Baltimore mayor endorses Maryland Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks
“What Maryland would be doing by sending the county executive as our senator is let them know that we’re serious about investing in education, justice, crime, and representation that wants to move U.S. citizens in a forward manner,” said Scott.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, one of three Black women running for a U.S. Senate seat in 2024, received an endorsement from Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott.
During a press conference at the Zeta Center for Healthy and Acting Aging on Tuesday, Scott told reporters he endorsed Alsobrooks because of her record as county executive in which she “improved education” and “crumbling infrastructure.”
Reflecting on how she managed the COVID-19 shutdown, the mayor said, [She] knows how to deal with things like a pandemic that no one saw coming.” He added, “That shows that she is someone who is tested, proven, and understands how to work for the people on the ground.”
During the press conference, Alsobrooks told reporters, “I’m excited about the opportunity to join the U.S. Senate because I believe it’s important to not only understand all of the challenges and many opportunities that exist in Baltimore, but you can’t represent people you don’t know or understand.”
“I’ve come to understand the great value that Baltimore provides for the state of Maryland,” the Senate hopeful added. “It’s not only the largest city in the state of Maryland, but it is a fact that if Baltimore is healthy, so is the rest of the state.”
Scott told theGrio that he believes Alsobrooks would help bring stability to the U.S. Congress and not add to the “circus” that he believes has been created by some lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
In recent months, some congressional members have been in the hot seat over misconduct claims and other controversies.
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is facing expulsion after the Department of Justice indicted him for making false statements, engaging in credit card fraud, and wire fraud, amongst a slew of other charges.
Earlier this month, Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., challenged Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters union, to a duel during a committee hearing following an interaction the two had on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In September, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., was escorted from a “Beetlejuice” musical show in Denver after she was caught vaping and engaging in lewd behavior with her partner.
“When you have people who want to move up into elected office and who want to actually accomplish things, you look at mayors and county executives because we’ve been where the rubber meets the road,” said Scott.
He continued: “What Maryland would be doing by sending the county executive as our senator is let them know that we’re serious about investing in education, justice, crime, and representation that wants to move U.S. citizens in a forward manner.”
Scott is the latest public figure to endorse Alsobrooks. She was also endorsed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, U.S. Senators Cory Booker, D-N.Y. and Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., and others.
Alsobrooks said that if elected to the U.S. Senate, she would tackle key issues, which include housing affordability, investing in minority businesses, passing gun reform legislation, and combating police brutality.
“It is my firm belief that all of our communities deserve to have both justice and freedom,” she told theGrio. “I believe that we deserve both, and I will continue to make sure that I am standing up to make sure that justice is present in our communities.”
“Laws should apply equally to all of us, and we need to have a criminal justice system that works for every part of our community,” Alsobrooks added. “Where police respect us and police our communities with the dignity that we deserve.”
Scott believes that if Alsobrooks is elected, she will be an “education champion” in the Senate and will “fight to make progress on issues that hit hard, like the student debt crisis.”
“She’s also fought for small business and leading and making sure that women and minority-owned businesses have a more level-playing field in accessing government contracts,” he told reporters.
Alsobrooks, who faces opponents for the Democratic nomination in May 2024, said that if she is victorious in her bid for Senate, she wants to ensure “every single part of our city and all of Maryland has representation from a person who understands what is at the kitchen table of everyday people here.”
She continued, “To live in places that are safe, to invest in education, grant healthcare access, and heal people instead of incarcerating them.”
Vice President Kamala Harris was the last Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. The former California lawmaker stepped down from her Senate seat in January 2021 after she and President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., are also running for Senate seats in the 2024 elections.
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