Maryland primary race heats up one week before primary election

EDGEWATER, Md. ( DC News Now ) — The Maryland Senate primary race between Congressman David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is heating up one week before voters head to the polls next Tuesday.

The race to take on popular former Gov. Larry Hogan has been turning spirited in recent weeks as Alsobrooks and Trone have been taking swings at each others campaigns.

“We’re building momentum, and we are on course to win the race,” Alsobrooks said. “And so he’s now turned to using those millions of dollars to attack me and so I am just really grateful again for all the support that we’re seeing, the wonderful momentum that is building. I’ve been excited to talk to voters both about my record and also talk about a positive vision for our state.”

Alsobrooks said that her “coalition that we’ve been able to build across the state” is starting to bear fruit.

“What we’re seeing now is that after spending $57 million, what he recognizes is that we are not only in a dead heat, but my campaign is gaining steam,” she said.

Trone, who was hosting California Democratic Senate candidate Adam Schiff for a Tuesday evening campaign event, was unavailable for comment.

But a surrogate for the Trone campaign, Maryland State Sen. Jill Carter, said that voters will have a clear choice between the two.

“In my view, I’m thinking and hoping that most voters are going to look at his track record,” said Carter, who is from Baltimore.

Carter said Trone has “fundamental fairness” in his character and cannot be bought by those wishing to influence power in Congress.

“Independence and freedom to act as a leader and not being beholden to special interests, taking money from those PACs that control far too many members of Congress,” she said.

Both Trone and Alsobrooks have been sparring in recent weeks as the race has turned more pointed. Trone has said Alsobrooks isn’t up for the job and she returned fire that his millions spent has given way to voters connecting more with her campaign.

If she gets past the primary with a victory and wins the general election in November, Alsobrooks would be the first African-American woman to hold that seat in Maryland.

“People are now becoming aware not only of my record, but they’re hearing also what my vision is for, what kind of state we will be,” she said.

But Carter said that Trone’s record will win him the primary.

“The best indication of what a person will do is of course what they’ve previously done,” Carter said. “There’s no comparison when you look at the record between him and his opponent.”

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