Democratic US Senate candidates chart different paths forward at NAACP forum in Maryland
Two Democratic candidates for Maryland’s open United States Senate seat laid out their priorities and weighed in on a wide array of national, international, and local issues in a crowded church auditorium on Friday night.
“Economic opportunity is my first priority,” Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks told an audience of several hundred assembled at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Fort Washington, about 10 miles away from the U.S. Capitol.
Some came in suits, dresses, church clothes. Others came in t-shirts supporting candidates, either for Alsobrooks or current U.S. Congressman David Trone, D-6th, who spoke after the county executive in the forum hosted by the Prince George’s County NAACP. Event organizers said over 700 individuals registered to attend and that others watched the evening forum online.
When asked by a moderator about the “number one issue facing Americans,” Trone cited the “opioid crisis” and a “combination of addiction and mental health.”
The two candidates were asked different questions by two different moderators followed by some questions from the audience. Each candidate sat before those in the pews for about an hour.
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Democratic candidates call for reform for U.S. Supreme Court
An area of agreement between the two candidates came on the topic of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Our Supreme Court is in need of reform,” said Alsobrooks, a former state’s attorney, to audience applause. She noted both term limits for justices and ethics reforms, mentioning specifically Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife for “ethicallapses.”
The Supreme Court adopted a “code of conduct” last November, weeks after an article alleged a conflict of interest between Thomas’ seat on the bench and a political fundraising group. The new code, largely a codification of existing rules, has no outside enforcement mechanism.
“I would also be supportive of considering whether or not we should expand the Supreme Court,” said Alsobrooks, referencing an idea for adding justices that has existed dating back at least to the days of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.
Trone, too, indicated he would be open to increasing the number of Supreme Court justices and adding term limits.
“18-year term limits,” said Trone, “In a four-year term, each president appoints two justices, and the old ones rotate off.” Trone also called for financial disclosures, specifically citing Thomas.
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Trone calls for reparations; Alsobrooks for economic opportunity
A contrast at the NAACP event came when Trone called for reparations in response to a question from the moderator about nationwide “attacks against diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“We need reparations,” said Trone, who is white, “How do we go about it?”
He cited home ownership and business loans, but did not specifically outline any plan to pay African Americans directly. Later in the forum, Trone was asked by the moderator: “Do you support a federal program for cash reparations for African American descendants of slavery?”
His answer was simple, but again lacked any specific plan for implementing such a program. “Yes, that’s good,” he said, “we’re all done that question.”
Trone, along with most members of Congress in his party, is a co-sponsor of H.B. 40, legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans. Lee first brought the bill over five years ago, but it has not yet passed.
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Alsobrooks was not asked specifically about reparations during the forum, but indicated she prioritized investment in economic opportunity while responding to a question about promoting racial equity.
She said the first five developers along the Metro’s Blue Line corridor in Prince George’s County were minority developers, referencing over $700 million in private investments and state bonds. “Economic opportunity also leads to social justice,” said Alsobrooks, who is Black.
At multiple points in the forum, the county executive pointed to the importance of education. “In this country, education is the great equalizer,” said Alsobrooks, repeating a message she said she heard growing up from her parents, who were in the audience at the Friday night forum at the church.
She indicated over a dozen new schools have opened in the county during her six-year tenure as executive, including six this year. “Children who sit in schools that are falling down all around them get the message that their education is not important and neither are they,” Alsobrooks said.
Question on immigration comes from audience member
United States senators must consider issues far away from local school construction, however, and the first audience question of the night came regarding a topic in front of the Senate recently.
“What will you be able do differently to help fix the immigration system?” an audience member asked Alsobrooks from the lectern.
The county executive began by stating the United States is a “country of immigrants” before noting a bipartisan immigration bill that was before the Senate and failed earlier this year due to the previous president’s political opposition. “We need people in office who are serious about people, who put people above politics,” she said. No similar question was posed to Trone.
Both candidates discussed aid to Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have died since the start of the war last October between Israel and Hamas. Trone, who, like Alsobrooks, called for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages, said that “billions of dollars” were needed to help rebuild Gaza. “(Americans) have to be the leaders in the world,” he said.
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After calling for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages, Alsobrooks expressed her aim.
“The greatest goal that I have is to make sure the two-state solution is achieved,” said Alsobrooks, referencing the U.S. policy where Israelis and Palestinians would have independent states. “I know that many have said that it’s been difficult, and it’s been complicated, but ultimately what we want is peace and security for Israel and peace, security, and self-determination for the Palestinians in Gaza,” she said.
Absent during Friday night’s forum were any questions regarding policy or funding related to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Additional aid to Ukraine is still being considered by the U.S. Congress.
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Candidates answer question on continuing to serve in current role
Despite the questions on topics far from home, both candidates are still tasked with representing their respective jurisdictions, which have roughly similar-sized populations. Trone as a legislator for a district largely in Western Maryland and Alsobrooks as an executive in her home county.
“It’s a tough battle,” said Trone, asked in an interview outside the sanctuary after the forum how he balances the demands of the campaign with serving his current constituents. “There’s a lot to do with the district and all the responsibilities.”
Alsobrooks, who left the church after she spoke to attend an event as county executive, responded to the same question via email later that evening.
“I remain focused on delivering on the promises I made to Prince Georgians,” she said. “Fighting in Annapolis for investments to close healthcare disparities, to grow our economy, and to build schools.”
In an interview after the forum, Linda Thornton Thomas, president of the Prince George’s County NAACP, said the organization planned the forum because “people were just not informed.” She said the organization is planning a Republican candidate forum next month.
The primary Election Day in Maryland is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
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Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Two Maryland Dems. for US Senate lay out their visions at NAACP forum
