate Mary Ann Lisanti had described a district in Prince George's County as a "n----- district" in a conversation with another legislator, Alsobrooks described her comments as "disturbing and offensive" and invited her to come to the county.[272] She later called on Lisanti to resign from the Maryland House of Delegates.[273]
In April 2023, Alsobrooks agreed with proposals to create a $2 million universal basic income pilot program in Prince George's County but expressed concerns with its funding due to its tight budget constraints.[274] The $4 million pilot program, which was funded using a public-private partnership and provided $800 monthly payments to 125 seniors over a two-year span, was unanimously passed by the county council and launched in November.[275]
Alsobrooks opposed a proposal to build a maglev train connecting Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, describing the proposal as "outright disrespect to Prince George's County" and a "discourteous project".[278] In May 2021, she sent a letter to Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose and Maryland Transportation Secretary Greg Slater to voice her opposition to the D.C.–Baltimore maglev proposal,[279] arguing that the construction would "tear through environmentally sensitive areas" and that the 311-mile-an-hour train would cause vibrations and hurt property values.[280] In late 2021, Alsobrooks launched programs to preserve and construct mixed-use development around the Blue Line[281] and Purple Line projects.[282][283] In July 2023, Alsobrooks said she supported restarting the Red Line in Baltimore.[17]
In February 2019, Alsobrooks introduced legislation to increase transparency on state road upkeep by publishing state schedules for upholding maintenance on state medians and litter pickup.[284]
Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in March 2024, Alsobrooks supported the federal and state response to the disaster, as well as President Biden's pledge to cover 90 percent of the costs of replacing the bridge.[285] During her 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, she criticized former Governor Larry Hogan's cancellation of the Red Line in Baltimore and promised to support transit projects in the city, calling it the "foundation of economic opportunity".[286]
In September 2024, CNN reported that Alsobrooks had improperly benefited from tax breaks she did not qualify for, including one meant for low-income senior citizens, allowing her to save nearly $14,000 in taxes on a property she owned in northeast Washington, D.C. between 2005 and 2017. She also saved at least $2,600 in taxes on a townhouse she owned in Prince George's County after applying for a homestead exemption in 2008. She later began to rent out the property while still taking the homestead exemption, violating state and local tax relief requirements.[295] D.C. tax officials later determined that Alsobrooks owed the district $47,580 in property taxes.[296] Alsobrooks's Senate campaign told CNN that she paid the mortgage of her grandmother's home in northeast Washington until it was sold in 2018 and was unaware of any tax credits attached to the property,[295] and later told The Washington Post that she would pay back any taxes that should have been applied to the properties.[289]The New York Times later obtained mortgage documents that show Alsobrooks attesting that she would live in the D.C. property for at least a year—she never did, instead using it as a rental property, making her ineligible for the homestead exemption she received.[297] As of December 2024, Alsobrooks had paid the taxes she owed the District of Columbia.[298]
Electoral history
Prince George's County State's Attorney Democratic primary election, 2010[299]
↑ Alsobrooks is the fourth female African-American U.S. senator overall following Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois, Kamala Harris of California, and Laphonza Butler of California. Alsobrooks was also elected alongside Lisa Blunt Rochester, marking the first time in U.S. history that two African-American women served in the U.S. Senate simultaneously.
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↑ Kurtz, Josh (April 11, 2017). "Sine Die: The Winners and Losers". Maryland Matters. Retrieved February 14, 2024. Alsobrooks already has a reputation for being tough on crime; now she's associated with a liberal criminal justice reform measure as well.
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