In the Maryland Senate race, Democratic Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks is facing a tough battle in the deep-blue state against former Gov. Larry Hogan, and some Democrats believe name recognition is a factor in that fight.
Alsobrooks defeated Rep. David Trone (D-MD), a widely known, largely self-funded Democrat, but she now faces Hogan, who won two terms as governor in a state that voted for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump by 33 percentage points in 2020. While Alsobrooks holds the lead over Hogan, some Democrats have said the former governor’s higher name recognition statewide may be playing into the closeness of the race.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) hinted at the problem last week, saying that Alsobrooks “needs to be known by folks across the state,” according to Punchbowl News.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who Alsobrooks is running to succeed, also raised the matter, saying that “polls are showing that she’s not as well known as we’d like to have her in Maryland,” according to the outlet.
A pair of polls from earlier this month highlight Alsobrooks’s lower name recognition. A Gonzales Research and Media Services poll showed 34% of those surveyed, including 17% of Democrats and 33% of independents, did not know her name. A Public Policy Polling survey showed that while only 16% said they were “not sure” if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Hogan, 33% said they were not sure of their opinion on Alsobrooks.
Democrats and aligned groups have poured money into the race, with several television advertisements painting a picture of Hogan rather than touting Alsobrooks. Abortion rights group EMILYs List announced it would spend $2.2 million to attack Hogan’s record on abortion.
While Hogan is the bigger name in the race, Alsobrooks holds the lead in the polls. She leads Hogan in the RealClearPolitics polling average, 48.3%-41.5%, with the three most recent polls showing her with leads.
The Gonzales Research and Media Services poll showed Alsobrooks with a 46%-41% lead over Hogan, while the Public Policy Polling survey showed Alsobrooks with a 52%-37% lead over the former governor. The Hill-DC News Now-Emerson College poll, also conducted this month, showed Alsobrooks leading Hogan, 49%-42%.
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Though Alsobrooks leads in the polls, she is running significantly behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s performance in the presidential race against Trump in the state. The RealClearPolitics polling average for the presidential race in Maryland shows Harris leading Trump, 61.8%-33%.
The Senate race in Maryland has been rated as “likely Democrat” by the Cook Political Report while the presidential race in the state is rated as “safe Democrat.”