Gov. Wes Moore, waging a “war” on behalf of Democrat Angela Alsobrooks’ U.S. Senate bid, is raising funds for a new super PAC focused on defeating her opponent, Republican Larry Hogan, whom Moore succeeded as governor.

Moore’s involvement with the PAC underscores the significant extent to which he has tied himself to the campaign of Alsobrooks, 53, the Prince George’s County executive. Analysts believe the Nov. 5 election to succeed the retiring Sen. Ben Cardin presents Moore’s biggest political test since his own 2022 election victory.

Moore “is actively raising money into the PAC, and will be hosting a high-dollar fundraiser for its efforts later this month,” said a statement released by the Unity First PAC in response to Baltimore Sun questions. Ned Miller, who was Moore’s 2022 campaign manager, is a senior adviser to the super PAC, which can raise unlimited sums from individuals, corporations and unions.

The PAC “will make clear to Maryland voters how Larry Hogan will turn control of the U.S. Senate over to MAGA Republicans so they can enact their own extremist policies like a national abortion ban and obstructing common sense gun laws,” Miller said in a statement to The Sun.

With Democrats holding a 51-49 U.S. Senate majority, the race — which polls say is very close — is seen by both parties as significant in the battle for Senate control. Democrats must defend a handful of seats in states that Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, plus three others — West Virginia, Ohio and Montana — won by Donald Trump, the former president who is again the Republican nominee.

The Maryland race’s dynamic is unusual because it pits Moore’s close ally against Hogan, a popular Republican who served two terms ending in January 2023 and was Moore’s immediate predecessor. The two have openly disagreed on policy since Moore became governor.

But Moore, 45, told The Sun on Thursday in an interview: “There’s nothing personal about this at all. Who sits as Maryland senator, it matters to me. I endorsed Angela early, and I was proud to, and I told her that I’ll be with her until the end.”

Moore has criticized Hogan, 68, for not supporting the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a public school reform plan, and scrapping the Red Line — a proposed east-west Baltimore transit route — in 2015. Hogan called the Red Line a “boondoggle.” Last April, Moore used the same term — boondoggle — to describe the Hogan-approved Purple Line addition to the Washington Metro that has seen large cost overruns. This summer, Hogan criticized vehicle registration fee increases under Moore and the governor’s decision to try to revive the Red Line.

The Hogan campaign declined to comment on Moore’s role in the Senate race.

Moore, a popular surrogate for Democratic candidates around the nation who spoke in a prime-time slot at the party’s convention last month, has the approval of 64% of Maryland voters — 6 percentage points higher than a similar poll in February, according to a statewide poll by the Annapolis-based Gonzales Research & Media Services. The poll said Moore’s rating was the highest for a Democratic Maryland governor in almost 40 years.

But if Hogan were to win in November, “it would be hard for analysts to not sort of wonder if that was, in some way, a commentary from voters on Moore’s leadership or some sort of expression that they miss Hogan and his approach to governing,” said Todd Eberly, an associate political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

“Folks view both Moore and Alsobrooks as rising stars and future leaders in the party, and if she were to lose, that weakens both of them in that respect,” Eberly said. “The party wants to have these young, dynamic future leaders.”

The Unity First PAC was created in April, according to Federal Election Commission records.

It released its first ad Friday recounting Hogan’s 2022 veto of a measure allowing nurse practitioners and other nonphysician medical professionals to perform abortions in Maryland. The Democratic-controlled General Assembly overrode his veto. Hogan has since said following the May primary that he supports codifying abortion rights in federal law.

The ad is for digital platforms, but the PAC says it will also be buying ads for traditional television.

The PAC had raised a relatively small amount — $160,000 — as of June 30, but that was before the scheduled fundraiser to be hosted by Moore. The PAC declined to disclose the event’s date or other information about it.

The PAC will air ads “on digital platforms, CTV, television, and invest in youth engagement efforts,” it told The Sun. It said it will emphasize targeting young voters and is focused “on maintaining a majority in the U.S. Senate and ensuring that Maryland has two Democratic senators representing the Free State come November.”

Super PACs, which independently spend money on TV advertising and other campaign messaging, have the ability to swing close elections because they can raise unlimited sums. They are prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns they support or oppose.

In February, a pro-Hogan super PAC called “Maryland’s Future” launched. It was seeded March 6 with $10 million from major Republican donor Kenneth Griffin, head of the Citadel LLC hedge fund.

In 2018, Hogan became the first Republican to be reelected Maryland governor since Theodore McKeldin in 1954. He did it in part by presenting himself as a pragmatic businessman and divorcing himself from Trump, who was then the president.

Now Hogan is trying to become the first Republican elected to the Senate from Maryland since Charles Mathias in 1980.

Moore endorsed Alsobrooks in October 2023, seven months before she defeated Rep. David Trone to win the Democratic Senate nomination. He said in Thursday’s interview that her positions were preferable to Hogan’s on abortion rights, transportation issues, combating gun violence and other issues.

“Listen guys, we’re just getting started,” Moore, Maryland’s first Black governor, told Alsobrooks’ supporters after her May 14 victory. “Tonight, we won the battle. Tomorrow, we wage the war — and we’re not losing. There is too much at stake.”

Alsobrooks, who would be the state’s first Black senator, had endorsed Moore early as well, a few months ahead of the July 2022 primary.

“This race is going to require resources and support,” Moore told The Sun. “I’m happy to do whatever that I can do to make sure that Angela wins. I plan on being active.”