When a popular former GOP governor is trying to win a Senate race in a blue state, it's a little bit of a problem if that candidate vetoed a bill to expand abortion access. So when former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) faced off during their only debate on Thursday night, Hogan tried to rewrite his record on the issue and attempted to reassure voters that electing him won't restrict their rights.
In April 2022, Hogan vetoed the Abortion Care Access Act, a bill that would have removed a restriction banning nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants from providing medication and procedural abortions. The bill also allocated funding to train these so-called advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to learn how to provide abortions. Currently, 15 states only allow physicians to prescribe medication abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which is a policy that limits access to care.
Maryland was one of several blue states working to pass APC laws in 2022 as they awaited the Dobbs decision and anticipated an influx of abortion seekers from states with bans. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports training APCs: "Increasing the availability of trained clinicians who can provide abortion care will allow more patients to access quality health care in their own communities and enable patients to receive care more quickly."
Yet, in his veto statement, Hogan said that the bill risked "lowering the high standard of reproductive health care services received by women in Maryland." The legislature overrode his veto, but that May, Hogan withheld the $3.5 million in funding from the state budget, effectively delaying the program for an entire year.
So it was galling when Hogan said this during the debate: "When I ran for governor, I promised to support women's access to abortion, and I delivered on that promise for eight years."
Alsobrooks was not having it. “The fact of the matter is, when the former governor had an opportunity to stand up for the women of Maryland, he didn’t,” she said. “He vetoed abortion care legislation. He doubled down and refused to release the funding to train abortion care providers. This was just two years ago.”
Hogan then accused Alsobrooks of lying while he misstated what the bill actually did, and acted like she had launched a personal attack rather than simply fact-checking him. "It was allowing non-medical professionals, and for you to lie about something as important as this issue, it really is insulting," Hogan said. He added later that he was concerned the law would "roll back the clock on protecting women." Sir, nurses literally are medical professionals. Perhaps Hogan was trying to regurgitate the anti-abortion line that APC laws allow "non-doctors" to provide abortions, but that's a horseshit talking point and he failed at it.
Personally, I think it's insulting to come out as "pro-choice" and in favor of codifying Roe v. Wade only after winning your primary, gaslight voters about your abortion record, and release ads about reproductive rights titled "Trust" and "Girl Dad."
Alsobrooks pointed out that, while Hogan can say whatever he wants, there are consequences of sending another conservative to the chamber and handing Senate control to the party of Trump. “The fact of the matter is, there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate,” she said. Alsobrooks, on the other hand, supports ending the Senate filibuster in order to codify abortion rights.
Hogan further proved her point by dodging questions about whether he would have voted to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh or Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whose confirmation process he criticized in 2020. "I wasn't there, and I don't know how I would have voted," he said. A real profile in courage. Voting for Republican Senate candidates would not only block progress on abortion rights, it would likely rubber-stamp GOP nominees for the Supreme Court.
Maryland, you know what to do in this race—and on the abortion amendment on your ballot.
