Latest news with #MarylandElection
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Who's running for governor in Maryland so far? See the growing list
BALTIMORE — There's a growing field of candidates vying to steal Democratic Gov. Wes Moore's seat ahead of the 2026 primary election. Though only one candidate has officially filed with the State Board of Elections, four Republicans, two Democrats, and one Green Party candidate have publicly stated that they have their eyes on Maryland's chief executive position. The race grows ever more crowded as Moore hits the campaign trail to stump for Democrats in other states, signaling presumed presidential aspirations. But Maryland and Moore both face new challenges from President Donald Trump, who is implementing tougher, more conservative policies during his second non-consecutive term. Moore has said Trump's agenda is likely to exacerbate the state's already precarious fiscal situation that the governor and General Assembly wrestled with during the 2025 legislative session. They closed a $3.3 billion budget deficit through $2 billion in cuts and a plan to rake in over $1 billion more through new and increased taxes and fees, leaving some gubernatorial hopefuls with the feeling that there may be an opening for a fresh face at the Maryland State House. Here's a look at the field, including Moore, as we hit 2025's halfway mark. In spite of his limited political background, Gov. Wes Moore swept his gubernatorial election competitor, former Del. Dan Cox, a Frederick County Republican, after at least 13 other hopefuls put their hats in the ring during the 2022 gubernatorial election. As he approaches his first gubernatorial reelection campaign, the 46-year-old popular Maryland governor has campaign funds clocking in at nearly $5 million. A rising star in the Democratic Party, Moore has enjoyed the national spotlight during his first term in situations both ideal and tragic. The governor, who has enjoyed the company of political heavy-hitters, including former President Joe Biden, and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention as the party prepared to tap Vice President Kamala Harris as its nominee. He has also received recognition from Hollywood icon George Clooney, who said on CNN that Moore could be a viable presidential candidate. Moore has publicly said he is not interested in running for president in 2028. The nation's eyes were also on Moore in the aftermath of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024, which in its wake killed six and crippled activity at the Port of Baltimore. Through a coordinated effort with state and federal officials, he was able to reopen the port three months later. Though gaining prominence within the Democratic Party, Moore, a military veteran, faced national criticism for incorrectly claiming on a 2006 White House fellowship application that he was a Bronze Star recipient. Moore has also seen a recent dip in his approval rating after forging a plan with leadership in the Maryland General Assembly to increase taxes in his attempt to fill the state's recent $3.3 billion structural budget deficit. The 78-year-old Democratic Baltimore businessman and former banker Edwin 'Ed' Hale Sr. announced his plans to run for governor in early May, despite not filing his official paperwork to do so yet. The Sun reported that Hale's campaign is centered around curbing juvenile crime and improving Maryland's business landscape, noting that Six Flags America in Prince George's County is closing permanently, the Washington Commanders are likely leaving the state, and Trump upended plans to build the FBI's new headquarters in Greenbelt as previously planned in reference to Maryland's current business environment. The founder and former head of the First Mariner Bancorp, the holding company of the Baltimore-based Mariner Bank, Hale is a businessman who established trucking and shipping companies. He is the current owner of the Baltimore Blast, the city's indoor professional soccer team. Republican candidate Del. Christopher Bouchat, a self-proclaimed 'conservative' representing Carroll and Frederick Counties, recently told The Sun he plans to run for governor, though he has yet to file with the State Board of Elections. Among his campaign priorities are 'limited government,' 'personal freedom' and 'economic free markets.' An occasional lightning rod for controversy, Bouchat is rounding out his first term in the Maryland House of Delegates. He is the chairman of Bouchat Industries, Inc., a metal and welding business he founded in 1994. Previously, Bouchat served on the Board of Carroll County Commissioners and the Carroll County Board of Health. Republican John Myrick is the only candidate who has officially filed to run, listing former state Del. Brenda Thiam, the first Black woman Republican to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates, as his running mate. The 60-year-old candidate is a former senior federal intelligence officer, Harford County deputy sheriff and member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Myrick's campaign centers on improving business development in the state, and he aims to create a combination of private and public sector jobs, improve the education system, public safety, and address the budget deficit. Myrick ran an unsuccessful primary campaign against popular former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in the 2024 race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat. A 60-year-old Carroll County farmer, Kurt Wedekind plans to center his campaign on lowering the high taxes that he said forced his family and friends out of the state. After contracting Lyme Disease, Wedekind opened Wedekind Farms in Westminster, where he and his family sell natural grass-fed beef and pork. Because of his condition, he plans to prioritize improving health outcomes, and said he shares various sentiments with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wedekind also plans to platform on reducing government spending. 'Our campaign represents a majority of people who live in this state,' he told The Sun. The farmer said he will launch a website soon and is looking for a running mate. Andy Ellis is a 48-year-old Green Party candidate and a resident of Northeast Baltimore. He stresses the importance of healthy debate in his campaign messaging and calls for Maryland Public Television to change its 'arbitrary' debate rules to support the inclusion of all gubernatorial candidates. Ellis is prioritizing the creation of a 'multiparty democracy.' He also wants to declare a climate emergency in the state, invest in community organizations, and develop an alternative 'solidarity economy.' Ellis has a unique focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, advocating for the United States to 'end all military, economic, and diplomatic support for Israel and push for peace, democracy and justice for all people in Israel and Palestine.' He told The Sun in late May that he hadn't filed to run because he was still in the process of choosing a running mate. Ellis previously worked at Nielsen, a media data and analytics company, and has coached debate teams at the Baltimore Urban Debate League and Towson University. Former Gov. Larry Hogan, Moore's 69-year-old, popular Republican predecessor, served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, during which time he publicly battled Trump and led the state through the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He lost the 2024 race to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Ben Cardin against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks. Hogan declined to discuss any possible plans for another gubernatorial run last week. 'I'm enjoying retirement,' Hogan said. ---------- Reporter Hannah Gaskill contributed to this report. --------------
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican Delegate Chris Bouchat plans run for Maryland governor in 2026
BALTIMORE — Delegate Chris Bouchat, a Republican from Carroll County who has railed against both Democrats and members of his own party in Annapolis, is gearing up to run for governor next year. Bouchat told The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday he is launching an initial slate of television ads in the coming weeks but is not yet formally announcing his candidacy or filing with the Maryland State Board of Elections. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has said he intends to seek a second term, and a few challengers have begun lining up to get their names on the ballot. 'I'm going to see how the strategy unfolds. I'm in no big hurry,' he said, referring to the primary still a year away. His campaign website already reads 'Bouchat for Governor' and states that 'We the people want a governor with white hair, who has faced and overcome the hardships of life, so they have empathy for us as they execute the duties of office on our behalf.' Bouchat, 57, has at times been open about those hardships. He has been convicted twice of assault and served jail time — once as a 16-year-old in 1984 and after another incident in 1997 involving his wife at the time. Two years before his successful run for the Carroll County Board of Commissioners in 2018, Bouchat's 26-year-old daughter died from a fentanyl overdose. He told The Sun that he believes his experiences make him 'extremely identifiable to a broad base of voters across all demographics,' including experiencing depression and alcoholism after the death of his daughter. After winning a seat in the House of Delegates in 2022, Bouchat has at-times challenged his colleagues on both sides of the aisle — including with a letter to his GOP colleagues within his first few months in that office that said many of them had become 'show horses' in their opposition strategy while in the minority, Maryland Matters reported. One of Bouchat's calling cards has been reforming the redistricting system in which elected leaders draw the districts in which they run. His campaign includes a quote from him reading, 'The greatest gift I can give the citizens of Maryland as governor is sovereignty over the General Assembly by districts being drawn by the people not politicians.' He said in an interview his platform would also focus on economic and tax policy — including changing Maryland's tax system to reflect a 3% flat tax on all income, capital gains and sales. Bouchat said last year that he did not plan to run again for his House seat because of enduring frustrations with Democrats controlling a supermajority of the Maryland General Assembly. _________
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jake Day v. Andy Harris? What we know now about possible 1st District showdown
Could a big showdown be on the horizon in Maryland's 1st District? Here's what we know now about the possibility of Jake Day, current Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development, running against longtime GOP incumbent Rep. Andy Harris in the 2026 election. Maryland Matters has reported that Day, who previously served as Salisbury mayor and as president of its City Council, "is beginning to raise money for a possible challenge to U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st.)" Reached for a statement May 8, Day confirmed the Maryland Matters reporting that he has set up an exploratory campaign committee under the Federal Election Commission's 'testing the waters' guidelines for candidate, and is soliciting donations to pay for a poll to gauge his strength in a hypothetical general election against Harris. "I'm flattered by the number of people who have been reaching out asking me about this and to consider it,," Day told Delmarva Now on May 8. "However, I'm focused on my day job helping address Maryland's housing crisis and growing our economy." Stay tuned for all developments on this big race as they develop, and here's more on Jake Day and Andy Harris. PRIDE CROSSWALK HOT TOPIC: 'It's about unity': Salisbury PFLAG responds to mayor's call to repaint rainbow crosswalks Before joining the cabinet of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Day served as president of the Salisbury City Council from 2013-2015 and as the city's mayor from 2015-2023. He was confirmed as Maryland's Secretary of Housing and Community Development on March 2, 2023. Andy Harris has represented Maryland's Eastern Shore for eight terms now, first elected to the U.S. House in 2011. Before that, Harris, the only Republican in Maryland's current congressional delegation, served in the state Senate from 1999-2011. NEW BUSINESSES ALL AROUND: Museum of Ocean City is now open, plus new garden center in Hebron | What's Going There This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Will Jake Day enter 1st District race v. Andy Harris? What we know.
