Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan challenged his Democratic opponent in the state’s Senate race on Friday over her record on public safety, accusing Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks of offering empty promises with gun control rhetoric.
Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed Alsobrooks on Friday at an event marking “Gun Violence Awareness Day” in her Maryland county.
“Instead of just offering more platitudes, we urge her to tell voters how she will address the skyrocketing crime on her watch in Prince George’s County,” Hogan said in a statement.
The former two-term governor cited county crime statistics that have worsened “after years of underfunding and deprioritizing public safety under her leadership,” including steep rises in homicides, carjackings, and other violent crimes.
The Alsobrooks campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Overall, nationwide crime trended downward by double digits in 2023 after a pandemic-era spike, including in Prince George’s County. But county police said earlier this year that violent crime in the area was again on the rise, leading the matter to become a top concern for Maryland voters in a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.
Data show violent crime in Prince George’s County increased by 12% from 2019 to 2023. Carjackings went up nearly 500%, from 86 in 2019 to 508 last year. Year-over-year crime in 2023 also went up, including murders by 7%, carjackings by 17%, and stolen vehicles by 141%, per county police.
Alsobrooks took office in December 2018. Prior to that, she had been the state’s attorney for Prince George’s County since 2011.
Hogan reiterated his 10-point crime plan, which includes more law enforcement funding, cracking down on repeat violent offenders, and removing guns from those with mental illnesses and violent criminal records.
Harris and Alsobrooks painted a Democratic victory in the contested race as the key to enacting long-stalled plans by the party to enact an assault weapons ban and stricter gun control measures.
“We will not accomplish these goals to keep America safe without a Senate majority,” Alsobrooks said. “The path to the majority runs through Maryland.”
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The Maryland Senate seat is one of eight battleground races that Democrats must retain control over in order to keep their majority with another 50-50 split chamber, if President Joe Biden wins reelection. A victory by Hogan or presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would almost certainly mean a Republican majority.
“Maryland, this November, you have the power to elect leaders who have actually kept our communities safe,” Harris said.
