State Roundup: Poll finds Dems well-positioned in statewide races; Ballot questions would alter Maryland Constitution; draft plan to overhaul ed system set for release

State Roundup: Poll finds Dems well-positioned in statewide races; Ballot questions would alter Maryland Constitution; draft plan to overhaul ed system set for release

Wes Moore, left, and Dan Cox will make their only joint debate appearance of the governor's race this afternoon. Photos from Wes Moore for Maryland and Dan Cox for Governor.

NEW POLL: DEMS SEEKING STATEWIDE OFFICES WELL-POSITIONED TO WIN: Gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and his fellow Maryland Democrats are well-positioned to sweep statewide offices in this fall’s election, according to new polling from Goucher College in partnership with The Baltimore Banner and WYPR. Moore holds a 53% to 31% advantage over Republican Dan Cox in the race for governor among 748 likely voters who were questioned about the race. Third-party candidates combined for 7% support, and just 9% of those polled were undecided. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

  • Of the likely voters polled, more than half said they plan to vote for the Democratic candidates for governor, attorney general and U.S. Senate. In fact, each of those candidates has at least a 20-point lead over their Republican counterparts. And nearly half of likely voters said they would vote for Democrat Brooke Lierman for comptroller, compared with just over a third who said they would vote for her Republican opponent, Barry Glassman. Rachel Baye and Nathan Sterner/WYPR-FM

BALLOT QUESTIONS WOULD ALTER STATE CONSTITUTION: A handful of statewide ballot questions will be placed before Maryland voters this fall. Each question, if approved, would change the state constitution, and with topics ranging from courts to cannabis, here are some things to know about the questions before you vote. Dwight Weingarten/The Hagerstown Herald Mail.

DRAFT PLAN TO OVERHAUL STATE EDUCATION SET FOR RELEASE: A draft to implement Maryland’s multi-billion education reform plan that lawmakers approved last year is scheduled for release next month. The comprehensive reforms focus on five subject areas, or pillars: expanding early childhood education, creating a diverse workforce with high-quality teachers, improving college and career readiness, providing additional resources for some students and maintaining accountability. William Ford/Maryland Matters.

MARYLAND DEMS HOPE TO USE GRAHAM ABORTION PROPOSAL: Just weeks from the start of voting in Maryland, Democratic congressional candidates hope to capitalize on opposition to South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s newly proposed nationwide abortion ban — an issue that can be politically problematic for Republicans in such a blue state. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.

COX FILES OPPOSITION TO EARLY MAIL-IN COUNTING: As Maryland elections officials seek approval to confidentially count mail ballots early this fall, they’re facing opposition from Dan Cox, the Republican candidate for governor. A judge in Montgomery County will hold a hearing this week on the Maryland State Board of Elections’ emergency request to count the mail ballots as they come in. Cox lodged his opposition to the request in a court filing this week. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.

  • Lawyers for Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox, in asking a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge to block a request to allow early counting of mail-in ballots, contend that state elections officials have failed to prove there is an emergency requiring court intervention. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record.

MOORE HONES POLICY PITCHES: In the ramp-up to Election Day, Wes Moore is sharpening policy pitches to voters and targeting lofty goals, including ending child poverty and closing the racial wealth gap, systemic problems that have long been intractable not only in Maryland, but across the country. His proposals span the political spectrum, weighing tax cuts alongside big initiatives. Ovetta Wiggins and Erin Cox/The Washington Post.

HARRIS, MIZEUR, THIBEAULT TO DEBATE IN LATE OCTOBER: Three candidates vying to represent the Eastern Shore in Congress will meet for a televised debate in late October. Cecil Public Media announced the event featuring Rep. Andy Harris (R), former Del. Heather Mizeur (D) and Libertarian Daniel Thibeault late on Friday evening. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

NEW MONKEYPOX CASES DECLINING, STILL AFFECTING BLACK COMMUNITIES: New monkeypox cases are continuing to decline in Maryland and the District of Columbia. However, newly released data from the Maryland Department of Health shows that Monkeypox cases in Maryland are disproportionately affecting Black communities, mirroring national demographic data as health officials grapple with how to slow the spread. Hunter Savery and Grace Yarrow of Capital News Service/Maryland Reporter.

ART GALLERY WORKERS SEEKING UNION FILE LAWSUIT: Workers attempting to form a union at the Walters Art Museum filed a lawsuit this week against trustees and other leaders in an effort to have the museum declared a public entity subject to the Maryland Public Information Act — a move that could force the disclosure of certain records the employees say are critical for unionization. Michelle Deal-Zimmerman/The Baltimore Sun.

MO CO COUNCIL PROBE OFFICIAL’s ‘OFFICE BAR:’ The Montgomery County Council will conduct an inquiry of a top official, Planning Board Chair Casey Anderson, after he admitted keeping dozens of bottles of alcohol in his office. The Maryland-National Capital Park And Planning Commission’s Office of the Inspector General became aware last month that Anderson kept alcohol in the office when it received an anonymous tip via email. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.

  • Anderson apologized Friday for serving alcoholic beverages in his Wheaton office as the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Office of the Inspector General continues investigating how long the practice occurred and how often. Steve Bohnel/Bethesda Beat.

POLITICAL NOTES: HOGAN IN ASIA; JOHNNY O’s NEW OLD STAFFER: Gov. Larry Hogan is in the midst of a two-week trip to Asia, visiting South Korea and Japan on what’s described as an “economic development mission.” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. is bringing back an old face to head government communications. Maryland Republicans were looking forward to hearing from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at their annual fundraising dinner in College Park next week. But Noem pulled out of the event because she needed to have surgery for a back injury. Staff/The Baltimore Banner.

HOPKINS HOSPITAL COULD LOSE ACCREDITATION: Johns Hopkins Hospital, a world-renowned health care center and one of Baltimore’s largest employers, is at risk of losing its accreditation because monitors in August discovered something that “poses a threat to patients or other individuals served.” Surveyors flagged problems in the medical center’s food preparation facilities, primarily the kitchen in one of the hospital’s original buildings, and pointed out various pieces of furniture in need of repair. Jessica Calefati and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.

WENDY GINSBURG, CONSUMER ADVOCATE, DIES AT 81: Wendy D. Ginsburg, who held a position with the Maryland Consumer Protection division, died of ovarian cancer Aug. 25 at Gilchrist Center Towson. The Rockland resident was 81. In 1979, Maryland Attorney General Stephen H. Sachs appointed Ginsburg as the director of the Consumer Protection Division Complaint Handling Unit in the office of the attorney general, where she was “the person who created a Mediation Unit to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses,” wrote former counsel to the CPD William Leibovici, in an email. Fred Rasmussen/The Baltimore Sun.

‘POPE’ CHARLESTON, REPRESENTED EEOC, DIES AT 76: Frederick P. “Pope” Charleston Sr., an attorney who represented the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, died of primary progressive aphasia Sept. 3 at his Catonsville home. He was 76. Jacques Kelly/The Baltimore Sun.

About The Author

Cynthia Prairie

[email protected]
https://www.chestertelegraph.org/

Contributing Editor Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor since 1979, when she began working at The Raleigh Times. Since then, she has worked for The Baltimore News American, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Prince George’s Journal and Baltimore County newspapers in the Patuxent Publishing chain, including overseeing The Jeffersonian when it was a two-day a week business publication. Cynthia has won numerous state awards, including the Maryland State Bar Association’s Gavel Award. Besides compiling and editing the daily State Roundup, she runs her own online newspaper, The Chester Telegraph. If you have additional questions or comments contact Cynthia at: [email protected]

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