Historic Victory: Angela Alsobrooks To Become Maryland’s First Black U.S. Senator – Essence
Democrat Angela Alsobrooks has been named the projected winer of Maryland’s U.S. Senate race against Republican Larry Hogan according to The Associated Press.
Her win makes her the first Black U.S. Senator in the state’s history.With a distinguished record of public service—including eight years as Prince George’s County State’s Attorney followed by two terms as County Executive—Alsobrooks is set to bring her deep-rooted experience to Congress, where she joins a small, historic cohort of Black women who have served in the Senate.
Alsobrooks’s campaign has carried historic weight, and her victory marks a new chapter for Maryland. “People like me don’t make it to the Senate, but we should,” Alsobrooks said during her address at the Democratic National Convention in August. She highlighted the systemic barriers that Black women face in reaching high political office. Reflecting on the experience, she told ESSENCE, “We’ve only elected two Black women to the Senate and only had three serve so far, so it was a joy to go out on that stage and represent so many people whose voices, I believe have been underrepresented in the Senate. And it was a great moment.
Alsobrooks shared that her inspiration for public service was partly sparked by Kamala Harris, who was then a district attorney in San Francisco. In 2009, Alsobrooks read an ESSENCE article about Harris’s innovative approach to justice. “I read a story in Essence magazine about a district attorney using new ideas to keep her community safe,” she recalled. Motivated, Alsobrooks began implementing restorative justice principles in her own work, working toward a reimagined justice system that broadens access to opportunity and reduces recidivism.
Looking ahead, Alsobrooks said determined to enact meaningful change on key issues, including economic opportunity and healthcare access. Her platform emphasizes expanding reproductive rights, improving healthcare access, and increasing educational resources for Marylanders. She has also voiced her support for comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship, and called for revisiting corporate tax policies, specifically the Trump-era tax cuts, to redirect resources toward programs benefiting working families rather than corporate interests.
Alsobrooks will officially take office on January 3, marking the beginning of a historic chapter for Maryland and for the Senate as a whole. Her election also means she will join fellow Senator-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was recently elected as Delaware’s first Black and female U.S. Senator. Together, they will make history as the first time two Black women will serve in Congress simultaneously.
