EARLY VOTING BEGINS WITH QUIET TRICKLE OF VOTERS: Early voters trickled into Maryland polling places Thursday for the first of seven days of early voting in this year’s primary election, with some speculating that voters are now choosing to use mail in ballots instead of showing up at the polls. Sam Janesch and Hannah Gaskill/Baltimore Sun
- A preliminary report from the Maryland State Board of Elections showed 19,480 total votes cast at polling places across the state on the first day of early voting. That compares to 31,110 votes cast on the first day of early voting in the gubernatorial primary four years ago. Josh Kurtz, Danielle Gaines, Bruce DePuyt and Nene Narh-Mensah/Maryland Matters
- Because a number of the statewide races are so close, it sets the stage for an outcome in which winners and losers may not be determined until days after the election, when mail-in ballots are tabulated. Joe Heim, Daniel Wu, Ovetta Wiggins/Washington Post
- Around Anne Arundel county turnout was low, but that’s to be expected for the first day of early voting. Early voters, especially in the morning, encounter few delays. Brian Jeffries/Capital Gazette
- Outside a Baltimore City early voting polling place, a volunteer defended Thiru Vignarajah for state’s attorney over opponents Ivan Bates and incumbent Marilyn Mosby. The volunteer responded to concerns about a news report that Vignarajah had harassed and abused subordinates. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew
DEATH INVOLVING SQUEEGEE WORKER CAME AFTER STATE SEN COMPLAINED: At the same intersection and earlier the same day where a squeegee worker allegedly shot a man who had gotten out of his car with a bat, State Sen. Antonio Hayes had also encountered a squeegee worker and filed a police report, a source told the Banner. Cadence Quaranta, Justin Fenton and Dylan Segelbaum/Baltimore Banner
- Hayes declined to discuss the details of his encounter, but said he was committed to helping address the problem. “As (an) elected leader, I am disappointed in our collective inability to address the despair that leads our young people to busy intersections washing windshields,” Hayes said. “This activity is dangerous, and a threat to our city’s progress.” There had been three incidents and police response at the intersection prior to the altercation and death. Kim Dacey/WBAL TV
- The incident occurred at a busy intersection near the Inner Harbor. The 48-year-old man was shot in the afternoon when he encountered so-called squeegee workers and had a heated interaction and swung a bat, Commissioner Michael Harrison told reporters. Associated Press
- The practice of squeegeeing at intersections is technically illegal, but police don’t attempt to clear the streets of the squeegee workers under Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s policy of not prosecuting so-called low-level crimes. Tim Swift and Kim Daniels/WBFF
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR RACE POLLS SHOW CLOSE RACE, PROXY FOR HOGAN VS TRUMP: The close Republican gubernatorial campaign is about more than just the nomination, it is also a proxy battle between Hogan and Trump, who has endorsed Dan Cox. Hogan, backing Kelly Schulz, is seen as a potential rival for Trump in the 2024 for their party’s nomination for president. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record
- Hogan-backed Kelly Schulz is trying to duplicate his moderate approach in a blue state by casting herself as his sensible successor. But Cox argues his “America first” and liberty-focused message is more appealing. Polls and pundits say the race is still up for grabs. Seth McLaughlin/Washington Times
REACTING TO ROE VS WADE DECISION: Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he believes that the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will lead to the “mobilization of voters across the country” who support abortion rights. Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele said its impact will vary based on the local politics of the different states. Bryan Renbaum/Baltimore Post-Examiner in Maryland Reporter
CHEVY CHASE NEIGHBORS OF KAVANAUGH COMPLAIN OF ONGOING PROTESTS: Angst among the neighbors of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is growing as weekly protests continue at his Chevy Chase home in the wake of last month’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The neighbors say they are worried about the noise, the obscenities being shouted by some protesters and the disruption to the community and young children living there. Dan Schere/Bethesda Beat
POLITICAL MESSAGES DIFFER IN POLICE CEREMONY: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich offered messages that were supportive of police officers, but also reflective of each’s politics, during a ceremony Thursday in Rockville celebrating the Montgomery County police department’s 100th anniversary. Dan Schere/Bethesda Beat
BAKER REMAINS ON THE BALLOT, HESITATES TO ENDORSE: When Democratic voters cast their ballots this summer, they’ll see Rushern L. Baker III’s name on the list of candidates for governor even though he’s no longer campaigning or trying to win votes. That’s because if he were to withdraw he would be responsible for paying back $850,000 in public financing, even though he said he stopped campaigning because he saw little chance of winning the crowded Democratic primary. Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES MEET: Congressional candidates Heather Mizeur and David Harden answered questions from a moderator and the audience at Chesapeake College this week about where they stand on issues prior to the July 19 primary election. The event was put on by the League of Women Voters. Christina Aufderheide/Cecil Whig
DELEGATE CANDIDATE’S WIFE OBTAINS PROTECTIVE ORDER: A consent final protective order has been entered in a case involving abuse allegations made by the wife of state delegate candidate Saqib Ali from Montgomery County. Dan Schere/Bethesda Beat
BANNER EXAMINES AG RACE: Each Democratic candidate for attorney general argues that their type of experience — Brown as a legislator and executive, and O’Malley as a prosecutor and judge — make them better qualified for the role, the chief legal officer of Maryland. Dylan Segelbaum/Baltimore Banner
- Brown and O’Malley made similar points during a virtual forum May 25 sponsored by the League of Women voters and moderated by Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick. Watch the 90-minute video.
- On the Republican side, the primary for attorney general features a retired Montgomery County lawyer who once prosecuted the serial killer known as the Son of Sam running against a former third-party presidential candidate from Anne Arundel County with ties to a white supremacist organization that has advocated for a second Southern secession. Jon Meltzer/Baltimore Banner
TV ADS TURN DARK IN AG RACE: Political animosity between U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown and retired judge Katie Curran O’Malley reached a new level Thursday with O’Malley calling Brown a hypocrite over a new TV attack ad airing in the state. Lee Sanderlin/Baltimore Sun
