I'm running to become Maryland's next US senator. There are 'no days off,' but it's critical for me to understand the voters I hope to represent.

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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Angela Alsobrooks, the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland, who won the Democratic nomination for the state's open Senate seat. In the May primary, she defeated Rep. David Trone, who self-funded his campaign to the tune of over $60 million. Alsobrooks will face former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in one of the most closely-watched races of the general election. If elected, she would become Maryland's first Black senator and only the second woman to represent the state in the upper chamber. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.