Hogan hits Alsobrooks on crime record in his first attack ad – Washington Examiner

EXCLUSIVE — Maryland Senate candidate Larry Hogan is unveiling an ad Monday criticizing the crime record of his Democratic opponent, Angela Alsobrooks, marking his first direct shot at the Prince George’s County executive on the airwaves.

The one-minute ad, first reported by the Washington Examiner, features clips of Alsobrooks saying she cut violent crime by 50% under her tenure as the top prosecutor of Prince George’s County, which borders Washington, D.C. She served in that position from 2011 to 2018, during which FBI crime data show violent crime declined by roughly half.

Hogan, a Republican relying on his centrist record as governor of the deep-blue state to court voters, has previously used campaign advertising to highlight his independent streak and his track record of reaching across the aisle.

However, his latest ad serves to counter Alsobrooks’s campaign rhetoric, emphasizing the spike in crime since she assumed her role as county executive in December 2018.

The ad proceeds to label Alsobrooks as “another typical politician who doesn’t deliver” and cites FBI data showing violent crime increasing in Prince George’s County by more than 30% from 2018 to 2022. The video also highlights upticks during the same time span in homicides and carjackings.

The Alsobrooks campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The ad will run digitally across social media platforms.

“I don’t know if it’s an attack ad. It’s more of a comparison,” Hogan told the Washington Examiner on Sunday evening during an Asians for Hogan fundraiser in North Bethesda, Maryland. “It’s all factual, and it’s about her record. I’m not attacking her personally. They’ve been pretty personal and pretty negative from Day 1 since the day I announced. This is more, like, ‘Hey, maybe you weren’t aware of the fact that her record on crime is terrible.’”

The Hogan campaign, in recent weeks, has zeroed in on public safety under Alsobrooks, reminiscent of the criticism congressional Republicans have lobbed at Democrats across the country. The Hogan team accused Alsobrooks earlier this month of empty promises with her “platitudes” on gun control.

Meanwhile, Alsobrooks and her campaign have painted Hogan as the linchpin to a Republican-controlled Senate that will empower the “MAGA” wing of the party to pass a national abortion ban and advance a host of legislation on GOP priorities. Hogan has come out in support of codifying Roe v. Wade since announcing his Senate run.

The Maryland Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), could determine control of the chamber as Republicans seek to retake the majority. Democrats hold a one-seat margin of 51-49. To keep control, they must successfully defend all eight competitive races this cycle, and President Joe Biden must win reelection.

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Overall, nationwide crime trended downward by double digits in 2023 after a pandemic-era spike, including in Prince George’s County. But county police warned earlier this year that local violent crime was again on the rise, and it was cited as a top concern for Maryland voters in a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

Statistics show carjackings shot up nearly 500% in Prince George’s County from 2019 to 2023. Year-over-year crime in 2023 also went up, including homicides by 7%, carjackings by 17%, and stolen vehicles by 141%, per county police.