MARYLAND, USA — Maryland’s two Senate candidates, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan, challenged each other during a debate Thursday night, for the first and only time.
The debate, viewed by thousands of people, was hosted by Maryland Public Television. It was taped live early Thursday afternoon and aired with no edits at 7 p.m. and again at 11 p.m.
The debate was moderated by Chuck Todd, chief political analyst at NBC News. Todd was joined by three panelists, MPT anchor Jeff Salkin, WBAL anchor Deborah Weiner and NBC4 investigative reporter Tracee Wilkins.
Alsobrooks is currently the Prince George's County executive and is up in the polls against Hogan. The most recent poll, from the University of Maryland Baltimore County Institute of Politics, shows Alsobrooks at 48% and Hogan at just 39%.
Hogan is the former governor of Maryland, but the state hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since Sen. Charles Mathias (R) retired in 1987.
The two are vying for the seat vacant by 80-year-old Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who announced he would not seek another term in office in 2023.
With just 26 days until Election Day, this debate was really the chance for both candidates to convince Maryland voters about what they would get done for people.
On Thursday the two honed in on how their presence in the Senate could make an impact and help move the state forward. The first focus for discussion was reproductive health.
"I support to Democratic agenda to codify federal law women's right to choose," Alsobrooks said. "The former governor vetoed abortion care legislation and then refused to release the funding to train abortion care providers.
"When I ran for governor I promised to support women's access to abortion and I delivered on that promise for eight years," Hogan said. "The bill you're referring to was about protecting women because it was rolling back and making it less safe for women to get access to abortion. It was allowing non-medical professionals."
Both Alsobrooks and Hogan addressed inflation -- another key issue they said they hear so many concerns about. Alsobrooks said the blame is largely on huge corporations that pay less in taxes right now.
"We're going to have to make sure we are holding big corporations accountable causing them to pay their fair share of taxes," Alsobrooks said. "I'll cut taxes for the middle class."
Hogan said there's enough blame to go around to both parties and mentioned his history of working to help Marylanders.
"I was so frustrated that things weren't affordable, my focus was on making life more affordable. So I cut taxes eight years in a row by $4.7 billion," Hogan said.
Both candidates found similarities in their responses to how they would respond to gun control.
"I'm for universal background checks," Hogan said. "I have always done everything possible to keep guns out of hands of the mentally ill and the hands of criminals. I will support a bipartisan common sense assault weapons ban."
"I would be in favor of eliminating assault weapons," Alsobrooks said. "Also removing ghost guns from our streets."
Alsobrooks went on to point out some decisions Hogan made in the past that she says were flawed, including vetos on several bills while he served as governor.
"No matter what former governor Hogan says today he would empower a caucus of people who would take our country backward," Alsobrooks said.
Meanwhile, Hogan says it's not about the Democratic or Republican parties.
"When I disagreed I strongly stood up and said I disagreed and I stood up to my party, I'll stand up to either party," Hogan said. "I think we need Mavericks who aren't going to do exactly what the parties executives tell them to do."
Democrats outnumber Republicans almost two to one in Maryland but his race is close. Hogan may be a Republican, but he was also a very popular Governor.
RELATED: Not all elections look the same. Here are some of the different ways states run their voting