Latest news with #BALTIMORE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Steny Hoyer raises $232,000 as he mulls reelection bid in Maryland
BALTIMORE — Maryland's oldest lawmaker hasn't announced whether he'll run for reelection. But if he doesn't, it won't be for lack of funding. Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Prince George's County Democrat, raised roughly $232,000 during the second fundraising quarter, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings. After expenses, the cash influx gives the 86-year-old congressman over $636,000 in cash on hand for his campaign. He started the quarter with over $573,000. The sum is roughly $60,000 less than Hoyer's fundraising numbers during the same quarter of the previous election cycle, when he raised over $291,000 and went on to win reelection to his long-held seat. While the quarterly report won't be among the largest in Congress — Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat, raised roughly $1.2 million, for example — it's a fair amount for a long-tenured member in a safe blue seat. The fundraising boost comes during a precarious moment for veteran Democratic leaders like Hoyer. Age has remained a top-of-mind issue for Democratic voters since former President Joe Biden's presidential campaign fell apart last year after he struggled to answer questions during a debate with the then-presumed GOP nominee, Donald Trump, leading to Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee. It's only become more prescient since Trump's election. Three Democratic lawmakers have died since March. Each was at least 70 years old. As a former member of the party's leadership, Hoyer remains an influential member of the Democratic caucus, the House Appropriations Committee, and serves as the ranking member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. Hoyer's office did not respond to a request for comment. The age debate isn't strictly about age, but health — whether aging lawmakers are healthy enough to fulfill the responsibilities of a member of Congress. Reps. Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Raul Grijalva of Arizona both suffered from cancer. Turner passed after experiencing a medical emergency. Their deaths reinvigorated questions about the party's emphasis on experience in leadership, particularly given the energy needed to keep up with the frenetic pace of the Trump administration. Being a Democratic lawmaker under Trump hasn't been relaxing. The president has blitzed a series of immense structural changes to the federal government that Democrats have decried, while Republican lawmakers have passed new policies that Democrats have detested — most recently, the partisan 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' that extended current tax rates while enacting cuts to social programs. Donations from political committees accounted for $140,500 of Hoyer's new funds, with contributions ranging from $1,000 to $7,500. Individual donations made up $84,700. The campaign spent over $169,000 during the past three months. Hoyer has held his seat since 1981. He is one of the oldest members of Congress and spent years as the second-ranking House Democrat before stepping down from his post of Majority Leader in 2023, saying that, 'The timing was right.' In August of last year, Hoyer suffered a mild stroke. Despite the health scare, he went on to win reelection, defeating Republican Michelle Talkington with 68% of the vote. He received 72% of the vote during the Democratic primary, defeating three younger challengers. At least one Democrat will challenge Hoyer in 2026: political newcomer Harry Jarin. Jarin's campaign disclosures weren't available prior to publication. -----------
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said state surplus ‘wasn't real.' His budget said otherwise
BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore raised some eyebrows this week by saying the state's $5.5 billion budget surplus 'wasn't real,' after describing the state's 'fortunate financial position' at the beginning of his term. Speaking to reporters in Annapolis as the current legislative session winds down, Moore pointed to the evaporation of temporary federal COVID-19 funding to explain Maryland's transformation from surplus to $3.3 billion structural deficit. 'When you have a one-time infusion of cash, that is not structural surplus,' the Democratic governor said. 'That is not math. It's politics, it's not math. It's dark-money gaslighting.' Moore's first budget proposal showed the state expected to end fiscal year 2023 with more than $5 billion in general cash reserves while acknowledging that COVID aid would be drying up. 'If the State's current revenue projections hold through June, we anticipate ending the current Fiscal Year 2023 with a more than $2 billion General Fund balance and an additional $2.9 billion in the Rainy Day Fund — $5 billion in combined General Fund cash reserves,' Moore's proposal reads. 'At the same time, Maryland, like many other states, sees a surplus created by a series of rare financial tailwinds unlikely to continue.' While the governor's office did not specify how much of this $5 billion was directly related to COVID-19 funds, a Maryland Department of Legislative Services report estimates the state received about $4.9 billion in pandemic aid from the federal government. In Moore's fiscal year 2024 budget, on page 14, he described proposing a budget with 'a robust surplus balance' and was also aware of economic risks, revenue risks and state retirement contributions. Carter Elliott, Moore's senior press secretary, says the deficit has been predicted since 2017 and exacerbated by slow economic growth across multiple administrations. 'During that time the state's economy also significantly underperformed the nation, growing at just 3% while the nation grew at 11% between 2017 and 2022,' Elliott said in an emailed statement. Moore's Republican predecessor, Gov. Larry Hogan, criticized the 'BS and finger-pointing' surrounding budget issues in a series of X posts Thursday. Hogan's posts balked at the Moore administration characterizing Maryland's economy as weak. 'Even after managing a global pandemic, we left office in January 2023 with the largest surplus in state history — $5.5 billion,' Hogan wrote. 'Maryland had never been in a stronger economic position.' Hogan continued by referencing a recent University of Maryland, Baltimore County, poll he interpreted as the state being on the wrong track.' The poll showed that 52% of Marylanders approve of Moore's job performance, 53% also said they have considered moving out of state in the coming years. 'It's a damn shame, and it breaks my heart,' Hogan said of the poll and overall budget situation. ------------
Washington Post
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Khali Horton scores 28 as Coppin State beats Morgan State 82-75 in OT
BALTIMORE — Khali Horton had 28 points to lead Coppin State to an 82-75 overtime victory over Morgan State on Thursday night in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season finale. Horton made three throws with 16 seconds left to send the game to OT tied at 69. Horton and Derrius Ward opened the extra period with 3-pointers and the Eagles never looked back.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland lawmakers want governors to face stronger ethics laws
BALTIMORE — Lawmakers are seeking to require that Maryland governors place their personal financial holdings into a blind trust months after conflicts of interest were raised during Maryland's U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Larry Hogan and now-Sen. Angela Alsobrooks. Senate Bill 723 and House Bill 932 would require the governor to either place their financial interests into a certified blind trust approved by the State Ethics Commission or divest from any interest the SEC determines may pose a conflict of interest with the governor's public duties. A blind trust is an arrangement often used by politicians to give control of their private financial interests to an independent manager to avoid conflicts of interest. 'While we do have financial disclosure requirements here in Maryland that we all comply with, I would suggest that when it comes to the highest office in the state — the governor, who has unique power — that we need an even stronger framework so as to mitigate against conflicts of interest, reinforce accountability and transparency and protect the ethical integrity of that uniquely powerful office,' said Sen. Brian Feldman, a Montgomery County Democrat sponsoring the Senate bill. While Feldman did not name any particular governor at Wednesday's bill hearing in the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee, he referenced an October 2024 article from Time magazine that raised ethical concerns about former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. The report, which was published before the only televised debate between Hogan and now-U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, claimed the former governor had approved millions of dollars in affordable housing awards for six developers who were clients of his real estate brokerage firm. Maryland Democrats, including Gov. Wes Moore, called for stronger state ethics laws the day after the story came out. At the time, Moore said there were 'a lot of answers that the old governor needs to provide' and said the state should look into the contracts Hogan approved while he was in office. Hogan, meanwhile, called the story 'completely false' and 'some old false conspiracy theory.' Moore finalized the creation of a blind trust several months after taking office. As of April 2023, his blind trust included more than $2.5 million in investments. Nearly half of Moore's holdings posed potential conflicts of interest, including more than $1.2 million in shares of a cannabis company that does business in Maryland. Under the bill's provisions, the trustee of a governor's blind trust would generally be prohibited from informing the governor about the management or income of the trust while the governor is in office. However, they can provide enough needed information to file tax returns. The State Ethics Commission would post a governor's approved certified blind trust and related documents on its website. Additionally, the measure would require any business entity seeking a state grant, award or contract to report any financial interest held by the governor or restricted individuals — a governor's spouse, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, grandchildren and in-laws — to the state's ethics commission. A report from a business entity would also be posted to the commission's website. Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, referenced similar concerns as Feldman, saying that over the last few years, the public has been questioning the actions of former governors. 'Conflicts of interest are cancerous to our democracy,' she said. 'When our elected officials put their interests first, what they're sending is a message to the public that the state doesn't think their needs are a priority.' ---------
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland lawmakers want governors to face stronger ethics laws
BALTIMORE — Lawmakers are seeking to require that Maryland governors place their personal financial holdings into a blind trust months after conflicts of interest were raised during Maryland's U.S. Senate race between former Gov. Larry Hogan and now-Sen. Angela Alsobrooks. Senate Bill 723 and House Bill 932 would require the governor to either place their financial interests into a certified blind trust approved by the State Ethics Commission or divest from any interest the SEC determines may pose a conflict of interest with the governor's public duties. A blind trust is an arrangement often used by politicians to give control of their private financial interests to an independent manager to avoid conflicts of interest. 'While we do have financial disclosure requirements here in Maryland that we all comply with, I would suggest that when it comes to the highest office in the state — the governor, who has unique power — that we need an even stronger framework so as to mitigate against conflicts of interest, reinforce accountability and transparency and protect the ethical integrity of that uniquely powerful office,' said Sen. Brian Feldman, a Montgomery County Democrat sponsoring the Senate bill. While Feldman did not name any particular governor at Wednesday's bill hearing in the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee, he referenced an October 2024 article from Time magazine that raised ethical concerns about former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. The report, which was published before the only televised debate between Hogan and now-U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, claimed the former governor had approved millions of dollars in affordable housing awards for six developers who were clients of his real estate brokerage firm. Maryland Democrats, including Gov. Wes Moore, called for stronger state ethics laws the day after the story came out. At the time, Moore said there were 'a lot of answers that the old governor needs to provide' and said the state should look into the contracts Hogan approved while he was in office. Hogan, meanwhile, called the story 'completely false' and 'some old false conspiracy theory.' Moore finalized the creation of a blind trust several months after taking office. As of April 2023, his blind trust included more than $2.5 million in investments. Nearly half of Moore's holdings posed potential conflicts of interest, including more than $1.2 million in shares of a cannabis company that does business in Maryland. Under the bill's provisions, the trustee of a governor's blind trust would generally be prohibited from informing the governor about the management or income of the trust while the governor is in office. However, they can provide enough needed information to file tax returns. The State Ethics Commission would post a governor's approved certified blind trust and related documents on its website. Additionally, the measure would require any business entity seeking a state grant, award or contract to report any financial interest held by the governor or restricted individuals — a governor's spouse, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, grandchildren and in-laws — to the state's ethics commission. A report from a business entity would also be posted to the commission's website. Joanne Antoine, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, referenced similar concerns as Feldman, saying that over the last few years, the public has been questioning the actions of former governors. 'Conflicts of interest are cancerous to our democracy,' she said. 'When our elected officials put their interests first, what they're sending is a message to the public that the state doesn't think their needs are a priority.' ---------
