UPDATE: Now only 4 senators get free rides back to State House; at least 11 judges too

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MarylandReporter.com

As many a state senator faces a tough primary race or general election, UPDATE 3/7 four  of the senators are getting free rides back to the State House with no candidates filed against them in either the primary or the general election by Tuesday’s filing deadline.

There were originally seven sitting senators with no opposition, but the Republican Party named challengers for two Democrats, and a third Republican senator. died and was replaced by GOP Central Committee.

The senators with a free ride — or almost a free ride, with just opposition from an independent candidate — are

  • George Edwards, R-Garrett-Allegany-Washington, District 1 (he had a free ride in 2014 too);
  • Andrew Serafini, R-Washington, appointed to the District 2 seat;
  • Guy Guzzone, D-Howard, District 13;
  • UPDATE: Cheryl Kagan, D-Montgomery, District 17; Kagan now has a Republican opponent appointed by the party’s central committee,Josephine Wang.
  • UPDATE: Will Smith, D-Montgomery, District 20; Smith now has a Republican opponent appointed by the party’s central committee, Dwight Patel, vice chair of Montgomery County central committee.
  • Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George’s, District 21;
  • UPDATE Sen. Wayne Norman, R-Harford-Cecil, District 35, died March 4, and was replaced on the ballot by Jason Gallion.

The five sitting judges in Baltimore City and six sitting judges in Prince George’s County also attracted no challengers, whereas the one judge recently appointed in Anne Arundel County, Mark Crooks, has six challengers filed against him.

Dels. Neil Parrot and William Wivell in Washington County’s District 2A also have no challengers in the primary or general election.

About The Author

Len Lazarick

len@marylandreporter.com

Len Lazarick was the founding editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and is currently the president of its nonprofit corporation and chairman of its board He was formerly the State House bureau chief of the daily Baltimore Examiner from its start in April 2006 to its demise in February 2009. He was a copy editor on the national desk of the Washington Post for eight years before that, and has spent decades covering Maryland politics and government.

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