Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has been elected as Maryland’s newest senator, making history as the first Black woman to represent Maryland.
At the beginning of the race, Angela Alsobrooks emphasized the lack of representation in the Senate. “There aren’t enough people in the U.S. Senate who live like, think like, and look like the people they’re supposed to represent. My Great-Grandma told me, ‘If you don’t like something, go farther and do better.’ … Let’s go farther together,” she said.
Before this election, only three Black women had ever served as senators, two elected and one appointed. This count grew significantly with the victories of Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware.
After she got elected, Alsobrooks talked about the historical significance of her win. She said, “it’s remarkable to think that in two years, America will celebrate its 250th birthday, and in all those years, there have been more than 2,000 people who have served in the United States Senate, and only three have looked like me.”
Alsobrooks, 53, began her career in government by prosecuting domestic violence cases and was the first Black woman to serve as a county executive in Maryland. In Prince George’s County she prioritized public safety and affordable healthcare. During her most recent campaign, she focused on abortion rights, gun control, and emphasized that she would help pass policies that would be favored by Marylanders.
Larry Hogan, a Republican and Alsobrooks’ competition, was Maryland’s governor from 2015 to 2023 and ran on a “country over party” platform, winning 44.9% of the vote (1.18 million votes). Despite being a popular governor, with votes from both sides of the aisle, Angela Alsobrooks, former county executive of Prince George’s County, won the seat with 52.7% of the vote (1.39 million votes).
Senior Director of Marketing for Google, Tricia Davis-Muffett, said that she feels deeply connected to Alsobrooks. Davis-Muffett said, “A few things I heard from interviews about her that resonated with me: Her family came to this area after her great grandfather was murdered by a police officer and found not guilty in South Carolina. She was the first black woman to be a county executive ever. She has ADHD and she did theater to help her deal with that in school. She has a daughter and is a single mom.” As one of two Black women joining the Senate, Alsobrooks will undeniably contribute to representing and advocating for a broader group of people.
