Opinion: The Case for Angela Alsobrooks

Peter Heck • October 15, 2024


Angela Alsobrooks, county executive of Prince George’s County, is the Democratic candidate for United States Senator from Maryland. In one of the most important races on the ballot this November, Alsobrooks is taking on Larry Hogan, the Republican former governor. The outcome of this contest could well decide which party holds the majority in the Senate for the next two years — if not longer.

 

Born and raised in Maryland, Alsobrooks graduated from Duke University and the University of Maryland School of Law. After serving as an assistant state’s attorney in PG County, she became the first woman elected as state’s attorney in that county.

 

During her tenure, violent crime in the county dropped by 50%, and she increased prosecutions for property crimes such as car break-ins, vandalism, and burglary. At the same time, she supported rehabilitation for juveniles and worked to reduce problems in the county school system.

 

She was elected county executive in 2018, the first Black woman to hold that office in any Maryland county. She put the focus on creating jobs and economic opportunities for county residents. A strong advocate of education, she broke ground for 10 new schools during her first six years in office. She also expanded healthcare access and made crucial decisions to keep county residents safe during the early years of the covid-19 pandemic.

 

In short, Alsobrooks brings a strong record of accomplishment to her campaign for Senate. But she’s not going to rest on those achievements when she takes her seat in Washington. Here are some of her priorities, as highlighted on her website.

 

On abortion and women’s health: Alsobrooks will co-sponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act on her first day in office, to establish federal protection for the right to abortion care. She will fight efforts by Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood and oppose any federal court nominee who doesn’t support abortion rights. According to Alsobrooks, women’s healthcare decisions should be between the women and their doctors, with government interference uncalled for.

 

On climate change — the effects of which are so recently evident in Hurricanes Helene and Milton — Alsobrooks supports the current administration’s work to invest in clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As a senator, she says will work for federal emissions targets and expanded tax credits for clean energy. And she also plans to co-sponsor Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act, to ensure that the largest contributors of fossil fuel emissions pay their fair share to reduce climate change. 

 

On the economy: Alsobrooks advocates passage of a permanent child tax credit to help families address the rising costs of childcare. She supports the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, investing to build new roads and bridges, improve access to drinking water, expand high-speed internet, and strengthen supply chains.

 

On gun safety: Alsobrooks is committed to fighting for essential gun safety legislation to protect children and communities from school shootings, mass shootings, and other gun violence. Measures she supports include universal background checks, banning AR-15s and similar military-style weapons, prohibiting devices like bump stocks, and passing red flag laws to prevent dangerous persons from obtaining firearms.

 

On immigration: She advocates comprehensive reforms to mend the immigration system, with a pathway to citizenship for those already living and working in the U.S. She supports initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors, and those under Temporary Protected Status.
 

On senior issues: Alsobrooks opposes any effort to defund or privatize Social Security and Medicare, or to raise the retirement age. She supports expanding Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices, and advocates the elimination of the payroll cap for Social Security, ensuring that the wealthiest Americans do their share to support the program and keep it solvent.

 

On voting rights and preserving democracy: Alsobrooks supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, preventing states from undermining the right of all citizens to vote. She will sponsor the Freedom to Vote Act, expanding voting rights, reforming campaign finance law, and bringing an end to gerrymandering. She supports stronger ethics laws for all federal officeholders. And she will work to end the use of the filibuster in the Senate, preventing partisan minorities from blocking essential legislation.

 

Alsobrooks has been endorsed by an impressive list of state and national figures, including President Barack Obama and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, as well as Vice President — and Democratic nominee for president — Kamala Harris. Harris and Alsobrooks have a long history. It was Harris’s success as a district attorney in California that inspired Alsobrooks’ entry into politics here in Maryland, and Alsobrooks adopted several of Harris’s initiatives to fight crime during her own tenure as state’s attorney.

 

Alsobrooks has also won the support of the Washington Post editorial board.

 

Alsobrooks’ opponent, Hogan, has claimed that he will be an independent Republican if elected to the Senate, but realistically, as a first-year senator, he would have little power to change the minds — or votes — of the MAGA Republicans if they are in the majority. In fact, he would be under great pressure to go along with them on any close votes. And while he has claimed to favor reproductive freedom for women, his vetoes during his gubernatorial term of abortion legislation and his refusal to approve funding to train abortion providers speak louder than his words. Also, the fact that he has received significant funding from out-of-state Republicans suggests that they see him as a reliable representative of their priorities.

 

Angela Alsobrooks’ career to date has been consistent in its focus on helping ordinary Marylanders, whether in fighting crime, building schools, or working to create jobs. If elected to the United States Senate, she hopes to have the opportunity to continue this sterling track record on a national level.

 

It would be a shame to deny her that opportunity.

 

 

Peter Heck is a Chestertown-based writer and editor, who spent 10 years at the Kent County News and three more with the Chestertown Spy. He is the author of 10 novels and co-author of four plays, a book reviewer for Asimov’s and Kirkus Reviews, and an incorrigible guitarist.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

By Friends of Megan Outten July 29, 2025
Megan Outten, a lifelong Wicomico County resident and former Salisbury City Councilwoman, officially announced her candidacy recently for Wicomico County Council, District 7. At 33, Outten brings the energy of a new generation combined with a proven record of public service and results-driven leadership. “I’m running because Wicomico deserves better,” Outten said. “Too often, our communities are expected to do more with less. We’re facing underfunded schools, limited economic opportunities, and years of neglected infrastructure. I believe Wicomico deserves leadership that listens, plans ahead, and delivers real, measurable results.” A Record of Action and A Vision for the Future On Salisbury’s City Council, Outten earned a reputation for her proactive, hands-on approach — working directly with residents to close infrastructure gaps, support first responders, and ensure everyday voices were heard. Now she’s bringing that same focus to the County Council, with priorities centered on affordability, public safety, and stronger, more resilient communities. Key Priorities for District 7: Fully fund public schools so every child has the opportunity to succeed. Fix aging infrastructure and county services through proactive investment. Keep Wicomico affordable with smarter planning and pathways to homeownership. Support first responders and safer neighborhoods through better tools, training, and prevention. Expand resources for seniors, youth, and underserved communities. Outten’s platform is rooted in real data and shaped by direct community engagement. With Wicomico now the fastest-growing school system on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — and 85% of students relying on extra resources — she points to the county’s lagging investment as a key area for action. “Strong schools lead to strong jobs, thriving industries, and healthier communities,” Outten said. “Our schools and infrastructure are at a tipping point. We need leadership that stops reacting after things break — and starts investing before they do.” A Commitment to Home and Service Born and raised in Wicomico, Megan Outten sees this campaign as a continuation of her lifelong service to her community. Her vision reflects what she’s hearing from neighbors across the county: a demand for fairness, opportunity, and accountability in local government. “Wicomico is my home; it’s where I grew up, built my life, and where I want to raise my family,” Outten said. “Our county is full of potential. We just need leaders who will listen, work hard, and get things done. That’s what I’ve always done, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do on the County Council.” Outten will be meeting with residents across District 7 in the months ahead and unveiling more details of her platform. For more information or to get involved, contact info@meganoutten.com
By John Christie July 29, 2025
Way back in 1935, the Supreme Court determined that independent agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) do not violate the Constitution’s separation of powers. Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935). Congress provided that the CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, would operate as an independent agency — a multi-member, bipartisan commission whose members serve staggered terms and could be removed only “for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause.” Rejecting a claim that the removal restriction interferes with the “executive power,” the Humphrey’s Court held that Congress has the authority to “forbid their [members’] removal except for cause” when creating such “quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial” bodies. As a result, these agencies have operated as independent agencies for many decades under many different presidencies. Shortly after assuming office in his second term, Donald Trump began to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of several of these agencies. The lower courts determined to reinstate the discharged members pending the ultimate outcome of the litigation, relying on Humphrey’s , resulting in yet another emergency appeal to the Supreme Court by the administration. In the first such case, a majority of the Court allowed President Trump to discharge the Democratic members of the NLRB and the MSPB while the litigation over the legality of the discharges continued. Trump v. Wilcox (May 22, 2025). The majority claimed that they do not now decide whether Humphrey’s should be overruled because “that question is better left for resolution after full briefing and argument.” However, hinting that these agency members have “considerable” executive power and suggesting that “the Government” faces greater “risk of harm” from an order allowing a removed officer to continue exercising the executive power than a wrongfully removed officer faces from being unable to perform her statutory duty,” the majority gave the President the green light to proceed. Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor and Jackson, dissented, asserting that Humphrey’s remains good law until overturned and forecloses both the President’s firings and the Court’s decision to award emergency relief.” Our emergency docket, while fit for some things, should not be used to “overrule or revise existing law.” Moreover, the dissenters contend that the majority’s effort to explain their decision “hardly rises to the occasion.” Maybe by saying that the Commissioners exercise “considerable” executive power, the majority is suggesting that Humphrey’s is no longer good law but if that is what the majority means, then it has foretold a “massive change” in the law and done so on the emergency docket, “with little time, scant briefing, and no argument.” And, the “greater risk of harm” in fact is that Congress provided for these discharged members to serve their full terms, protected from a President’s desire to substitute his political allies. More recently, in the latest shadow docket ruling in the administration’s favor, the same majority of the Court again permitted President Trump to fire, without cause, the Democratic members of another independent agency, this time the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Trump v. Boyle (July 23, 2025). The same three justices dissented, once more objecting to the use of the Court’s emergency docket to destroy the independence of an independent agency as established by Congress. The CPSC, like the NLRB and MSPB, was designed to operate as “a classic independent agency.” In Congress’s view, that structure would better enable the CPSC to achieve its mission — ensuring the safety of consumer products, from toys to appliances — than would a single-party agency under the full control of a single President. “By allowing the President to remove Commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence.” The dissenters also assert that the majority’s sole professed basis for the more recent order in Boyle was its prior order in Wilcox . But in their opinion, Wilcox itself was minimally explained. So, the dissenters claim, the majority rejects the design of Congress for a whole class of agencies by “layering nothing on nothing.” “Next time, though, the majority will have two (if still under-reasoned) orders to cite. Truly, this is ‘turtles all the way down.’” Rapanos v. United States (2006). * ***** *In Rapanos , in a footnote to his plurality opinion, former Supreme Court Justice Scalia explained that this allusion is to a classic story told in different forms and attributed to various authors. His favorite version: An Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant, he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.
By Shore Progress, Progessive Maryland, Progressive Harford Co July 15, 2025
Marylanders will not forget this vote.
Protest against Trumpcare, 2017
By Jan Plotczyk July 9, 2025
More than 30,000 of our neighbors in Maryland’s first congressional district will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid because of provisions in the GOP’s heartless tax cut and spending bill passed last week.
Farm in Dorchester Co.
By Michael Chameides, Barn Raiser May 21, 2025
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
By Catlin Nchako, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities May 21, 2025
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
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