Hogan and Alsobrooks debate policies in exclusive interview with Baltimore Post-Examiner

Former governor and GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan said he supports a proposal by former President Donald Trump to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.

“I tend to agree with President Trump. I think we ought to not be taxing Social Security,” Hogan told the Baltimore Post-Examiner in an impromptu interview on Monday outside of AstraZeneca’s Gaithersburg facility.

Hogan, 68, noted that while governor he signed into law landmark legislation that makes significant cuts to taxes on retirement income.

The 2022 law is being phased in over a five-year period and comes at a time when many of Maryland’s retirees are fleeing to more tax-friendly states such as Florida.

Hogan’s Democratic opponent, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, 53, addressed Social Security taxation by emphasizing to the Post-Examiner in a phone interview on Tuesday that she believes wealthy individuals should have to pay the FICA tax, which is a federal payroll tax deducted from each paycheck that is used to fund both Social Security and Medicare.

“I do support having individuals pay FICA taxes on earnings above $400,000…”I think that would be really important to make sure that we are able to preserve Social Security.”

Alsobrooks added that she opposes proposals to raise the age of eligibility for Social Security, which is 62-or to make cuts to benefits.

Taxation of Social Security benefits began during the Reagan administration following a law Congress passed in 1983.  The money from the tax is used to fund the Social Security Trust Fund.

The Trust Fund could become insolvent as early as 2033, according to a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Individuals who make between $25,000 and $34,000 can be taxed on up to 50% of their benefits, while individuals who make more than $34,000 can be taxed on up to 85% of their benefits.

Couples who file a joint tax return and have a combined income between $32,000 and $44,000 can be taxed at up to 50% of their benefits, while couples who make more than $44,000 can be taxed at up to 85% of their benefits.

The income threshold for taxation of benefits, which applies to about 40% of Americans-does not take into account income derived from the benefits themselves.

In addition to federal taxation of benefits, nine states levy their own taxes on benefits. Maryland is not one of those states.

Hogan and Alsobrooks also spoke with the Post-Examiner about other policy issues, including abortion rights and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war-as well as their personal relationship with each other.

Abortion

Hogan said that despite repeated attacks from Alsobrooks’ campaign claiming if elected he would put abortion rights at risk in an already closely divided Senate-nothing could be further from the truth.

“I am on the record opposing a national abortion ban since 1992 when I ran for Congress. When I was governor, I promised I was going to protect women’s access to abortion. I kept that promise for eight years. I have actually committed to sponsoring and voting for a bill to codify Roe.”

Alsobrooks reiterated her claim that Hogan cannot be trusted to protect reproductive rights.

“He (Hogan) was invited to run for the office by [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell. And what we know is that Mitch McConnell’s interests and Donald Trump’s interests…is to create a Senate Republican majority. We know that the Republican Party has essentially declared war where this particular issue is concerned. Larry Hogan’s mere election would give Republicans a Senate majority and would allow them to continue the agenda that they have set toward an abortion ban.”

Trump has said he would veto a national abortion ban if it came to his desk.

Alsobrooks insisted that when Hogan was governor he vetoed legislation to expand abortion access in Maryland.

Hogan has pushed back against claims that the 2022 veto, which was overridden by the General Assembly-would have led to limited abortion access in the state had it been sustained.

“When he (Hogan) was overridden by our legislature, he withheld the funding until the next governor came into office,” Alsobrooks said. “His (Hogan’s) mere election would give a majority to the Republican Party and they have been abundantly clear about what they would do with that majority.”

Israel-Hamas War 

Both Hogan and Alsobrooks pledged their support for Israel’s security and said they are hoping for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, which has been going on for nearly 11 months and arguably has the potential to trigger an all-out regional war.

“I think we are at a very dangerous inflection point. And I think that the continued escalation is something that we should all be concerned about,” Hogan said. “I think America will have to pay very close attention to this. But I strongly support Israel as our strongest ally and their right to defend themselves and their right to exist.”

Hogan said the war might come to an end sooner if Hamas agrees to release all of the remaining hostages and if its leaders are held accountable for the “atrocities of October 7th.”

Alsobrooks said she supports the Biden administration’s efforts to broker a cease-fire and to get the hostages released.

“Israel has the right to defend itself. And I support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

Alsobrooks said she was “heartened” to learn that in the recent conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed proxy group Hezbollah-which is based in southern Lebanon attempts by both sides to avoid a broader conflict appear to be bearing fruit.

Last weekend Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in response to multiple rocket attacks.

Do Hogan and Alsobrooks get along with each other?  

“I like Angela,” Hogan said. “I think on a personal basis we get along pretty well. We worked well together while I was governor. I think we disagree on a lot of policy issues though.”

Alsobrooks also shared similar sentiments.

“I have gotten along really well with him (Hogan),” Alsobrooks said. “I had some areas where I was able to work with him. I was able to work with him to secure $400 million to invest around the FedEx field site. I was able to convince him that it was going to be really important, even if the Commanders did not decide to stay in Prince George’s County. It was going to be important to invest around the FedEx site so that the people in those areas could enjoy the amenities that they needed and have the kind of investment that would allow us to grow economically.”

What is the state of the race?

Hogan and Alsobrooks are vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin.

Cardin, 80, is considered an institution in Maryland politics and is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has held the seat since 2007. Before serving in the Senate, Cardin served 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and seven years as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.

Maryland has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since Mac Mathias in 1980.

Mathias was a moderate Republican who often broke with his party on issues related to civil rights and the environment. He died in 2010.

Hogan, who is often critical of Trump and his MAGA-brand, said he sees some similarities between himself and Mathias.

“I think we are cut from the same cloth. I was probably seen as the most bipartisan governor in America for eight years. I worked very hard to come up with bipartisan common-sense solutions. We put $8 billion into cleaning the Chesapeake Bay, which was Mac Mathias’ most important priority.”

An AARP poll released on Tuesday showed the race tied, with both Hogan and Alsobrooks each garnering the support of 46% of likely voters. Eight percent of the respondents said they were not sure which candidate they supported.

“It’s going to be a tight race. And I think it has been the whole way,” said Thomas Schaller, a professor of political science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Schaller said the winner of the race might be determined by which candidate better controls the narrative.

“If she (Alsobrooks) allows Hogan to make it a referendum on his likability and his popularity as governor, and makes it Maryland-focused advantages him (Hogan) significantly. She (Alsobrooks) needs to make it a referendum on him (Hogan) as a vote for a Republican majority in the Senate and on national issues like abortion.”

Schaller said Alsobrooks might benefit from President Joe Biden having been replaced at the top of the ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Jamaican and South Asian descent.

Schaller said this might energize certain reliably Democratic groups such as younger voters and voters of color, even though Maryland is not a swing state at the presidential level.

“The more recent factor which favors Alsobrooks is whether or not Harris-Walz has some down-ballot coattails.”

Todd Eberly, a professor of political science at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, said Hogan faces an uphill battle.

“The highwater mark for a Republican senatorial candidate in the last 34 years is 44%. The norm is in the low 30% range. So Hogan appears to be holding on to much of the voting coalition that elected him twice as Governor. Hogan needs to carry about 30% of Democrats on election day. He’s at 26% in this new poll. He also needs about 90% of Republican voters, but is at 83% in the poll. So he’s in the difficult position of needing to rally more of the party base while also winning over a few more Democrats. That’s not an easy lift. Alsobrooks just needs to convince more Democrats to stick with her and the party.”