What to Know
- The two supported one another's campaigns for higher office
- Harris advised Alsobrooks on her run for county executive
- Alsobrooks said it's fair to examine Harris' record as a prosecutor
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has called Sen. Kamala Harris a mentor and confidant for years, but she said she was inspired by the Democratic vice-presidential nominee long before they met.
“I was running for state’s attorney; I read about Kamala Harris in a magazine,” Alsobrooks said.
Harris was the first Black woman district attorney in California. Alsobrooks was the first in Prince George's County.
The two supported one another's campaigns for higher office, and Alsobrooks said Harris advised her on her run for county executive.
“She met with me in a little restaurant on Capitol Hill, Mexican restaurant,” Alsobrooks said. “She got out of her car and had a pad and a pen, and we spent two hours literally going through my race.”
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“That's what mentors do is they drive you, support you, focus you, and there is nothing like a real living example,” Alsobrooks said.
As a former state's attorney, Alsobrooks said it's fair to examine Harris' record as a prosecutor considering the disproportionate incarceration of Black people across the country.
“I understand that people are looking at that record, that they should criticize parts of that record,” Alsobrooks said. “I guess I just have the distinct advantage of having known the person. I know the heart of the person because I’ve had the conversations with her about the way that we can elevate people. ”
Alsobrooks said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made the right choice for the country in his selection of Harris.
“I had the same sort of excitement that other women had looking at her,” Alsobrooks said. “It's just this profound sense of pride but also just inspiring.”
Alsobrooks said she expects Harris to have words that will help unite the country and empower voters. The county executive said that's what she plans to do on behalf of the Democratic party in Prince George's County and in Maryland.
As state's attorney, Alsobrooks duplicated Harris' restorative justice program called Back on Track, giving second chances to low level offenders through vocational and education training. Harris trained Alsobrooks on the program, which is still up and running in the county.
