Election 2024: Angela Alsobrooks wins Senate race; Harborplace rezoning approved
Nov 05, 2024
Voters have spoken and will send Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County Executive, to the U.S. Senate. Alsobrooks, who will be the state’s first Black senator, defeated her Republican opponent, former Gov. Larry Hogan by about 9 perentage points.A former prosecutor, Alsobrooks won the contest to succeed retiring Ben Cardin. National groups invested millions in the campaign and the GOP early on thought they would have a good shot at taking control of the seat. The Alsobrooks campaign had stressed that the winner of the contest could decide control of the U.S. Senate, and that message appears to have resonated. Recent polls showed Alsobrooks pulling away. She had dubbed her campaign the “Defend our Majority Tour.”“Tonight absolutely could not have been possible without you,” Alsobrooks told a crowd gathered at her watch party in College Park, according to Capital News Service. “So to the people of Maryland, thank you so very much.”When the swearing-in takes place, it will represent the first time in a half-century that the Baltimore region will not claim a U.S. Senator either from the city or representing it in Congress (a stretch that dates to the 1970s and includes the full tenures of Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes).Alsobrooks will join Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware in the U.S. Senate, becoming the third and fourth ever Black women to serve in the Senate, and it will mark the first time ever that two Black women have served together.“Regardless of who you voted for, we can all take pride in the election of the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate,” Hogan said in a social media post.HarborplaceWith 96 percent precincts reported, Ballot Question H in Baltimore – one of eight ballot questions in the city – had the support of 60 percent of residents. Voters appeared to give approval to allowing portions of the Inner Harbor to be rezoned for private development, including the building of large residential towers.This change would allow a proposed redevelopment of Harborplace by MCB Real Estate, which purchased the current failing pavilions from receivership and and unveiled their vision in a master plan released in late 2023. Features include a new park, amphitheater, a resilient waterfront promenade with garden islands, a distinctive commercial building called the Sail, and twin residential towers of 32 and 25 stories apiece with up to 900 apartments.The plan will cost close to $1 billion to execute, with $400 million in public money for the public portions. The concept has been embraced by Mayor Brandon Scott, Gov. Wes Moore, and members of the City Council and General Assembly.But opposition had been strong, with opponents trying to derail the plan by knocking the question off the ball. Critics say one developer will have too much control over a city landmark, and is not staying true to the original concept of the Inner Harbor which dates to the 1970s. While several former mayors have endorsed the plan, former mayor and governor Martin O’Malley recently came out in in opposition.You can read Baltimore Fishbowl’s interview with P. David Bramble, the public face of MCB, about his goals and vision, in a Q and A published in two parts – Part 1 and Part 2.Reproductive FreedomVoters approved Question 1, the only statewide ballot question, enshrines reproductive freedom in the state constitution, with more than 74 percent of the vote.The adoption of Question 1 means that the decision to prevent pregnancy through contraception, carry a pregnancy to term, or terminate a pregnancy through abortion would be left only to a pregnant person and their health care provider.The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned the nearly 50 years of precedent set by Roe, began a cascading effect of state actions. There had been a call to enshrine these rights in the Maryland constitution before the Dobbs decision, but after that decision the urgency of protecting Marylanders became more real.“Maryland voters have rightly chosen to protect their health and their futures,” said Erin Bradley, chair of Freedom in Reproduction – Maryland. “The strong protection of reproductive rights that has existed for decades in Maryland law is now ironclad, enshrined in the state constitution. Voters have guaranteed reproductive certainty amid uncertain times.” Maryland was one of 10 states with abortion-related questions on the ballot this year. The others are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota. The measure in Florida was defeated, but the threshhold there was 60 percent for passage – not a simple majority.Size of the Baltimore City CouncilBallot question H asked Baltimore voters whether they want to reduce the size of the City Council from 14 representatives to eight. A ‘for’ vote would reduce the council, while an ‘against’ vote would keep the current 14-member council.The ballot measure was on its way to defeat with 98 percent precincts in, rejected by 63 percent to 37 percent.In the final weeks before Election Day, City Council members, progressive groups and labor organizations escalated a campaign asking voters to oppose Question H. According to the Baltimore Banner, opponents knocked on doors and attending community meetings informing residents that the measure is financed by David Smith, the Baltimore County-based media mogul who chairs Sinclair, Inc. and earlier this year bought The Baltimore Sun. In recent weeks, a well-funded counteroffensive backed by Mayor Brandon Scott — the pointedly named Stop Sinclair — has blitzed tens of thousands of residents with text messages and radio ads.Moms for Liberty and local school boardsMaryland has not been immune to a national trend of a group known as Moms for Liberty seeking influence on local school boars. In 11 counties, including Howard County, Moms for Liberty or an affiliated Political Action Committee have endorsed a total of 19 candidates. Since its founding in 2021, Moms for Liberty has surged in popularity as it undertakes efforts to elect right-wing school board candidates, to target references to race and LGBTQ+ identity in classrooms around the nation, and to have books removed from school libraries. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist group in June 2023, arguing it uses parents’ rights as a vehicle to attack public education and make schools less welcoming for minority and LGBTQ+ students.The Maryland effort has greatly disturbed Democrats in the state. For the first time, Maryland Democrats are getting involved in what have traditionally been non-partisan races throughout the state.One of those candidates in Howard County was former state Del. Trent Kittleman. With all 16 precincts in her school board district reporting, she appeared to have lost her race by 62 votes. You can read Baltimore Fishbowl’s coverage of Kittleman and the school board race here.Baltimore CountySeveral ballot questions in Baltimore County aimed to change the shape of government. Question A would increase from 7 to 9 the number of County Councilmembers and Council Districts; and make membership on the County Council a full-time position for purposes of determining compensation. With 88 percent of precincts reporting, the question was on track to pass with 60 percent of the vote.Proponents said the mesure would increase diversity and the voices of various communities.Question C creates a term limit for Planning Board members of three consecutive terms and to make all appointments to the Planning Board subject to confirmation by the County Council. The question is in response to perpetual questions about the influence of developers in the county. It has been adopted by a 9-1 vote.