On Oct. 7, we recognized the first anniversary of the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, the largest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, and the kidnapping of hundreds of Israelis, Americans and others whose fate remains unknown. Thousands of innocent civilians — Israelis, Palestinians and others — have been tragically lost over the past year. Instead of unity and healing, Oct. 7 and the ensuing war, protests and antisemitism, have been used as wedge issues, attempting to divide our community, transforming our pain into political points.

It has been disheartening to watch former Gov. Larry Hogan jump on this trend. Following Donald Trump’s playbook, he has mischaracterized his opponent Angela Alsobrooks’ support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship as well as other issues of importance to the Jewish community.

At Jewish communal events, Angela has declared that she would not withhold aid to Israel, in direct contradiction to Larry Hogan’s assertion that she would.

He asserts that she supports a unilateral ceasefire. In reality, Angela has consistently stated, “the brutal attack on innocent Israelis on October 7 was horrific and the threat of Hamas should be removed from the world. Hamas must return the hostages to their families and we must move quickly towards a ceasefire.” We could not agree more.

Angela’s connection to our community began in childhood. She often shares how she learned from her parents about the special relationship between the Black and Jewish communities as allies fighting for civil rights and justice. She traveled to Israel in 2019 with other Black leaders to learn firsthand about the challenges facing the country and the region. As a mom with a daughter in college, she knows that campuses must be safe learning environments for all, and she has met with local high school students to hear directly about antisemitism they face in our public schools.

Our state’s communal and legislative leaders like former Senators Paula Hollinger and Barbara Hoffman and Delegate Sandy Rosenberg have a long and storied tradition of being leaders in the reproductive health movement. Angela understands that tradition and will not waiver on protecting reproductive freedom.

Unfortunately, in 2022, when Hogan had the opportunity to sign into law a bill to expand access to reproductive services for millions of Marylanders, he vetoed it. At the time, Maryland was lagging behind in its leadership on reproductive rights, as 14 states had already safely expanded access for medication and procedural abortion. And worse, after having his veto overridden, Hogan refused to release budgeted state funds, further denying Marylanders the access they needed. He has even praised Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees, calling them “incredible justices” months after they voted to roll back Roe v. Wade.

The Senate’s agenda will be set by whichever party has the majority. Larry Hogan has been crystal clear he would caucus with Republicans — meaning he would allow the likes of Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell to run the show. History has demonstrated that the Jewish community is often high on the list of groups most likely to be harmed when there are threats to democratic norms and institutions, a serious concern with Trump — aided and abetted by Senate Republicans — declaring on day one he will be a dictator and regularly threatening to prosecute his political enemies. He has even used hateful and antisemitic language to describe Jewish voters that don’t support him.

We cannot let Maryland’s senator be the tipping point for a party that has rubber-stamped Trump’s agenda. Angela Alsobrooks is the U.S. Senate candidate who best reflects the values and priorities of the Jewish community, and that’s why we’re proud to support her.

Shelly Hettleman (shelly .hettleman@senate.state .md.us) is a Democrat representing Baltimore County’s District 11 in the Maryland State Senate. Jared Solomon (jared .solomon@house.state .md.us) is a Democrat representing Montgomery County’s District 18 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Both are co-chairs of the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus.