HOGAN PITCHES LESS PARTISAN LANDSCAPE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, sounding almost like a presidential candidate but not quite, pitched a vision of a less-partisan political landscape to a politically-connected crowd in New Hampshire Wednesday morning. Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner
- Hogan appeared at Politics & Eggs on Thursday morning, a popular stop for presidential hopefuls at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, a sign his exploration of a presidential bid is intensifying. Ovetta Wiggins/Washington Post
- Hogan, in his most forceful language to date, charges that the controversial move last month by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to fly migrants from Texas to the progressive bastion of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts was a “terrible idea” and a “publicity stunt.” Paul Steinhauser/Fox News
- Watch the whole speech and question session on YouTube from WMUR
BIDEN VISITING HAGERSTOWN FRIDAY, LOCATED IN COMPETITIVE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: President Joe Biden will be arriving at the Hagerstown Regional Airport on Friday to visit the Volvo Group powertrain plant, where he will deliver remarks on “building the economy from the bottom up and middle out.” Julie Green/Hagerstown Herald-Mail
- Biden’s visit will be in the heart of the sixth congressional district, a once staunch Democratic district that was redrawn earlier this year to be more competitive for Republicans. U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat, faces a tough race this year. Jeff Mordock/Washington Times
- The visit spotlights a hot race, the most competitive in the state. Although General Assembly leaders initially sought to pack a large number of Democrats into the 6th District — as they did more than a decade ago — they changed course following a successful legal challenge by Republicans. Their redrawn map, rushed through just before they adjourned for the year, puts fewer Montgomery County voters and more voters from Frederick County into the 6th, making it far more competitive. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters
- “I am proudly joining President Joe Biden in our district tomorrow to showcase our country’s job creation and economic growth under his leadership,” Trone said. “Whether it’s through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or Inflation Reduction Act, we’re here in Hagerstown to put people over politics and build a brighter tomorrow for Marylanders.” Robert Lang/WBAL NewsRadio
BALLOT COUNTING HEARING FRIDAY MORNING: Maryland’s highest court will hear arguments Friday morning over whether it’s appropriate — and constitutional — for elections officials to confidentially tally mail ballots as they arrive ahead of this fall’s general election. Pamela Wood/Baltimore Banner
- The debate between Donald Trump-aligned Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox and the election board concerns a state law that prohibits election officials from counting mail-in ballots until two days after the election. Karina Elwood/Washington Post
- An attorney for the Maryland State Board of Elections is asking the state’s highest court to ignore a portion of an appeal by a gubernatorial candidate, claiming the issue was not argued in a lower court. That portion claims that the actions of the elections officials to begin counting early amounted to overriding a veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, when he decided to veto a bill that would have granted the ability to count those ballots earlier. Bryan Sears/The Daily Record
BIDEN PARDONS POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA CHARGES: President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he would pardon thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby reacted to the announcement with praise. Mosby’s office has not prosecuted such cases since 2019. “Prosecuting marijuana possession cases has no public safety value, disproportionately impacts communities of color, erodes public trust and is a costly and counterproductive use of our limited resources.” WBAL radio
FORUM SPOTLIGHTS COMPTROLLER RACE: In one of the most competitive races in Maryland, the two candidates for state comptroller began a virtual forum Thursday with a civics lesson. Del. Brooke Lierman (D-Baltimore City) and Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R) talked about how the comptroller is one of three independent elected officials statewide, sits on various boards, and serves as the state’s tax collector. William Ford/Maryland Matters
SUN ENDORSES LIERMAN, BROWN, MIZEUR: There were no surprises in Baltimore Sun editorial endorsements this week, all Democrats: Brooke Lierman for state comptroller, Anthony Brown for attorney general, and Heather Mizeur in the 1st Congressional District.
LATEST POLL GIVES MOORE WIDE MARGIN FOR GOV: Maryland Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore holds a 32-percentage-point lead over Republican opponent Dan Cox in the governor’s race, according to a University of Maryland-Washington Post poll. Emmett Gartner/Capital News Service in The Salisbury Daily Times
COMMENTARY: HAIRE LACKS CREDIBILITY ON LANDFILL DONATIONS: Anne Arundel County Executive Republican nominee Jessica Haire’s reliance on contributions from a development company leave standing questions about her personal integrity and honesty for not only Democratic and independent votes but also Republicans, former Del. Herb McMillan writes in the Annapolis Capital Gazette. McMillan, who finished second to Haire in the 2022 county executive primary, raises concerns about a 30-year, billion dollar landfill project those developers proposed and Haire said she had only learned about recently. Herb McMillan/Capital Gazette.
PROFILE OF ANNE ARUNDEL INCUMBENT STEUART PITTMAN: In the race, County Executive Steuart Pittman, a Democrat, is seeking a second term. As a boy, Pittman loved horses and now hopes to create a better future for Anne Arundel County, which he envisions will include more affordable and accessible housing, and more resilience to climate change. Dana Munro/Capital Gazette
COST OF PUBLIC FINANCE ELECTION SYSTEM IS $3.46 MILLION IN MoCo: This year’s primary election cost Montgomery County taxpayers about $3.46 million for the public campaign finance system that subsidizes candidates running for county executive and County Council. Louis Peck/Bethesda Beat.
STATE LOOKS TO BALTIMORE COUNTY EDUCATION DEAL WITH TEACHERS UNION: Teachers, their unions and school systems across the state are taking note of the deal to give Baltimore County gives teachers a raise as they consider their own local education systems. Baltimore County’s $76 million compensation package plan looks to improve teacher pay and increase teacher retention rates which impacts other teacher jobs in the region drawing from the same talent pool. Timothy Dashiell/Capital News Service in Baltimore Post-Examiner
BLACK CAUCUS LOOKING AT EQUITABLE BROADBAND, TECH ACCESS: During the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) several organizations including the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) and their Executive Roundtable learned more about tech equity and efforts to expand broadband access. Catherine Pugh/The AFRO
JUDGE RODOWSKY DIES, REMEMBERED FOR DISTINGUISHED CAREER: Lawrence F. Rodowsky, a judge who served on Maryland’s highest court and influenced state law through his rulings, died of heart failure complications Saturday at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. The former Guilford resident was 91. Jacques Kelly/Baltimore Sun
