the primary election for the seat will be held on may 14. it is the first televised debate for a commercial u.s. senate race. >> maryland, who would have thought it could be a pivotal

state? >>, my david truman and prince george's county executive angela also brooks talk about matters important to you. >> have already voted once in congress to codify roe v. wade. >> 425 news, the baltimore sun present the maryland u.s. senate candidate forum. this is your voice, your future. >> good evening and welcome to your voice, your future, maryland u.s. senate candidate forum. in preparing this forum, both campaigns are good to know opening statements. the debate topics include the economy, the budget, foreign affairs, crime and, law enforcement education at reproductive rights. all questions are directed to both candidates they have one minute to answer 30 seconds for rebuttals. a quick test to determine who gets the first question and who goes first in closing statements. you can see the coin flip on

foxbaltimore.com. joining me my colleague at fox 45, mackenzie frost, the baltimore sun, jeff burger, and the university of baltimore schaefer center's dean. they are the panel will ask the questions this evening. allow me to introduce the candidates. prince georges county executive angela alsobrooks, and congressman from the fifth district of maryland, david truman. thank you both for being here. wonderful. candidates, are you ready? let's get started. first of all, my first question, the homicide rate in baltimore declined this year, but there was a mass shooting in a block party and a multiple-victim shooting near evidence westside high school. just today in greenville, prince georges county, your home county miss angela alsobrooks, several juveniles were involved in a

shooting. our question tonight, what would you do about the crime of maryland lender to more rain's are facing? this question is to both of you. candidate: first of all, thank you for that. with crime we have a lot of debts we have two hopefuls accountable. accountability. but we have to look at the roots of what crime is and that is poverty, poverty. the solutions to that our education. we have got to get folks the education they need. by age three, full-day kindergarten, school, and right on up. it is the key. and of course up getting jobs. if you don't have folks with a job, 70 5% recidivate. if they have a job for that recidivism is 8%. there are 2.3 million folks right now incarcerated, 95% are coming out. that means if we can get them a job, we would literally save

almost 2 million times. my company, we have hired over 1400 returning citizens. it is about a job. host: ms. alsobrooks? i>> can only imagine what the parents are fearing puppies students who were just trying to enjoy their activities leading up to their graduation and prom. i am the mother of an 18-year-old daughter who last year the same exact time, wanted to enjoy the last days of her senior year and should have felt safe. not only in baltimore but prince georges and across our state, every child deserves to be safe in the communities in which they live. i have dedicated my life to making sure the families have safe places to live, this is how i came to public the first place as a state attorney. i have invested in finding our school systems at the highest rate in the history of the county, investing in mental health care, summer programming and jobs, making sure their

families have affordable places to live, but we also have to hold our children accountable and get these guns off the street. i will do so as senator, getting conscientious and sensible gun legislation is necessary and we have to get guns off our streets. moderator: do we have any rebuttals? rep. trone: you think about those folks who are 12, 16 years of age, where do they go? they have a place to go to up study and be mentored, it may be to play computer games, play basketball or kickball, whatever . we need to have those rec centers, ymca places. we built one in cumberland and oakland. throughout our district we have brought community funding home and giving our youth places to go. moderator: ms. alsobrooks? ms. alsobrooks: the act of keeping children safe, our government has a role to play, but our families have an outsize

role to play in keeping children safe. as county executive i imposed and enforced a curfew two years ago when i realized the predominance of ballots was happening between 10 p.m. at 5:00 a.m. everyone of us in our communities has a role to play. it means families, communities, faith centers all have a role to play in keeping our youth safe. the government can do its role, but we have a community of role to play in keeping our children safe. moderator: the second question would be from mackenzie frost and directed to ms. alsobrooks. >> baltimore city is assuming the atf to get gun trace data currently prohibited from being shared publicly due to some amendments attached to doj appropriation belts for years. we know that mayor brandon scott is assuming the adf. if elected, will you support repealing or loosening that regulation to provide that data to the public so the city can get that information?

ms. alsobrooks: i think i agree with mayor brandon scott that we have to make sure we have all the information so that we can solve crimes. the federal government certainly has a role to play and i can tell you this much, we have seen -- in congress would have to make sure these republicans who have at every turn made it difficult to again, get sensible gun legislation, making sure that you have the ability not only to trace weapons, but to get ghost guns off our streets. we have to make sure your closing off gun loopholes, getting ar-15 off our streets and in order to do that, we will have to hold the senate in democratic hands. there is so much at stake in the selection and if we allow the senate to be in the hands of these republicans, i can tell you they will continue to block what is sensible in terms of governance. we are seeing epidemic numbers where gun violence is concerned and we have to do more. i agree with mayor scott, we have to get that information.

moderator: that is our time. mr. trone? rep. trone: we need to be able to get information to track and follow up on these weapons. we boarded in congress to do a complete ban on peace assault weapons. these are weapons made to take lives. these are not hunting-involved. they have to be banned. to get this done, we have to be bipartisan. that is what i have worked hard in my entire three terms in congress, how i built bipartisan connectivity with the other side. i am a progressive democrat. that said, if we don't get canned reports in the u.s. senate and each one of these pieces of legislation and we can do that well will the gun safety bill forward, we could never get anything packed. i am good at getting that done. i was ranked fourth out of 535 most bipartisan member of

congress. that is a big deal to help us win. moderator: ms. alsobrooks, your rebuttal. ms. alsobrooks: i started my career as a domestic violence persecutor working to make sure we kept our communities safe. we have had the great lack of having maryland as a leader, i worked in 2012 as a part of the group that worked on the firearm safety act. during lent really has been a leader in passing sensible gun legislation. i will continue that in the senate, making sure i am working to not only have gun legislation in maryland but throughout our country as well. moderator: rebuttal? rep. trone: of course, the problem with gun legislation at the end of the day, is special interest money. when the nra has been giving hundreds of millions of dollars -- the last two year cycle, one point $9 billion of special interest money came into our country, into the congress, into the house. $1.9 billion.

that is what we have to stop. special interests are the ones that are out there saying, let's not make these changes. we have to get special interest money out of politics. moderator: next question now, this will go to from roger hartley to mr. trone. >> thank you so much. this has a bit of a wind up and it is an educational question. the federal government sends millions of tax dollars to local jurisdictions to education annually. in baltimore city to have been several examples of corporate performance concerns and a lack of oversight for some grades. what oversight parameters would you like to see implemented at the federal level to help foster better outcomes for students in our classrooms? rep. trone: at the end of the day, i think we all realize that we are not learning as much as we would like to win an education. if we get education right, that is the key thing we can do is

take care of our kids and our grandchildren. they have got the educational funding that is solid, they are going to succeed. we have to get more dollars to help those with special needs. there was endorsed by the teachers union, 75,000 strong. we are very appreciative of that and we need more teachers and better pay, better paying for our teachers and we need respect for our teachers. at the same time, we need to fund the special needs programs. the federal government said, do this for special-needs children and will give you 40% of the half. the best we've ever done is 14%. we need to bridge that divide. that is roughly $26 billion plus mental health money there. we have $3 billion on the way that we voted for to support k-12 mental health. moderator: thank you very much. ms. alsobrooks?

ms. alsobrooks: i was raised by two incredible parents who didn't have the opportunity to go to college, but they taught me the education is the great equalizer in a country that every child deserves to have a quality education. one of the things i've learned as an executive, however, that your zip code very often determines the quality of your education. so i will ensure, as a senator, that every child, without respect for your zip code, has a quality education by finding title i funding. making sure that invest in individuals with disabilities and education act so that our children with disabilities are also able to have a sound education. as a county executive, i have funded education at the highest levels and proceeding in our company, over -- at the highest levels we have ever seen in our county, over 62% of our budget goes to education. i think all of us need to make sure we have quality teachers standing in front of our students who are well paid and making sure that those dollars go to mental health education and making sure that all of our students have exactly what they need to succeed. moderator: congressman trone, rebuttal.

rep. trone: i am the student -- the son of a public school teacher. my wife and i all attended public schools, and that's the backbone of the american education system. so we've got to better support that day in and day out. but one thing we need is more teachers that look like the students. and that's where immigration comes into this. by reforming our immigration policies, we can get more teachers from el salvador, haiti, ghana, all kinds of places around the world that look like the students, so they can succeed together. moderator: county executive alsobrooks. ms. alsobrooks: one of the things i have come to understand, especially as an executive, that a child's successes in the classroom requires that we not only invest in that child in the classroom, but at home. making sure they have affordable places to live, making sure that their parents have the kind of job that pay them a wage so they can sit home in the evening and do homework with their kids. we've got to bring down the cost of living for so many families to make sure our families are able to spend time with their children. and so it is that we have to invest in our kids in the

classroom and also in the communities where they live in order for them to be successful. moderator: ok. thank you very much. our next question will be asked by jeff barker. >> as a state's attorney county , executive alsobrooks sought the death penalty in a 2011 case involving the conviction of a man for killing four people, including two young children. as you know, the federal government is considering -- or rather, members of congress are considering seeking a repeal of the federal death penalty. would you support such a repeal? ms. alsobrooks: what i can tell you is that marylanders have spoken, and they have decided that the death penalty is no longer the law of the land in maryland. and i agree with maryland voters. i can tell you that i would also not support the death penalty on the federal level. i can tell you having said that, what i believe is that anyone

who harms a child or who murders a child in particular, deserves the stiffest penalty available to that person, and right now in maryland that penalty is life without parole. that's what i sought in the case that you mentioned, the case that involved two young children who were executed, two and three years old. but i can tell that you in that case i sought life without parole because, again, i believe that people who harm and murder children deserve the stiffest penalty possible. but i would not be supporting the death penalty on the federal level. moderator: congressman trone, the same question for you. rep. trone: i am the only candidate on this stage that has always been 100% opposed to the death penalty. we know the death penalty is racist. it feeds our systemically racist system that we have in the criminal justice area. there have been hundreds and hundreds of folks exonerated by dna evidence later on that were put to the death penalty and were saved. think about the hundreds of others that were not so lucky and were not saved. so we can never have the death penalty. it's clearly cruel and unusual punishment, and it's clearly

racist. we've worked really hard in this area. one of my biggest areas i work on philanthropically is with the aclu, the american civil liberties union. we gave, my wife and i, through our foundation, gave the aclu to $20 million to set up a justice center. we have 45 lawyers working all around the country to fix our criminal justice system that is so broken and so racially biased. moderator: we battled for county executive alsobrooks. ms. alsobrooks: you know, sometimes it is easier to discuss a problem than to repair it. i'm the only person in this race who has had the awesome responsibility of keeping our community safe. and i can tell that you i did so without apology, to work to keep the families of our community safe. i have had to admit it is most young children. i had to hold husbands who have lost their wives.

-- i have had to hold mothers who lost young children. i have had to hold husbands who have lost their wives. so i can tell you, these are not easy cases. i do not support the death penalty. life without parole is that penalty. but again i make no apology for keeping our community safe. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. rep. trone: it is really important also to remember that our police have a tough job to do. a real tough job. and we have to invest in them tt in police to learn about mental illness and mental health challenges so when they go in the door, they can understand this is not violence. violence is not needed. it's a mental health issue. so they can make the right decision and save lives. moderator: our next question will be for congressman t rone. >> both of you have made similar comments about abortion rights and access about the conversation seems to be turning to the future of in vitro fertilization or ivf.

do you believe the federal government has a role in regulating ivf nationally and if so how would you work with other members in the senate to get your view accomplished? >> there is no rule for the federal government to moderate and regulate a woman's health choices. these are choices between a woman and her doctor and no one else should be involved with that. certainly no person in the political spectrum. absolutely not. we have to work instead to open up freedoms so people have that choice and we can get roe v wade re-codified as the law of the land. that was a horrible mistake. we saw the price we paid electing donald trump i've already voted to codify roe v wade. i have a 100% record from planned parenthood. in west virginia, we have had many abortion clinics close. 66 have closed in 15 states.

through our foundation we helped open up a new abortion clinic in cumberland, maryland so folks in allegheny county can have the right to an abortion safely. >> i can tell you this issue is a very personal one to me. as the mother of an 18-year-old daughter, i believe firmly that the privacy and freedom women deserve to make their own decisions about their bodies belong to a woman and a woman only. it is so outrageous we are at a time where it is not only abortion rights that are under attack but we see republicans just won't stop. reproductive rights are on the ballot. we see ivf, in arizona, we have republicans who want to charge a woman with a crime and incarcerate her for making decisions about her own body. i on my first day as a senator will cosponsor the women's health protection act to codify in federal law a woman's right to make her own decisions about her body.

that decision does not belong to anyone except that woman. we are now passing on to our daughters a world where they have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. this is wrong. i will fight it at every turn. women deserve to choose abortion rights, reproductive rights, ivf, it all belongs to the woman. >> as a dad with three daughters, emil was going to be there with planned parenthood 100%. -- i am always going to be there with planned parenthood 100%. support every request planned parenthood has made for us to stand with them as they have gone through their journey of trying to bring us back to where we need to be. we need to constitutionalize in maryland roe v wade and a woman's right to have an abortion. at the same time we also have to support lgbtq -- the lgbtq community because they are under attack also. the attacks are not slowing down. moderator: thank you. ms. alsobrooks.

>> mr. trone has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the most radical republicans who have passed the most restrictive abortion laws in our country. he's done this in his personal capacity. on top of that he is given hundreds of thousands of dollars through his company to these republicans in texas, abbott, ken paxton, brian kemp in georgia. he cannot claim credit for the good and distant himself from the bed that it does. moderator: in a new poll, 57% of respondents said the support an immediate cease-fire in gaza, do you believe there could be a cease-fire while hamas continues to operate militarily and what other conditions do you think should be imposed for a cease-fire to occur? >> let's first step back and

recognize we are six months away from the horrific attack that occurred october 7. what we all agree is the threat of hamas must be removed from the world. we ought to make sure we are getting the hostages back home to families waiting for them. we have to go to an immediate cease-fire and make sure that we the united states and every other body across the world are doing everything in our power to make sure we are getting aid into gaza for the starvation happening on making sure those that are suffering and sick in gaza that the aid -- get the aid they need. we also need to make sure we are stopping the killing of innocent civilians in gaza and moving toward a two state solution. security and peace for israelis, security and peace and self-determination for the gaza ns in palestine, for the palestinian in gaza, two states

for two people. >> congressman. >> we have been a very strong supporter of israel. i am a lutheran. my wife and four children are all jewish. we have stood with israel, are most supported ally in the middle east, the only democracy in the middle east, we need to continue to stand with israel. what happened october 7 was incomprehensible. i've seen the videos -- the classified videos. some of those images are seared u.s.-chin my mind -- are seared in my mind. i cannot get them out. i met with a woman who has been a hostage. she couldn't really speak to what she had endured. we have got to be there to destroy hamas. a terrorist organization, it must be destroyed. we've got to get to a cease-fire. with 100% of the hostages released simultaneously. these two things can only happen together at one time.

>> the rebuttal. >> i agree we first of all have to make sure we are getting the hostages home to their families. i have seen many nominees who have gone and are understandably grief stricken waiting for their family members to come home. we have to move to a cease-fire. we also have to make sure that we are abating the humanitarian crisis developing every day in gaza and that we are stopping the innocent killing of civilian -- the killing of innocent civilians. >> we need to get to a two state solution and we will get to that but tomorrow i'm excited we will be voting tomorrow, tomorrow we are going to pass the bill to bring aid to israel. $26 billion of aid to israel. it'll be bipartisan. i worked bipartisan. i work across the party lines.

we are also going to have $9 billion to help rebuild gaza. those folks deserve a job, a future and hope. moderator: much more to come. stay with us. our forum will continue right after the break. ♪ welcome back. i'm kai jackson. have the next question for our candidates. what approach did the u.s. take with israel to prevent further escalation from have -- from happening? ms. alsobrooks first. >> when donald trump was president, he really did make a mockery of the united states as a leader. i am really proud president

joe biden has made america a leader again. in sings the, israel is an outline of the u.s. as our ukrainian -- ally of the u.s. as is ukrainian others. it's important we see what happened post october 7. we have stood with israel as our ally. we watched recently when we had iran -- the missiles from iran in israel. i'm proud president biden urged restraint under the circumstances. i think you did the right thing. what we do not want is to see a widening of the conflict in the middle east. i agree with president biden's approach to urge restraint. thankfully it looks like this happened. i am encouraged by it. moderator: congressman trone. >> have to stand strong with israel.

they have been attacked relentlessly by i. america did the right thing. joe biden has been fantastic. we need to stay there and support israel. i've traveled israel many times. i've been to gaza. i've been to the west bank repeatedly. i've met with the prime minister. many years ago. i've been a constant presence in the for policy area. quite frankly, it will take the arab nations to work together. i am cochairman of the abraham accords caucus. there are two democrats, me and brad schneider from chicago. two republicans. once again, it's bipartisan. how we work together. how we say -- let's get this done as an american team. not just a democratic or republican team. the support for israel has to be american. that's what we do in the caucus. moderator: rebuttal for county executive alsobrooks. >> it is the case that israel is

an ally of the u.s.. israel has a right to defend itself. i support the relationship between israel and the u.s.. i am proud president biden in this moment has urged we should again ensure we are not widening the conflict. we need to bring down the temperature in the middle east. that is very important to make sure we are not seeing civilian lives lost while israel defends itself. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> in the caucus, we've been reading with all the ambassadors from the arab countries, the israeli ambassador multiple times, we are working to connect the people of the arab countries with israel. things like tourism. we've had over 2 million tourists between the uae and the other abraham accords countries and israel. bringing people together with business. business relationships. this is how we build a

stable middle east, is connectivity. moderator: thank you. our next question will go to congressman trone. >> the key bridge collapse really highlighted the stressors we have seen put on the infrastructure and transportation system in the baltimore region when it comes to the traffic backups and other conversations about public transportation. what is a federal government's role in the larger conversation when it comes to public transit and how would you ensure accountability and oversight for the federal dollars that would be coming to regions like baltimore city to ensure the projects don't balloon and we see results? >> have to recognize and pay respect to the six workers that lost their lives from mexico, honduras, el salvador, guatemala, they have lost her -- their lives working a tough job night shifts.

we also demonize immigrants. but these folks are some of the greatest americans working really hard for our country day in and in this case night. their loss, we have to recognize. mr. shoreman and all the folks working who have lost their jobs, they have got no job, boom, zero, gone, we've got to get them full pay, unemployment is not enough. we've got to get them back to what their pay was prior to this. of course we've got to get this bridge built as quickly as we can. in the appropriations committee, we are going to get the money. we are going to make that happen, project and labor agreements to make that happen with union labor. moderator: county executive alsobrooks. >> we can't lose sight of the fact that the bridge collapsed started with a tragedy of the six lives that were lost. i was happy to right away

deploy the divers that went to the scene. i spoke with governor wes moore, reached out to the mayor of baltimore and the county executive, we were able to assist in the efforts to recover the individuals who lost their lives. what i can tell you is rebuilding the bridge will be very important to not only got the infrastructure dollars that will be necessary to build the bridge but also make sure we are securing the jobs of the 15,000 individuals who have been impacted as well as getting small business loans to the businesses impacted. i'm the only person in this race who had the experience, voting is just one part, there are people in washington who think voting is all a bit but i've been able to not only get the funding but turn that funding into real infrastructure. i have built schools, hospitals, roads. it's important to implement the funding even after you get it. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> we built all of the above. i want to thank governor wes moore.

is done a spectacular job of being the quarterback -- he has done a spectacular job of being the quarterback everyday on the spot advocating to get this project moving right. getting it done. i want to say thank you to governor moore. we have to work with these big transit projects like we have here, the redline. larry hogan took $900 million from baltimore, said, you don't need the money, you don't need good public transit. that's wrong. moderator: rebuttal for county executive alsobrooks. >> i want to complement governor wes moore and seven -- senator van hollen, i am proud to have all their endorsements in this race and they are supporting me. i agree that when we get the infrastructure dollars to rebuild the bridge, it is important those dollars circulate in baltimore city. we want the people to benefit and have union labor. to be able to have the jobs, to make sure businesses and small businesses and minority

businesses benefit from the dollars that come to baltimore city. we should be investing in the economy in baltimore city. moderator: that is time. the next question is from jeff barker directed to county executive alsobrooks. >> congressman trone has the ability to self fund his campaign, which gives him an advantage in campaign spending and media buys. would you favor a proposal in which small donations could be matched by the federal government to even the playing field in the future elections? >> what we have seen in this race, first of all, i am so grateful to have the support of a very broad coalition across the state of maryland. that coalition involves people like governor moore and senator van hollen, congressman hoyer, congressman raskin. so many others, delegate stephanie smith, with us tonight. so many. i'm proud to be supported by marylanders who have contributed

to my campaign. what we have seen in this race, having said that, having spent over $45 million of self funding the highest ever in history, i don't believe this is the way democracy works. i think that we should have a reform in these campaigns. i'm pleased to have been endorsed by m citizens united. we have to get the big money out of campaigns. i would support that kind of reform as a senator. because again these campaigns should be about the people, not about money. >> -- moderator: congressman trone. >> the entire democratic leadership in congress, hakeem jeffries, katherine clark, mr. aguilar, the entire leadership supports us. the understand, we get stuff done. we got stuff over the finish line. 26 bills passed last time just on addiction and mental health alone. plus pell grants to help citizens. we have to get the money out of

the politics that's really poisoning our system. i'm the only candidate on this stage that doesn't take money from exxon. they are not helping us in the environment i don't think,. i'm the only candidate that doesn't take money from pfizer. pfizer is not helping us bring drug costs down. the only candidate that doesn't take money from cigna. i know how difficult they are with the mental health claims. i don't take money from the national restaurant association who wants to pay waiters and waitresses three dollars and $.65 -- $3.65 an hour. that is wrong. that needs to be $15 plus tips. moderator: rebuttal for county executive alsobrooks. >> six over seven professional members have endorsed me in this race, all of mr. trone's colleagues. i want to mention again hundreds of thousands of dollars that mr. trone has spent on these radical republicans who want to not only ban abortion, who are antiunion,

but also to defeat good democratic candidates, he supported greg abbott of texas, ken paxton of texas, he has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat good democratic candidates. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> it's important for folks to think about who supports who. i guess the folks that really matter the most are those that know you the best. folks that no folks the best are the ones of prince george county. eight years, anthony brown, now the attorney general from prince georges county supports us, joanne benson, the longest-serving state senator supports us, you should b., the city attorney's supports us. the list goes on and on, all with us. moderator: that is time. we have to keep moving. thank you very much. the next question will come from roger hartley directed to congressman trone. >> this race is now being

watched nationally. electability is going to be key in the minds of voters in this election and that is because the control of the senate is on the line. what makes you more electable than your opponent? >> first of all thank you for that question. >> i believe that was for the congressman. >> thank you for that question. i appreciate it. electability is absolutely the key. there's no question. every single poll has said the same thing. i'm the candidate that can beat larry hogan. everyone says i can beat hogan. one poll has even said my opponent can beat larry hogan, she won't. i can win across the state, the

eastern shore, southern maryland, western maryland. all these different areas are 31% of the vote total, they add up. at the same time we will deliver the votes in prince george's in montgomery county with -- prince george county and montgomery county. jim clyburn, wes moore will be here to drive voter turnout. it's going to be a battle with larry hogan. we have to beat larry hogan. i can do that and will do that. moderator: county executive alsobrooks. >> what we do know that the polls are showing is that after $45 million have been spent in this race to defeat me, we are within a statistical tie in this race, tied industries with a large number of undecided voters -- in this race with a large number of undecided voters. we have a large coalition across maryland i am so proud of that includes over 190 people elected throughout the state of maryland, people like congressman raskin and

people like the speaker of the house, adrienne jones, and many others. at the end of this the people will decide the race, not money. what i know is that the broad coalition of people that we have developed across the state who include young voters and include women voters and include so many others, what is needed to defeat larry hogan in this race, this race will be decided by the, by the many, not by the money, that is what i know. it cannot buy you love and it cannot buy you maryland. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> i have been the underdog from day one. we have been out there trying to get our message out. this election is about ideas. who has good ideas? who shows up all the time? who does the work? that's my strength. work, work, getting the job done.

the most effective member in the maryland legislative delegation by a factor of three times more effective than the number two member. you have to get stuff done. moderator: rebuttal for county executive alsobrooks. >> i think it's really interesting mr. trone says he is the person that can take on larry hogan and beat him one not so long ago he was a larry hogan donor, providing him the funding he needed to carry across his agenda which may i remind you included restricting abortion care in the state of maryland. i believe that we do -- but we don't need is a larry hogan donor trying to take on larry hogan in the fall. >> our next question will come from mckenzie, directed to county executive alsobrooks. >> a statement was issued regarding congressman trone about gender diversity and representation in congress, the u.s. census is maryland's population is 51% female, do you believe the state's congressional delegation should look more like the people who

elected them? >> we have had really distinguished representation in maryland. included in that was a super bad senator, barbara mikulski. we have had women in our delegation. it is the fact now that out of our 10% delegation, all 10 of them are men. i believe that everyone of us ought to be able to look in the senate of the u.s. and see themselves. every race, gender, every background. because it makes our policy stronger. i believe it is the case electing women is not only good for maryland, it is good for america. it makes our policies more complete. i think it really is very important to have women elected in our delegation who have represented us and brought to bear the perspectives of wives and mothers and sisters and aunts. i believe it is most important. when we talk about childcare, pre-k education, a woman's right

to choose, we ought to have a woman at the table as the decisions are made. moderator: congressman trone. >> the biggest thing that establishes our candidacies is i am not a politician. i'm not a career politician. from one job to the next up to the next job. i am a public servant. i'm here to work for the folks of maryland. to give maryland -- to make maryland a better state. a better country across the aisle. i have supported many great diversity candidates and will continue to do so across the country. like lauren underwood in illinois. the last couple of decades, i've given her over $20 million to democrats at the federal level. i'm the largest donor to democrats the last recycle -- the last recycle spirit i drive our democratic party. that's why i'm so effective. i've got all those connections in the senate.

i go across party lines. that's the key. moderator: rebuttal for county executive alsobrooks. >> i'm really proud to have the support of so many who are already in the senate. people like senator gillibrand, senator patty murray, proud to have joyce beatty and so many others who are already in congress who have supported my candidacy. you mentioned emily's list, i'm proud to have the endorsement of emily's list as well as reproductive freedom for all. this race is one that it's really important our voices are heard. everyone of us ought to have our experience are in the senate of the u.s. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> i'm going to keep going back to what matters, how we get people over politics. people over politics. public servants, not a career politicians. that's the key. if we don't have them taking the money, the $1.9 billion over

the last two year cycle, the folks at the federal level, that is the difference maker. when you take the money, he spent time asking for it, they must expect something, they are not charities. moderator: that's the time. the next question is going to come from jeff barker. this will be directed to congressman trone. >> this one will be short. do you believe tiktok presents a national security threat because of its ties to china and do you believe tiktok should be banned? >> yes. i voted to change the ownership of tiktok. that is a real issue. it is on partially by the chinese government which gives them insight in through the back door to anyone that has tiktok on their phone. i got classified briefings on an ongoing basis. that would give them access to my cell phone. not a good situation. we've got to do what we did already and continue down that

road. the new deal will give them a year to divest. that makes a lot of sense. >> county executive alsobrooks. >> we have to be careful here. there are lots of security risks we have to be concerned about and we should be careful about who owns tiktok, but i am also really in favor of making sure that all of the technologies that we have -- many of our young people use these technologies for things that are also good. i think we should be really careful talking about things like banning tiktok. but we ought to address the safety and security issues and make sure that they are safe. moderator: rebuttal for congressman trone. >> another important piece of a public servant, it is doing a spectacular job of taking care of the folks in your district. we have really stood out on the best customer service, constituent service in our district. that's one of the many reasons why we are ranked first and most effective.

we brought home the dollars to our district, bringing home the money. show me the money. our district brought home the number six numbers out of 212 community project funding. six out of 212. that is millions, tens of millions to our district. moderator: that is time. rebuttal that is time. rebuttal for ms. alsobrooks. >> they endorsed me for my effectiveness as a county executive where i built the first of its kind cancer center in my county. in the last three years, i have open ground on 10 new schools for 18 new schools in six years. i built the first of its kind mental health care and addiction facility so we care for our loved ones who are sick with addiction and not lock them up. making sure we are putting billions of dollars in areas that have been underserved. moderator: our next question

will come from dean roger hartley directed towards county executive alsobrooks. >> county executive, this is a big question but a short one. what is your preferred approach to solving the climate change problem? >> first of all, i wanted to say there are so many of us who walked out of our front doors last year and you could smell wildfires as you walk out your door. what we know about climate is this is not a far off problem. it is something we must act on now. it is something i have acted on as county executive, investing over one billion dollars in stormwater management. we have the only countywide composting program in the state of maryland. we have to do more, building on the inflation reduction act president biden has put in place, to make sure we are incentivizing and helping to draw the public into keeping our climate clean.

making sure what we have to do in this moment is make sure the communities that need it most, impoverished communities, also we close the education gap that allows them to learn how to take advantage of the incentives put forward by president biden in the inflation reduction act. moderator: congressman trone? >> i would like to add a little humor. the washington post had a lot of positive things to say. i thank them for that. at the same time, i kind of feel like i dodged a bullet. the last race, they got it run -- wrong for governor, attorney general, comptroller. let's hope that they can keep their streak up. that said, the inflation reduction act president biden did, $370 billion, the biggest we have ever done to address our climate, this is the most important challenge we have got in our lifetimes. it is always going to be the most important challenge. if we do not get this right, we

have got nothing. it is education and it is climate. i have in a-plus rating with the sierra club among conservation voters. if we do not get this right, we have no shot. thank you, president biden. we are so happy we voted for the inflation reduction act. moderator: rebuttal for ms. alsobrooks. >> investment is fantastic. we have to do more, making sure we are getting that education to all of our communities so they are able to contribute, making sure they know about the incentives available for electric vehicles. there is a whole economy at stake in maryland. we have farmers and others impacted by climate. it is important we do more not only to preserve our climate but also focusing on our economy. moderator: congressman trone,

rebuttal. >> we have a lot to do to make the inflation reduction act reality. there are challenges we have to work together on to execute on the inflation reduction act. we need to look at things like how we can work in africa, asia, south america and bring our clean climate tools all over the world so they can jump past the fossil fuel burning stage of their industrial revolution and go right to clean energy. moderator: time. our next question will be directed to you, congressman trone. >> we will not have time for rebuttals so make sure that your questions -- answers are succinct. when it comes to climate change and all of these initiatives we are seeing from congress, the money has to come from somewhere to fund all of this. how would you planned to fund these prior dips and initiatives -- priorities and initiatives

without continuing to expand on the national debt and deficit? you have 30 seconds. >> 30 seconds? >> quick. >> i am a business guy. i have been in business all my life. $200 billion comes back with the trump tax cut for big companies paying an average of 12% in taxes. you do not pay 12%. that is what the big corporations are paying when president trump made the cut. we need things back like the carried interest loophole, close that out. we need to tax folks for they step up, another loophole. moderator: time. county executive alsobrooks, you have 30 seconds. >> we cannot afford not to invest in climate. this is a real threat, walking out your front door smelling wildfires. floods. we cannot afford not to act on climate. i agree we have to make sure we deal with the greedy

corporations. raise the corporate tax rate again. when trump's tax cuts sunset in 2025, i would be in favor of not extending those. making sure we slow the growth of government spending. there is legislation to do that. we have to do both. we have to save the climate and secure our economy. moderator: that is our time. our candidate forum will conclude with closing statements right after the break. stay with us. ♪ moderator: welcome back to our "your voice, your future" senate debate. let's begin closing statements. each candidate has one minute. we will begin with county executive angela alsobrooks. >> i want to thank the hosts for hosting us. i want to thank each of you for tuning in. i have had the great honor of serving in maryland, my hometown. i was raised here by two

incredible parents in a working-class family who taught me not only the value of hard work but taught me what it meant for people to struggle. i spent the last 27 years in public service because i believe public service is the highest calling. at oversight 50% cut in violence while i was state's attorney and his county executive i have built schools, mental health care facilities. i have invested in health care and economic opportunity for all of our families making sure all of us have the opportunity not only to develop generational wealth but to have high wages. i will continue to fight for you. i ask for your vote. i know what i am fighting for. i know who i am fighting for and what we are fighting about. i will continue to fight for all maryland families and to preserve our democracy. moderator: congressman trone. >> it is hard to raise taxes on big companies when you are taking all of the dollars. that is the challenge. i started off on a farm, 200 acres.

we had no indoor plumbing. we had an outhouse. at 28, my dad was an abusive alcoholic. our farm failed, went bankrupt, lost everything. i started over with my mom and younger siblings and build a business and lived the american dream. i have been so fortunate. now i have a chance to be a public servant and give back. working addiction, working mental health, working on systemic racism, working on education which is so important. climate change, medical research. i have also been given a second chance as a cancer survivor. i am still here. i am here to be able to make big changes and not owe anybody to make those changes. i can beat hogan. my district is republican plus one. moderator: thank you, candidates. thank you, panel. thank you, everyone, for watching. have a good night.

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>> i think it went very well. you heard it yourself, this is a case nobody wanted to bring.