Maryland Democrats are choosing their U.S. House nominees in a handful of consequential and contentious primaries Tuesday, including a battle between a congresswoman and her predecessor and a crowded race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer.
And as rising party star Wes Moore seeks a second term as governor, Republican voters hope to return the state to GOP leadership by picking a candidate they think can unseat him.
The primaries in the left-leaning
East Coast state have an outsize impact, in many cases determining who is likely to win in heavily partisan districts this fall. Seven of Maryland's eight congressional districts are represented by Democrats, and one by a Republican.
That dynamic and Hoyer’s departure have attracted big spending and some familiar names to the most watched Democratic primaries.
Among them is Harry Dunn, a former police officer who defended the U.S. Capitol from the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He is running for Hoyer’s seat on a platform that includes protecting democracy.
Some races became proxy fights about how Democrats should behave in the current political climate. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson faces a tough primary challenge for the first time in years, from a progressive who criticized his decision to block a midcycle redistricting attempt.
The lead-up to Election Day has had some hiccups. Last month the State Board of Elections had to resend mail-in ballots to some voters in the closed primary after a vendor error caused some of them to get ballot for the wrong party.
President Donald Trump seized on the issue, falsely claiming that Moore illegally sent the ballots to ensure victory for Democrats. The state administrator of elections derided him for spreading misinformation.
As the longest-serving House Democrat and the longtime party No. 2 in the chamber, Hoyer is nothing short of an institution.
His retirement gives Maryland voters a chance to reflect on that leadership — and decide whether they want more of the same or a change of pace.
Offering a degree of continuity is Adrian Boafo, a former Hoyer field director and campaign manager who was endorsed by the congressman, Moore and other prominent Democrats. The state delegate has drawn tech and cryptocurrency donations, and a major pro-Israel super PAC spent some $1 million to boost his campaign.
Others, such as Dunn and progressive attorney Wala Blegay, are proposing change. Both Dunn and Blegay, who is vocally pro-Palestinian, criticized Boafo for getting help from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC and other special interests.
The best-funded candidate in the race for the 5th District is Quincy Bareebe, a home healthcare CEO who funneled more than $3 million of her own money into the primary. Twenty-four Democratic candidates are on the ballot.
Former Democratic Rep. David Trone left his seat representing the sprawling 6th District in 2024. After an unsuccessful Senate bid, he wants it back.
The face-off between Trone and the current officeholder, Democratic Rep. April McClain Delaney, has been expensive and contentious. Trone, the wealthy founder of Total Wine & More, lent some $25 million of his own money to his campaign, while McClain Delaney lent herself over $7 million.
Trone has criticized McClain Delaney on immigration. She was the only Maryland Democrat in Congress to vote for the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia student whose killing became an anti-immigrant rallying cry for Republicans.
Maryland used to have a moderately conservative governor in Larry Hogan. In the years since he left office, in 2023, Republicans have yet to find a clear successor.
In the GOP gubernatorial primary, nine candidates ranging from a Trump acolyte to a former Democrat are vying for the chance to stop Moore from being reelected.
Dan Cox, an attorney and former state delegate who unsuccessfully ran for governor four years ago, is one of the candidates who leans further right. Cox has a photo of himself with Trump on his law practice’s website, and he has pledged to slash taxes and beef up housing affordability programs if elected.
On the other side of the spectrum is Ed Hale, a retired banking executive who owns the Baltimore Blast soccer team and switched parties from Democratic to Republican for this race. There are also various candidates in the political middle.
