Democratic Senate candidates Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone are set to participate in the first televised forum of the primary on April 19, after months of smaller community candidate forums across the state.
Alsobrooks and Trone are the top two Democratic nominees to replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland). Former Larry Hogan is the presumptive Republican nominee.
Fox 45, The Baltimore Sun and the University of Baltimore will host the debate, according to the Friday announcement from The Baltimore Sun.
Viewers can tune in from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fox 45, WJLA 24/7, or online on each host’s website, according to the Baltimore Sun.
WBFF studios anchor Kai Jackson will moderate the debate. Baltimore Sun politics reporter Jeff Barker, WBFF political reporter Mikenzie Frost and University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs Dean Roger Hartley will serve as panelists, according to the Sun.
This isn’t the first time the two candidates have gone head-to-head. At a series of candidate forums across the state, the two have criticized one another for the impact of campaign funding on the election and their respective resumes.
The announcement came three days after after Trone failed to commit to a April 23 debate hosted by WBAL-TV, NBC Washington, Meet the Press and Maryland Public Television. This decision drove some speculation online about why the candidate might not want to debate his opponent, including from Alsobrooks herself.
“I believe voters across Maryland should have the opportunity to see the choice they have on the ballot in May, in an unbiased, open format,” Alsbrooks wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.
In an X post announcing the new debate, Trone seemingly shot back at this controversy writing “Over the course of this race, I’ve participated in or committed to over a dozen forums to share our vision and I’m ecstatic to keep going”.
The primary election is heating up as polls show the race will be tighter than expected after primary season, with Hogan pulling ahead, regardless of the Democratic candidate, in a recent Goucher College-Baltimore Banner poll. Hogan’s entrance in the election has landed Maryland on lists, including a Friday CNN story, of Senate seats likely to flip in 2024.
Primary election day is May 14. Early voting is from May 2 to May 9.
