Hogan and Alsobrooks face off in Maryland race that could sway US Senate control

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — For years in deep-blue Maryland, U.S. Senate races often have been blowouts for solid Democratic incumbents against little-known Republicans, without much chance of an upset or control of the chamber potentially at stake.

That's not the case with the race this year for an open U.S. Senate seat in Maryland.

Larry Hogan, a popular Republican who won two terms as governor, is the most competitive candidate for the GOP in years in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin. Still, he is facing an uphill battle against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George's County, who could make history as the state's first Black U.S. senator in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

The stakes are unusually high for a Maryland race that includes a Republican who won significant Democratic support in his 2014 and 2018 gubernatorial victories. Hogan is only the second Republican in Maryland history to be reelected governor.

Democrats currently hold a 51-49 Senate advantage, including independent senators who caucus with Democrats. And Democrats have to defend 23 seats out of the 33 Senate seats on the ballot around the country this November.

Hogan won the governorship in an upset by running on fiscal concerns and campaigning against tax increases, and he boosted his popularity in a blue state partly by becoming one of former President Donald Trump's fiercest critics in the GOP. He has campaigned for Senate by underscoring his willingness to put country over party, to work in a bipartisan manner and to provide an independent voice in partisan Washington.

“The only way we're going to make a difference is if we can find strong, independent leaders who are willing to stand up to both parties and try to bring about common sense bipartisan solutions, which is exactly what I delivered for eight years as governor,” Hogan said during a debate in October on Maryland Public Television.

But Alsobrooks has pointed to his record as governor, particularly some high-profile vetoes of priority legislation approved by the Maryland General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats. She also has highlighted his recruitment to run for Senate by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, a longtime Republican Senate leader, in hopes of winning back the chamber.

“The Republican Party has declared war on women's reproductive freedoms,” Alsobrooks said in the debate. “We recognize that this party of chaos and division that is led by Donald Trump is one that cannot lead our country and also has severe consequences for Marylanders.”

Abortion has been a major issue in a campaign taking place at the same time that voters in Maryland and eight other states will be considering a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Alsobrooks has prioritized abortion rights in her campaign, saying one of her first actions as a senator would be to sponsor legislation to codify Roe into federal law. Hogan also says he would co-sponsor such legislation, but Alsobrooks is quick to point to a Hogan veto when he was governor of a bill in Maryland to expand abortion access in 2022.

“The fact of the matter is when the former governor had an opportunity to stand up for the women of Maryland, he didn’t,” Alsobrooks said during the October debate. “He vetoed abortion care legislation. He double downed and refused to release the funding to train abortion care providers. This was just two years ago.”

The measure ended a restriction that only physicians can provide abortions in the state. The legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, overrode the veto, and the law enables nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide care. Hogan says Alsobrooks has mischaracterized his position. He says he vetoed the bill out of concerns for women's health, because the measure allowed health care providers who aren't doctors to perform abortions.

“Your entire campaign is based on multiple things that are completely not true,” Hogan said to Alsobrooks during the debate. “I will support and will sponsor codifying Roe.”

While a Republican has not won a Senate race in Maryland in more than 40 years, Hogan has wide name recognition. In the last two U.S. Senate races in Maryland, the Democratic candidate won by more than 30 percentage points against candidates who were not well known.

The last time a statewide-elected Republican official ran for Senate in Maryland was when Lt. Gov. Michael Steele ran against Cardin in 2006 for a seat that was opening due to the retirement of then-Sen. Paul Sarbanes. Cardin won by 10 percentage points.

Hogan, who once considered running for president and has often appeared on national news programs, is the most formidable Republican Senate candidate in Maryland in years. Still, he acknowledged in an August interview with The Associated Press that he is the “underdog.”

“It’s nearly impossible to do what I’m trying to do, but we’re pleased with where we are,” the former governor said at the time.

FILE - Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Demoractic candidate for Maryland's Senate seat, speaks during an interview in Gaithersburg, Md., Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr., File)

FILE - Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks during the Hogan for Maryland Primary Night Victory Party, May 14, 2024, in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr., File)

FILE - This combination of images shows from left, Democratic Maryland Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks in Chicago, Aug. 20, 2024, and Republican opponent, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in Annapolis, on Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo Erin Hooley, left; and AP Photo Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

World shares were mixed on Tuesday, with major benchmarks in Asia gaining more than 1%, as investors awaited the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and other potentially market-rattling events this week.

This week brings bring various potential flashpoints, among them Election Day in the United States. But the results may not be known for some time as officials count all the votes, and the uncertainty could roil markets.

Adding to the potential for volatility, the Federal Reserve will also be meeting on interest rates later this week. The widespread expectation is for it to cut its main interest rate for a second straight time.

The futures for the S&P 500 and for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.1% higher.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX edged 0.1% lower to 19,125.18 while the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.2% to 7,356.02.

Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.1% at 8,179.73.

Share prices surged on Chinese markets as investors anticipated moves by Beijing to boost the world’s second-largest economy during a meeting of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2.1% to 21,006.97, while the Shanghai Composite index surged 2.3% to 3,386.99.

Officials are expected to endorse major spending initiatives to boost economic growth amid troubles for the country’s real-estate industry.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that the lawmakers had reviewed legislation to raise ceilings on local government debt to replace existing hidden debts, part of a plan announced earlier to arrange debt swaps to help resolve the financial woes brought on by the pandemic and by a collapse in the property market in recent years. So far, no specific amount of funding for such efforts has been announced.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 1.1% to 38,474.90, reopening after a holiday on Monday.

South Korea's Kospi fell 0.4% to 2,576,88 after the country's military said North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, continuing its weapons demonstrations ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia dropped 0.4% to 8,131.80 as the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged.

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3%, remaining near its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3%.

The hope that’s propelled U.S. stock indexes to records recently is that the U.S. economy can remain resilient and avoid a long-feared recession, in part because of the coming cuts to rates expected from the Fed.

The broad U.S. stock market has historically risen regardless of which party wins the White House. And in 2020, U.S. stocks climbed immediately after Election Day and kept going even after former President Donald Trump refused to concede and challenged the results, creating plenty of uncertainty. A large part of that rally was due to excitement about the potential for a vaccine for COVID-19, which had just shut down the global economy.

A Trump victory would be less of a surprise to markets this time around than in 2016, when Treasury yields soared on expectations for tax cuts that could further inflate the nation’s debt or fuel a stronger U.S economy.

In the oil market early Tuesday, the price for a barrel of U.S. crude gained 27 cents to $71.74. On Monday, it rose 2.8% after Saudi Arabia and other oil producers said they would delay plans to increase the amount of crude they produced.

Brent crude, the international standard, advanced 23 cents to $75.31 per barrel. It rose 2.7% on Monday. The price of Brent is still down for the year so far, in part because of worries about how much demand will come from China given its economic challenges.

In currency dealings, the dollar rose to 152.36 Japanese yen from 152.10 yen. The euro climbed to $1.0886 from $1.0880.

Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 shows a broadcast talking about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A currency trader stands near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks by the screen showing the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A currency trader walks by the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)