Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski will not run to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), and has endorsed Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for the seat.
“Through our regular and ongoing communication, sharing of best practices, and just talking about our lives, I have found her to be hard-working, laser-focused on progress, and always grounded in the communities she serves,” Olszewski said Monday. “She has a passion not just for the work, but for the people she’s helping.”
Olszewski said Alsobrooks’ current role as a local executive – including management of multi-billion-dollar budgets and oversight over the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic – would be an asset to serving in the U.S. Senate.
Washington needs “people who understand how government works, and how to put that knowledge to work to improve people’s lives,” Olszewski said. “People who don’t just talk about the challenges of our communities, but who have delivered results and solutions to address them. And yes, I have seen firsthand that Angela is that kind of executive.”
Alsobrooks said she has gotten to know her constituents as the executive for Prince George’s County, and that doing so has made her a better leader.
“As an executive, it has given me also the opportunity to understand and to know the people that I represent, which I think is very important. Not only to have a senator who fights for you to ensure that your family has the opportunity to experience the American Dream, but to have a senator who truly understands you and shares your concerns I believe is extremely important.”
Coming from a working class family — where her mother worked as a receptionist and her father as a newspaper delivery person and car salesman — Alsobrooks said she understands many of the challenges Maryland families face.
“That has given me the opportunity to understand the concerns of families, to understand what it means to work hard to educate your children and help them fulfill their dreams. But I believe that more families deserve to have people who share their concerns and who fight every day to make sure all of our families can do well.”
Olszewski added that Alsobrooks could be part of a “new generation” of leaders, “who can bring fresh ideas and diverse experiences. A new wave of leaders who have too often been impacted by the decisions our lawmakers make but have not nearly enough opportunity to help shape those decisions.”
At 79 years old, Cardin is the fifth oldest current U.S. senator. The average age of the Senate is 64 years old, according to FiscalNote.
Cardin was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987, and later to the U.S. Senate in 2006. Prior to his roles at the federal level, Cardin served in Maryland’s House of Delegates for nearly 20 years. He announced earlier this month that he will not seek re-election in 2024.
Among the Democrats who have entered the race are Alsobrooks, 52; Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando, 41; U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Maryland), 67; and Jerome Segal, 79, the founder of the Bread and Roses Party. Former state delegate and disbarred attorney Robin Ficker, 80, is also running on the Republican side.
If elected, Alsobrooks would be the second woman — and the first woman of color — to serve Maryland in the U.S. Senate, following former Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
Gov. Larry Hogan, 66, whom many believed to be a possible Republican challenger for Senate, has said he will not run for Cardin’s seat.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), 60, said he will “seriously investigate” whether to run for Senate.
