Maryland Democrats pick Angela Alsobrooks to take on Hogan for open U.S. Senate seat

Maryland Democrats chose Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to be the party's nominee for U.S. Senate in Tuesday's primary election, beating a handful of Democrats including Rep. David Trone. Her win sets up a crucial race for the party in its attempts to maintain control of the chamber this fall.

Alsobrooks will face former Gov. Larry Hogan, who easily won the Republican nomination and gives the party its best chance to win a Senate seat in Maryland for the first time since 1980.

As Trone conceded the Democratic contest Tuesday night, he urged his supporters to move forward by backing Alsobrooks and reelecting President Joe Biden.

"We cannot let the party of Trump take our Senate," he said. "We can't let them take our country."

Incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin, 80, announced he would not seek a fourth-term in office last year. That set off a scramble within the Democratic party to replace him, and Alsobrooks and Trone quickly rose to the top of the list. It was expected the winner of their clash would coast to the seat in the fall election.

But on Feb. 9, the last day of candidate filing for the primary, Hogan announced he would seek the Republican nomination after consulting with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and former President George W. Bush. The 67-year-old popular two-term governor, portrayed as a moderate in large part because of his criticisms of former President Donald Trump, had previously shown no interest in the race, instead making noise about a potential presidential run.

Alsobrooks is in her second-term as county executive of Prince George's County in the Washington DC suburbs. She previously served as state's attorney in the county, which is the second largest by population in the