Republicans are widely favored to flip the Senate this November, and the more seats they secure, the stronger their prospects are for maintaining a GOP majority in the years ahead. One race that has unexpectedly emerged on the radar is the Senate contest in Maryland, where former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, is proving surprisingly competitive in several polls.
While it's widely accepted that Democrats will carry the state in the presidential election, there has been persistent optimism that Republicans could capture this Senate seat despite some polls showing Angela Alsobrooks, Hogan's Democrat opponent, with a healthy lead.
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A new tax scandal involving Alsobrooks might just tip the scale in Hogan's favor. According to CNN, Alsobrooks "improperly took advantage of tax breaks she did not qualify for, including one meant for low-income senior citizens, saving thousands of dollars in taxes on two properties she owned in Washington, DC, and in Maryland."
A CNN review of property records and tax bills shows that for both properties, Alsobrooks claimed for more than a decade a homestead tax exemption that is meant to apply only to someone’s primary residence, violating state and local tax relief requirements. She also improperly claimed a senior citizens’ tax break on her Washington property, cutting the tax bill in half. Alsobrooks, 53, never qualified for that tax break, but her grandparents, who owned the property before her, likely did. A senior adviser for Alsobrooks told CNN that she was unaware of the problem and that her attorneys are working with both Washington and Prince George’s County, Maryland, to resolve the issue.
Alsobrooks saved nearly $14,000 in property taxes between 2005 and 2017 by using tax exemptions designed for primary residents, low-income households, and senior citizens on her northeast Washington property. However, public records indicate she did not actually reside in Washington during that period, as she has been registered to vote in Prince George’s County since 1995. According to CNN, "A senior adviser for Alsobrooks told CNN that she was unaware of the problem and that her attorneys are working with both Washington and Prince George’s County, Maryland, to resolve the issue."
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"How does Alsobrooks explain running a taxpayer-funded real estate finance agency while failing to do basic due diligence on her own real estate taxes?" the Hogan campaign asked.
Alsobrooks' campaign tried to deflect by saying that Hogan also received a tax break on his home in Edgewater, Md., while living in the governor's mansion. However, even CNN said the situation was not comparable because "governors and federal employees are exempt from the residency requirements."
A scandal like this would most certainly end the campaign of a Republican. Sadly, Democrats have much lower standards to uphold, and this scandal would likely have more impact on the race during an off-year election. Democrats don't care about electing crooks.
But hey, you never know.
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