Latest news with #MarylandDemocraticParty
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland Dems target GOP over Trump bill. Republicans slam the state's higher taxes.
Jul. 2—As Republicans blast the majority party over higher taxes, the Maryland Democratic Party has waged a social media war against Republicans over President Trump's "big, beautiful bill." Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To log in, click here. Originally Published:July 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland Democrats celebrate party wins, but Trump and GOP Congress are never far off
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) was a special guest speaker at the 2025 Maryland Democratic Party Gala on Thursday. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters). It was a celebration of Maryland Democrats and their victories over the past year, but the specter of President Donald Trump and the Republican Congress was never far off. With fancy gowns, sharp suits and drinks in hand, several hundred Maryland Democratic politicians, advocates and donors gathered Thursday at Martin's West and tried to find the light in their uphill battle against the Trump White House and the Republican majority in Congress. But in three hours of speeches, nearly every speaker stressed that the fight against Trump's administration needs to continue — even if the challenges seem insurmountable. That included the evening's keynote speaker, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), a one-time pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore. 'We will not give in to those who are trying to weaponize fear and despair,' Warnock told the crowd. 'We will not be intimidated into silence. We must raise our voices now more than ever. 'We are not going to give in to the rhetoric … of those who are trying to divide us. People who have no vision,' he said. 'They don't know how to lead us, so they are trying to divide us.' During the evening, Democratic leaders aired a wide range of grievances against the Trump administration's actions over the last five months — from mass layoffs of federal workers to the 'erroneous' deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to massive proposed budget cuts for programs such as Medicaid. While much of the evening served as a rallying cry to push back against Republicans in Congress, the evening also functioned as a farewell event to the outgoing Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman, who will officially resign from the position Friday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Ulman said he was proud of what was accomplished in the time since he took over as chair in 2023. 'We've been busy the last couple of years. What did we do? In 2024, we won some elections. We won some big elections,' Ulman said. 'We kept our margin in the federal delegation. Angela Alsobrooks beat Larry Hogan – it took 10 years, we got him.' He was referring to the election of U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D) against former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R). Ulman also recognized wins by Democratic freshman Reps. Johnny Olszewski Jr. (2nd), Sarah Elfreth (3rd) and April McClain Delaney (6th), and he celebrated the party's hand in staving off several school board candidates — normally nonpartisan elections — who were politically aligned with the conservative group Moms for Liberty. But always it came back to the Trump administration. Democrats promised to fight back against what Alsobrooks called 'a horrible time' in America. 'We must understand in this moment that we have to fight back with everything within us, because we are not only harming ourselves here at home, but our image across the world is at stake,' Alsobrooks told the gala. 'What a horrible time it is for our country.' Many of their comments centered around the budget reconciliation bill known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' which aims to reduce federal spending by drastically cutting funds to programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP or food stamps. In a live recording of the Maryland Democratic Party's new podcast, called 'Burn the Talking Points,' Maryland's freshman House members were asked to describe the Big Beautiful Bill in one word. Olszewski said the bill was 'ugly,' Elfreth called the legislation 'an abomination,' while McClain Delaney simply called it 'mean.' Also speaking Thursday were Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-8th), as well as Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller. Gov. Wes Moore (D) ended the evening with his usual bright message of encouragement for the years ahead under the Trump administration. 'As Sen. Warnock said, these are challenging times. No one can deny it,' he said, adding that he hoped to see Maryland take charge in pushing back against Trump and the Republicans. 'There is something that no one can deny. Maryland is showing that we can do different. That inside this moment, we have to be able to call out injustices,' Moore said. 'And we have to be able to call out the atrocities that we are seeing from this administration. 'But we also have to be very clear that calling out the atrocities will not be enough — we have to show what an alternative can actually be,' he said.
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Maryland Dems energized by new party leader. GOP says Dems have tough job ahead
BALTIMORE - In the midst of the toughest year that the current slate of Democratic leaders in Maryland has seen so far - from their passing of tax increases and budget cuts during the session, to the recent infighting over policies like studying reparations - the statewide party will swap out its top leader in the coming weeks, setting up a new face to guide Democrats into next year's consequential elections. Ken Ulman, a close ally of Gov. Wes Moore who is less than two years into his role as Maryland Democratic Party chair, will exit his role in mid-June. Both Moore and Ulman said Democrats should tap Steuart Pittman to replace him, likely ensuring Pittman's appointment and giving the Anne Arundel County executive a key role in supporting Moore's reelection campaign, along with a wide range of other state candidates. On the ballot in 2026 will be every statewide elected official - Moore, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman - as well as all 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly and the entire eight-member U.S. House delegation. After expanding their robust margins in the General Assembly and regaining full control of the State House for the first time in eight years in 2022, Democrats will hope to do as well or better, particularly as the party nationally will be looking for President Donald Trump to inspire voters to move against his increasingly unpopular policies. Maryland Republicans, on the other hand, say Democrats' own actions in the state have been unpopular enough to cause voters to look the other way. Maryland Democrats will "have their work cut out for them to defend Gov. Moore and the Annapolis Democrats' tax-and-spend policies," said Maryland Republican Party Chairwoman Nicole Beus Harris. Harris said she doesn't think the Trump presidency changes much with Maryland's voting patterns since the state didn't vote for Trump last year. "I think that Annapolis is going to be where people are voting from next year," she said. Pittman said in an interview that Trump's actions give the Democratic Party a "huge opportunity to grow." "So many people are being hurt by what the federal government - what the Republican Party at the national level - is doing. And so that's our job … to bring more people into the party." Pittman added that "people who voted for Trump voted for a lot of reasons. And most of them didn't know that they were electing somebody who was going to threaten the economic well-being of the state." He will continue to serve as county executive through the end of his term in December 2026. The party chairmanship is an unpaid position. 'The people have the power' Pittman said his experience running for county executive in 2018 and 2022, and as a community organizer prior to that, will make him an effective party chair. "My training was building neighborhood organizations from scratch, and that's always been the way that I've governed and the way that I've thought about politics and government," he said. "The people have the power. They just need to be mobilized to show it." Pittman has directed national campaigns for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and also worked for the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The state party position will be "very important" as Moore's 2026 reelection campaign ramps up, said Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs. If former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan decides to run, "he's probably the one Republican that would be a strong challenger to Governor Moore," Hartley added. Do state parties matter? State parties play a major role in fundraising, and also with coordinating and representing party organizations across the state, Hartley said. At the same time, state parties may not be "as important as they used to be in the '50s, '60s and '70s," he said. "The governor's campaign will have a lot of interaction with Steuart Pittman, but … [the governor's] reelection campaign, his fundraiser, his organization is going to be more important than the statewide party organization," Hartley said. Doug Mayer, a Republican strategist who formerly served as Hogan's communications director, said he thinks state parties - both Republican and Democrat - "are largely useless" and "largely irrelevant relics of another century." He added that politics is "driven by the top of the ticket." "That's the biggest deal. What the party can do is raise money and not screw things up," he said. "When you're the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, the position is largely ceremonial." Harris, the Republican Party chair, said state parties can "definitely have influence on elections." "Politics isn't just what's going on in Annapolis or D.C. It is very much what is going on even more locally," she said. Ulman "left big shoes to fill" Ulman didn't respond to a request for comment from The Baltimore Sun. He said in an MD Dems email that serving as chair of the Democratic Party "has been one of the great professional honors of my life." Ulman highlighted Democratic victories under his leadership, including U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks' defeat of Hogan last year, and Democrats maintaining a 7-1 advantage in the congressional delegation. Alsobrooks said she's thankful to Ulman for partnering on her campaign. "Chair Ken Ulman's leadership across our state has helped Maryland Democrats grow and thrive," Alsobrooks said in an emailed statement to The Sun. "Together, we celebrated a resounding victory last fall. He has left big shoes to fill." She added, "But I know County Executive Steuart Pittman will fill those shoes with grit, determination, and a focus on mission. His work as a community organizer is such an incredible asset to our Party." Henry Snurr, the outgoing president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, said that Ulman always made sure that younger party members had a voice and was "instrumental" in ensuring that Maryland met its youth target for Democratic National Committee chairs in 2024. "Ken has been an amazing chair for young people," Snurr said. Support for Pittman to lead the party Snurr, who also sits on the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee, praised Pittman as a good potential candidate to lead the party moving forward. Anne Arundel County is one of Maryland's battleground counties. Snurr said having Pittman lead the party could be instrumental for counties like Anne Arundel at the ballot box. "I think County Executive Pittman is a great pick, because, not only does he know how to get progressive things done, but he knows how to fight aggressive campaigns," and tha'ts what the party needs right now, he said. Charlene Dukes, first vice chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, told The Sun she wasn't interested in being chair of the party and said she believes Pittman is "a person with whom I can partner with as closely as I did with Ken Ulman." "I believe that my skill sets and experiences will allow me to continue some work that we've begun there," she said. "I don't want to walk away from that and not pay attention at the really local level with regard to some of the things that we know we have to be ready for as we face elections in 2026." Central committee members from each county will cast votes for the next party chair on June 21 in Prince George's County. ---------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland Dems energized by new party leader. GOP says Dems have tough job ahead
BALTIMORE — In the midst of the toughest year that the current slate of Democratic leaders in Maryland has seen so far — from their passing of tax increases and budget cuts during the session, to the recent infighting over policies like studying reparations — the statewide party will swap out its top leader in the coming weeks, setting up a new face to guide Democrats into next year's consequential elections. Ken Ulman, a close ally of Gov. Wes Moore who is less than two years into his role as Maryland Democratic Party chair, will exit his role in mid-June. Both Moore and Ulman said Democrats should tap Steuart Pittman to replace him, likely ensuring Pittman's appointment and giving the Anne Arundel County executive a key role in supporting Moore's reelection campaign, along with a wide range of other state candidates. On the ballot in 2026 will be every statewide elected official — Moore, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman — as well as all 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly and the entire eight-member U.S. House delegation. After expanding their robust margins in the General Assembly and regaining full control of the State House for the first time in eight years in 2022, Democrats will hope to do as well or better, particularly as the party nationally will be looking for President Donald Trump to inspire voters to move against his increasingly unpopular policies. Maryland Republicans, on the other hand, say Democrats' own actions in the state have been unpopular enough to cause voters to look the other way. Maryland Democrats will 'have their work cut out for them to defend Gov. Moore and the Annapolis Democrats' tax-and-spend policies,' said Maryland Republican Party Chairwoman Nicole Beus Harris. Harris said she doesn't think the Trump presidency changes much with Maryland's voting patterns since the state didn't vote for Trump last year. 'I think that Annapolis is going to be where people are voting from next year,' she said. Pittman said in an interview that Trump's actions give the Democratic Party a 'huge opportunity to grow.' 'So many people are being hurt by what the federal government — what the Republican Party at the national level — is doing. And so that's our job … to bring more people into the party.' Pittman added that 'people who voted for Trump voted for a lot of reasons. And most of them didn't know that they were electing somebody who was going to threaten the economic well-being of the state.' He will continue to serve as county executive through the end of his term in December 2026. The party chairmanship is an unpaid position. Pittman said his experience running for county executive in 2018 and 2022, and as a community organizer prior to that, will make him an effective party chair. 'My training was building neighborhood organizations from scratch, and that's always been the way that I've governed and the way that I've thought about politics and government,' he said. 'The people have the power. They just need to be mobilized to show it.' Pittman has directed national campaigns for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and also worked for the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The state party position will be 'very important' as Moore's 2026 reelection campaign ramps up, said Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs. If former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan decides to run, 'he's probably the one Republican that would be a strong challenger to Governor Moore,' Hartley added. State parties play a major role in fundraising, and also with coordinating and representing party organizations across the state, Hartley said. At the same time, state parties may not be 'as important as they used to be in the '50s, '60s and '70s,' he said. 'The governor's campaign will have a lot of interaction with Steuart Pittman, but … [the governor's] reelection campaign, his fundraiser, his organization is going to be more important than the statewide party organization,' Hartley said. Doug Mayer, a Republican strategist who formerly served as Hogan's communications director, said he thinks state parties — both Republican and Democrat — 'are largely useless' and 'largely irrelevant relics of another century.' He added that politics is 'driven by the top of the ticket.' 'That's the biggest deal. What the party can do is raise money and not screw things up,' he said. 'When you're the Democratic Party in the state of Maryland, the position is largely ceremonial.' Harris, the Republican Party chair, said state parties can 'definitely have influence on elections.' 'Politics isn't just what's going on in Annapolis or D.C. It is very much what is going on even more locally,' she said. Ulman didn't respond to a request for comment from The Baltimore Sun. He said in an MD Dems email that serving as chair of the Democratic Party 'has been one of the great professional honors of my life.' Ulman highlighted Democratic victories under his leadership, including U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks' defeat of Hogan last year, and Democrats maintaining a 7-1 advantage in the congressional delegation. Alsobrooks said she's thankful to Ulman for partnering on her campaign. 'Chair Ken Ulman's leadership across our state has helped Maryland Democrats grow and thrive,' Alsobrooks said in an emailed statement to The Sun. 'Together, we celebrated a resounding victory last fall. He has left big shoes to fill.' She added, 'But I know County Executive Steuart Pittman will fill those shoes with grit, determination, and a focus on mission. His work as a community organizer is such an incredible asset to our Party.' Henry Snurr, the outgoing president of the Young Democrats of Maryland, said that Ulman always made sure that younger party members had a voice and was 'instrumental' in ensuring that Maryland met its youth target for Democratic National Committee chairs in 2024. 'Ken has been an amazing chair for young people,' Snurr said. Snurr, who also sits on the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee, praised Pittman as a good potential candidate to lead the party moving forward. Anne Arundel County is one of Maryland's battleground counties. Snurr said having Pittman lead the party could be instrumental for counties like Anne Arundel at the ballot box. 'I think County Executive Pittman is a great pick, because, not only does he know how to get progressive things done, but he knows how to fight aggressive campaigns,' and tha'ts what the party needs right now, he said. Charlene Dukes, first vice chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, told The Sun she wasn't interested in being chair of the party and said she believes Pittman is 'a person with whom I can partner with as closely as I did with Ken Ulman.' 'I believe that my skill sets and experiences will allow me to continue some work that we've begun there,' she said. 'I don't want to walk away from that and not pay attention at the really local level with regard to some of the things that we know we have to be ready for as we face elections in 2026.' Central committee members from each county will cast votes for the next party chair on June 21 in Prince George's County. ----------
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ulman to step down in June as Maryland Democratic Party chair
Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman. (Photo by Emily Condon/Capital News Service) Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman, a longtime player on the state political scene, announced Wednesday night that he plans to resign effective June 13. Gov. Wes Moore (D) intends to nominate Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) to replace Ulman when the state Democratic Central Committee next meets at its regularly scheduled meeting late next month — shortly after the state party holds its annual fundraising gala June 12 in Baltimore County. The party's first vice chair, Charlene Dukes, does not intend to seek the top job but will remain in her current post. Ulman, a former Howard County executive, has told top Democrats that he wants to return full time to his development consulting company, Margrave Strategies, which is involved in several high-profile economic development projects across the state. He has served as state party chair since November 2023 Ulman announced his intention to resign in a Zoom call Wednesday evening with county chairs, before sharing it during a meeting with the state party's trustees — an advisory group of top donors. 'I am grateful to Ken for his willingness to lead us through an intense and demanding election,' Moore said in a statement. If Pittman is elected state chair — and he is unlikely to be the only candidate for the position next month — he too would split his time between his full-time gig as county executive and the state party post. Moore called Pittman 'the right leader for this moment.' Pittman is termed out of office in December 2026 and has been pondering his next political move. Heading the state party would enable him to stay in the political arena — though he has also been mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed veteran U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) whenever Hoyer decides to end his 60-year political career. 'With an all-out assault on our state and our values underway from Washington, D.C., I know Steuart Pittman will put his experience and his moral clarity to work to defend our state, fight back against the Trump administration, and ensure Democrats win elections,' Moore's statement said Ulman and Pittman did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The state party in the 2026 election cycle will be preoccupied with reelecting Moore – who could face a tough race, especially if former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) runs again – and other statewide elected officials, who should be on firmer political ground. Party leaders are also determined to field a strong challenger against the state's lone Republican member of Congress, Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st); Jake Day, the secretary at Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development, is actively exploring a bid. Ulman's looming departure from the Maryland Democratic Party ends a short-lived reentry into the state political fray. Ulman, 51, was considered a rising political star after four years on the Howard County Council and eight years as county executive. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2014, losing in an upset to a Republican ticket headed by Hogan Ulman launched his development firm shortly after that election and, before becoming state chair, worked on the fringes of politics, using his contacts to firm up development projects. As state chair, Ulman helped now-U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D) win her first term in 2024, kept the Democrats' 7-1 advantage in the state's congressional delegation, helped defeat several conservative school board candidates throughout the state, and raised more than $5.5 million for the state party. Pittman was a political novice when he ran for Anne Arundel executive in 2018, when better-known Democrats chose to skip the race. He ousted Republican incumbent Steve Schuh in an upset. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A former community organizer in Chicago, where he met a young Barack Obama, and in Des Moines, Iowa, he has proven to be an unconventional politician but has also been an effective messenger on policy and big-picture political matters. The state party is having its annual gala on June 12 at Martin's West, a catering hall that regularly hosts political events. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who, like Moore, is a potential presidential candidate in 2028, is the featured speaker. Hoyer's annual bull roast is scheduled for the next night in Mitchellville. Attendees may be looking for clues as to whether the congressman, who turns 86 the next day, will decide to seek a 23rd full term in 2026.
