Washington, D.C
Angela Alsobrooks improperly claimed tax deductions on DC, Maryland properties, records show
Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maryland, 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 taxes between 2005 and 2017 on her northeast Washington property by using tax exemptions meant for the district’s primary residents, lower income residents and senior citizens, according to property tax bills reviewed by CNN.
But she did not live in Washington, according to public records. Since 1995, she has been registered to vote in Prince George’s County, where she’s been a longtime government official. She’s currently the county executive there, where she oversees the county’s budget and its tax collection division.
Connor Lounsbury, senior adviser to Alsobrooks, told CNN that after her grandmother moved out of the home in northeast Washington, Alsobrooks paid the mortgage on the property until it was sold in 2018. “She was unaware of any tax credits attached to that property and has reached out to the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make any necessary payment,” Lounsbury said.
In 2005, Alsobrooks bought a townhouse in Prince George’s County. State records show she applied for and received a homestead exemption in 2008 for the townhouse. It’s unclear when, but she eventually began renting out the property – while continuing to take the exemption meant for primary residents.
While county records for her property tax bill on the townhouse go back only as far as fiscal year 2020, it is estimated that the exemption would have saved her at least $2,600 since then.
In 2014, Alsobrooks bought another home in an “equestrian” community in Prince George’s County. She lists the property as her primary residence on her mortgage – but does not take a homestead exemption there, something her campaign points out has actually cost her money.
“When Angela bought her new property, the homestead tax credit from her previous home was not transferred,” Lounsbury said. “This resulted in no financial gain for Angela. In fact, she ended up paying more in taxes than she would have had the credit transferred over. Nevertheless, Angela is working to repay any credits received on the old property.”
Key Senate race
After winning a contested Democratic primary earlier this year, Alsobrooks faces Republican Larry Hogan, the former Maryland governor, in the race to fill the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Ben Cardin.
In most election cycles, a Democratic nominee from deep-blue Maryland would be a shoo-in to win the general election in November. But Hogan’s entrance into the race has put the seat in play, adding to the Democratic struggle to hang on to power given that the party will need to hold seven seats in difficult races simply to keep the Senate at 50-50.
Improper use of tax exemptions has long plagued politicians running for office – at least, politically. In 2023, CNN’s KFile reported California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff claimed primary residences in California and Maryland at the same time, claiming they were categorized as such for loan purposes. And in 2022, CNN reported that Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker received a tax break on his Texas home intended for primary residence, despite running for office in Georgia.
Alsobrooks’ campaign pointed out Hogan also received a tax break on his Edgewater, Maryland, home in 2016 while living in the governor’s mansion in Annapolis. But governors and federal employees are exempt from the residency requirements.
Homestead tax exemptions are meant to shield a fraction of a home’s value from property taxes and apply to primary residencies, not rental or investment properties.
Records show Alsobrooks obtained the DC property after her grandmother transferred the deed to her in late 2003. Her grandparents likely qualified for the senior citizens’ tax break, and Alsobrooks never changed the exemption status.
DC law says the failure to cancel exemptions that no longer apply to the homeowner can result in “penalties equal to 10% of the delinquent tax and interest accruing each month at 1.5% until paid in full.” But it is up to the district to go after the homeowner for the money – and up to the homeowner to cancel the exemptions if circumstances change.
Alsobrooks continues to claim a homestead tax exemption on her Maryland townhouse, even though she no longer lives there and uses it as a rental property.
It’s unclear when Alsobrooks started renting out that property. According to state records, she applied for a license to rent out the property in 2021. In her financial disclosures that were released in August, she disclosed rental income between $15,000 and $50,000 for residential real estate.
Alsobrooks’ campaign pointed to her record advocating for local tax relief. In the summer of 2020, Alsobrooks opposed a county measure that would have raised property taxes to make up for lost revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic. And in 2022, she signed a law granting eligible elderly residents a property tax credit that would last for up to five years.
Barrier-breaking career
Alsobrooks has had a barrier-breaking career, rising in 2010 to become the first woman elected as state’s attorney from Prince George’s County before being elected in 2018 as the first woman county executive in the suburban Maryland county.
She overcame steep odds in this year’s Democratic primary to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Cardin. Her deep-pocketed opponent, Rep. David Trone, outspent her nearly 10-to-1 and dumped more than $60 million of his own cash into the race.
But despite the attacks Trone leveled against her, Alsobrooks ended up winning by 10 points, as her party sought to make her the first Black woman elected to the Senate from Maryland.
Alsobrooks has sought to nationalize the race against Hogan, a popular former governor who has sought to distance himself from former President Donald Trump. She has tried to tap into the strong Democratic leanings of the state by arguing that a Hogan victory would likely mean Republicans win back control of the Senate – and with it, the power to set the agenda and confirm judicial nominees.
On the campaign trail, Alsobrooks has pushed for a “fairer tax system” and has sharply criticized tax breaks for the richest of taxpayers.
“Too many Americans are struggling to get by and are forced to live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet,” Alsobrooks posted on X earlier this year. “As your senator, I will fight for a fairer tax system that doesn’t deliver handouts to the top 1%.”
Washington, D.C
Woman stabbed at Union Station, suspect in custody
A woman was seriously injured when someone stabbed her Saturday afternoon at Union Station in Northeast D.C.
Amtrak police described the stabbing as a domestic incident. The victim was stabbed about 1:15 p.m. and was taken to a hospital.
Police said they’re investigating. A male suspect is in custody, they said.
Washington, D.C
Fresh Start 5K race kicks off on New Year’s Day in DC – WTOP News
A D.C. tradition continues on New Year’s Day, as the Fresh Start 5K is expected to attract thousands of runners and walkers to Anacostia Park.
A D.C. tradition continues on New Year’s Day, as thousands of runners and walkers are expected to gather at Anacostia Park to kick off 2025 with a Fresh Start 5K race.
The 5K race begins at 1800 Anacostia Dr. in southeast D.C. at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Registration begins at 9 a.m.
“This event has grown and grown and grown,” said D.C. Parks and Recreation Director Thennie Freeman.
The Fresh Start 5K brought in 6,000 participants on New Year’s Day in 2024, and with fair weather predicted on the first day of 2025, organizers are predicting even more participants.
The 5K race will mark the event’s 11th year and is one of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s pet projects.
Bowser helped start the event after clinching the D.C. mayorship in 2015. The race is part Bowser’s vision of having D.C. residents prioritize their physical health.
The running social group Pacers has been hosting pop-up events all month in an effort to get people ready for the race.
“It’s so beautiful to see,” Freeman told WTOP. “People are walking with their animals. They’re strolling their children.”
There’s also a “Kids Dash” event for young runners under the age of 12, said Freeman.
“There were so many children coming out, we had to do something special for them,” Freeman said. “This is the second time we’re doing a Kids Dash.”
Registrations are being taken all the way to the start of the race. You can register online at FitDC.com.
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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Washington, D.C
How Trump won a second term and delivered DC to the GOP – Washington Examiner
President-elect Donald Trump entered Election Day in a virtual tie against Vice President Kamala Harris, according to several poll aggregates, yet by early Wednesday morning, he easily defeated his rival.
“This is a movement like nobody’s ever seen before and, frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time,” Trump boasted during his victory speech.
As the results began to roll in that Tuesday evening, Trump won the first battleground state of North Carolina before winning Georgia, then Pennsylvania, and sweeping Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.
He went on to win 312 Electoral College votes compared to Harris’s 226 votes and the popular vote, becoming the first Republican president since George W. Bush in 2004 to accomplish this feat.
Trump rode a wave of public anger over rising grocery and gas prices that helped reinstate him as president and gave Republicans control over the House and Senate, along with previous majority control of the Supreme Court, in a backlash against President Joe Biden’s administration.
With Biden and subsequently Harris as the de facto incumbent candidate, one political expert claimed the race was there for Democrats to lose.
“While I see the political accomplishment of Trump (or any Republican) winning the popular vote and sweeping all swing states, I nevertheless think that it’s mostly Democrats who lost the election,” said Louis Perron, a political consultant and author of Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections.
“Did you win? Or did the other side lose? In this case, I think Democrats blew it. And I say Democrats specifically and not Harris,” Perron continued.
Trump was likely on the march to trouncing Biden, whose mental acuity was a key topic of concern among voters and as voters increasingly disapproved of his leadership. Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump on June 27, in which he often appeared confused, accelerated calls among fellow Democrats for him to stand down from reelection.
A little over a month later, Biden announced on X that he was suspending his campaign. Hours later, he endorsed Harris to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
Harris’s quick consolidation of the Democratic Party, historic fundraising figures, and extensive ground game operation should have given her the advantage heading into the election. But there were key warning signs.
Public heartburn over the economy and the rising immigration crisis at the southern border proved no match for Harris, who struggled to distance herself from Biden’s administration. When Harris told the hosts of The View there was “not a thing” she would do differently than Biden, Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance repeatedly aired the clip at campaign rallies.
Piggybacking off of Trump’s populist approach, Senate Republicans were able to brand the Democrats and Biden as out-of-touch elitists. The effort resulted in the GOP retaking the upper chamber by flipping seats in West Virginia, with Sen. Joe Manchin retiring, Ohio, Montana, and Pennsylvania.
Bernie Moreno took down Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), while Tim Sheehy toppled Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), the most vulnerable incumbent senator, and Dave McCormick unseated Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). The GOP now holds a 53-47 majority.
More than a week after the election, House Republicans narrowly held on to their control of the lower chamber after losing seats in New York and California. Their win marks the first year since 2018 that the GOP has had a governing trifecta.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will likely hold on to his leadership role after the success of the election and given Trump’s support.
“The mandate that has been delivered shows that a majority of Americans are eager for secure borders, lower costs, peace through strength, and a return to common sense,” Johnson wrote in a congratulatory letter to the conference. “With unified Republican government, if we meet this historic moment together, the next two years can result in the most consequential Congress of the modern era.”
Grant Reeher, professor of political science at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, claimed that voters in the battleground states were most primed to display their economic anger at Democrats after the last four years of inflation.
“They have been the ones that have really been living the brunt of this,” Reeher said. “And so they were the most, I think, ripe for the picking, if you will, for the Republicans, and the most receptive to the kinds of messages that Trump was offering on the economy.”
The vice president raised a historic $1 billion in roughly three months and repeatedly boasted about having more campaign staff and field offices in the seven battleground states. Yet, according to most preelection polls, Trump remained within striking distance of Harris.
Harris also campaigned heavily on galvanizing women voters around the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and restoring abortion access. However, Trump proved he could run on gender, and he frequently appeared on podcasts geared toward young male voters, culminating in an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Harris won women voters by an 8-point margin, while Trump won male voters by a 13-point margin, according to CNN exit poll results.
Anti-abortion conservatives championed Trump’s win as an example that the public was no longer politically motivated by Roe.
“This election proves that abortion was not the silver bullet Democrats thought it would be. Even after Democrats put half a billion dollars behind abortion TV ads in this election, they still lost the presidency, the Senate, and potentially the House,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement. “The reason? Their extreme abortion agenda is out of step with Americans. And their fearmongering and abortion lies did not work. There was not a historic gender gap that ushered in Kamala Harris’s abortion policies. That’s because most Americans support early, reasonable limits on abortion.”
Another feat Trump accomplished was winning more Hispanic voters at 45%, according to NBC News exit polls, a record high for a GOP presidential candidate, and winning more Asian and black voters than most GOP candidates have done in decades by running on a populist pitch.
Steven Hilding, a Republican strategist in Nevada, pointed to Trump’s efforts to reach niche voting blocs as an example of how his campaign helped win the popular vote.
“You saw Trump do things like going to the sneaker convention and socializing with young minority males,” Hilding said. “You saw him having a Greek and Cyprian American leadership council … he was able to make some inroads in the Muslim communities in Michigan.”
In the final days before the election, Trump visited a Dearborn, Michigan, cafe owned by an Arab American leader. Dearborn’s Arab and Muslim population long signaled their disapproval of the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Also hobbling Harris was the struggle to define herself to the public once she became the nominee. During her 2020 run for president, she embraced several left-leaning policy issues, such as fracking, that she later denounced in the run-up to the election.
“Harris ran a deliberately, in terms of policy, pretty vague campaign. I don’t blame her for that. You have 107 days. What are you going to do?” Reeher said. “And also, you want to distance yourself from a presidential administration, but you don’t want to throw that administration under the bus. So, how do you finesse that? Well, she tried, but it didn’t really end up working out.”
WHAT MAGA AND THE GOP WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POST-TRUMP ERA
In the end, Democrats are now left scrambling over how to win back disaffected voters who overwhelmingly rejected the Harris campaign as Trump governs over the next four years. Trump, at least, claims that easing financial burdens for the average American will be a top priority.
“We have to put our country first for at least a period of time. We have to fix it. Because together, we can truly make America great again for all Americans,” Trump claimed in his election victory speech.
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