Angela Alsobrooks took the stage at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday evening, dressed in a white suit and passionately advocating for her friend and mentor Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States. As the Prince George’s County executive and a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland, Alsobrooks used her eight-minute speaking opportunity to share her personal journey and to bolster Harris’s candidacy.
Reflecting on her 14-year history with Harris, Alsobrooks recounted how she was inspired by Harris while campaigning for state’s attorney in Prince George’s County. She became aware of Harris through an article in Essence magazine that highlighted Harris’s initiatives focused on nonviolent offenders, and her commitment to accountability for violent offenders. Alsobrooks expressed her admiration, recalling how she couldn’t stop discussing Harris on the campaign trail.
After her victory in 2010, Alsobrooks received a call from Harris, who had just been elected attorney general of California. Alsobrooks recalled Harris’s offer of support, leading to a lasting friendship and mentorship. Alsobrooks credited Harris with helping her implement post-prison reentry programs in Prince George’s County that significantly reduced recidivism rates.
Throughout their political careers, Alsobrooks and Harris have consistently supported each other and appeared together at various events this year. Alsobrooks emphasized that Harris, with her prosecutorial background, is ideally equipped to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming general election, stating, “Kamala Harris knows how to keep criminals off the streets. Come November, with your help, she’ll keep one out of the Oval Office.”
The Maryland delegation at the convention offered loud applause for Alsobrooks, particularly when she rallied the crowd against Trump with repeated phrases ending in “not going back.” The audience joined in, creating an atmosphere of unity and determination. Alsobrooks declared this is the moment to leave Trump in the past and highlighted the importance of progressing as a nation.
She invoked the struggles of ancestors for voting rights, mothers fighting for control over their bodies, and hardworking parents striving for better futures for their children, consistently ending with the powerful refrain of “not going back.”
Alsobrooks also shared a personal story about her grandmother, Sarah, a housekeeper who aspired to work for the federal government. Lacking a typewriter, her grandmother ingeniously drew a keyboard on paper to practice typing and eventually passed the civil service test, helping the family advance economically. “I am her legacy,” Alsobrooks declared to rousing cheers, affirming her candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
In her speech, Alsobrooks expressed admiration for women like her grandmother and Harris, who dare to envision a brighter future and possess the determination to achieve it.
While preparing for the speech, Alsobrooks was urged by her opponent, former governor Larry Hogan, to address specific issues including crime statistics. However, she chose to remain focused on her own narrative. On the campaign trail, she often records successes in reducing crime during her tenure as state’s attorney, although she does not highlight the uptick in certain crimes since she became county executive. Hogan has pointed to a 30% rise in violent crime during that period, but he does not acknowledge his own responsibility as governor during much of that timeframe.