A new ad from Democrat Angela Alsobrooks aims to reach voters who previously backed Republican Larry Hogan, the state’s popular former governor who’s in a much tighter race now for U.S. Senate against Alsobrooks.
The 30-second spot, titled “This Time’s Different,” features several former Hogan voters and will begin airing Tuesday on network TV, according to the Alsobrooks campaign.
The ad begins with former Hogan voters saying they would not be voting for him again “because Larry Hogan would give Republicans control of the Senate. Republicans could pass a national abortion ban, more tax cuts for big corporations. Republicans would have the power to name justices to the Supreme Court. I don’t want Republicans to have control. I voted for Larry Hogan before. No way this time.”
Hogan won two terms as governor in Maryland, one of the nation’s bluest states, by pitching himself as a pro-business check on the state’s Democratic legislature. As a U.S. Senate candidate, Hogan is running on name ID, as well as moving to the center on abortion, recasting himself as “pro-choice” and promising to enshrine abortion access into federal law.
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But polls consistently show Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, the top elected official in Prince George’s County, running ahead of Hogan, even as he pitches to voters that he’d be an independent voice in the narrowly divided U.S. Senate. Hogan has also distanced himself from Trump, who is deeply unpopular in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1.
Hogan is dropping boatloads of money on the race — including $19 million in TV ad reservations, while Alsobrooks has only $2 million in future ads reserved through Election Day, according to AdImpac. Alsobrooks’ campaign would not disclose how much it’s spending on airing this latest ad.
Maryland isn’t the only state where candidates are courting voters from across the aisle. Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, running for reelection in a Trump state, is airing a TV ad touting Republicans who back him. Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, in a similarly tough race, launched the coalition “Republicans for Tester” as he seeks reelection.