HOGAN LEAVES AN ANEMIC STATE GOP. BUT WHY? Republican Larry Hogan is one of the most popular governors in modern state history, but the star power never translated into political gains for the Maryland GOP he will leave behind. His sky-high popularity didn’t boost the rest of the state’s Republican Party, whether moderates or Trump-style firebrands. Hogan, who is weighing a presidential run, had raised millions for Maryland Republicans. But the term-limited governor is leaving the state party where it was eight years ago: rife with infighting and without a clear path forward. Erin Cox/The Washington Post.
HOW WES MOORE WILL GOVERN: Maryland’s next governor is setting high expectations. Both before and after his landslide victory Tuesday, Democratic Gov.-elect Wes Moore has talked of a vast, idealistic vision for his time leading state government. Sam Janesch and Hannah Gaskill/The Baltimore Sun.
TWO FORMER GOVERNORS GIVE MOORE INSIGHTS ON WHAT TO EXPECT: Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and former New York Gov. David Paterson offer Wes Moore some insights on being Black and a governor. Patrick said some residents wanted him to respond to local issues usually overseen by municipal leaders or other elected officials. “There was a different level of expectation among the Black community because I was Black and because we ran a campaign that was very close to the ground,” he said. Moore will likely face acts of racism, but Paterson said it helps to consider someone’s motivation in those moments. William Ford/Maryland Matters.
TRONE WINS 6th CONGRESSIONAL; PARROTT CONCEDES: Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) is projected to win his reelection bid, holding off a challenge from Del. Neil C. Parrott (R) in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which for the first time in years emerged as the state’s most competitive congressional race, leading Trone to invest millions of his personal fortune in defending the seat. Meagan Flynn/The Washington Post.
- After a tense Election Day that left both candidates in a dead heat, Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. David Trone came out as the winner of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. His opponent Del. Neil Parrott conceded the election on Friday afternoon. Scott Maucione/WYPR-FM.
MARYLAND COUNTIES BLUER AND REDDER: The “red wave,” the Republican surge, never materialized nationally. And it barely registered Tuesday in Maryland, a decidedly Democratic state in which recent elections have seen the bluest counties get bluer and the reddest counties become deeper red. Increased tribalism — the sense that voters are dug into their positions and parties — keeps either party from forming a wave because its momentum disperses when it crosses into rival territory. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
LIERMAN UNVEILS TRANSITION LEADERSHIP: Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman (D) has unveiled the leaders of a transition team that will help her prepare to take the helm of the state’s tax collector’s office come January. In addition to current Comptroller Peter Franchot, the other honorary chairs of Lierman’s transition team are Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and state Sen. Susan Lee (D-Montgomery). Co-chairs are former Treasurer Nancy Kopp, Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), and Candace Dodson-Reed, chief of staff to the president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Danielle Gaines/Maryland Matters.
BROWN TRANSITION TEAM SET AS PEROUTKA MAINTAINS HE WON’T CONCEDE: ttorney General-elect Anthony Brown chose two stalwarts from the legal profession — a groundbreaking former judge and a former law school dean — to lead his transition, moves that come as his former rival, Republican Michael Peroutka, announced that he will not concede to Brown, because of “odd and suspicious events” at Maryland polling places. In a statement, the state Board of Elections said it was unaware of any suspicious activity on Election Day. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
Q&A WITH NEW GEN Z DELEGATE-ELECT: Jeffrie Long Jr., 26, and Joe Vogel, 25, who are members of Generation Z, won election this year to the Maryland House of Delegates. This is a Q&A with Long. Cadence Quartana/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO COUNCIL TO BE DIVERSE, MAJORITY WOMEN: Montgomery County voters elected a historic slate of candidates to the county council on Tuesday, adding Latina, Asian and Black representatives to a body that will be majority-female for the first time. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
HAIRE STILL LEADS PITTMAN FOR COUNTY EXEC: County Executive Steuart Pittman gained ground on County Council member Jessica Haire in the Anne Arundel County executive race Friday after the first canvass of mail-in ballots showed the Democratic incumbent received twice as many votes from the first 11,200 votes counted. Haire now leads Pittman by less than 6,000 votes, 83,806 to 77,838, after holding a margin of nearly 11,000 votes following Election Day. Dana Munro/The Capital Gazette.
ARUNDEL ASSEMBLY INCUMBENTS FEND OFF RIVALS: Incumbent candidates for most Anne Arundel County seats in the Maryland General Assembly held leads over their opponents, according to mail-in ballot returns. Election workers spent Thursday counting 11,200 ballots that included races for six state Senate races and nine House of Delegates races, in the first of several canvassing sessions that will stretch into next week. Dana Munro/The Capital Gazette.
HARFORD RACES LARGELY UNCHANGED: After the first day of mail-in ballot canvassing in Harford County, most of the general election races have maintained the same results, while some races have tightened. Del. Steve Johnson, a Democrat, is now second among four candidates in the race for District 34A’s two seats in the Maryland House of Delegates, with 25.5% of the vote. Steve Johnson trails former Harford County Council member Andre Johnson, a Democrat, who has 28.6% of the vote. Jason Fontelieu/The Aegis.
EDUCATION ADVOCATES SEEK MORE CHANGES IN BLUEPRINT: Dozens of speakers, from public school district educators to education advocacy group representatives, testified during a board meeting last Thursday about the most recent draft of the major overhaul of the state’s public school system known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. But not everyone agrees on the details and many speakers asked the board to change the rules, even though the board was only seeking feedback and not to “rewrite the legislation” said board chair Isiah Leggett. Zshekinah Collier/WYPR-FM.
SPEAKER JONES HONORED WITH INAUGURAL AWARD: House Speaker Adrienne Jones and author Acklyn Lynch, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County received the Great Emancipator Award at the inaugural Maryland Emancipation Day Festival in early November. Awards were presented by Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford at the Mt. Clare Mansion. Catherine Pugh/The Afro.
NORTH BETHESDA TO GET ‘WORLD-CLASS’ UM HEALTH COMPUTING CENTER: Montgomery County, state and federal officials joined partners from University of Maryland’s medical system in North Bethesda to sign an agreement Thursday that establishes a health computing center in North Bethesda. Steve Bohnel and Apps Bichu/Bethesda Beat.
- The agreement, which could lead to the creation of more than 10 million square feet of development, has the potential to transform North Bethesda. The memorandum of understanding will create the Institute for Health Computing with the goal of fashioning a world-class hub of discovery, where computers can discern patterns in diseases and treatments far more rapidly than before. Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters.
ASSISTANT PARKS MANAGER OUT, DNR SAYS: Dean Hughes, the state parks official who was accused of harassing female workers and intimidating staffers during his time as assistant manager at Maryland’s largest state park, is “no longer employed” with the Department of Natural Resources, a spokesman said Friday. Julie Scharper/The Baltimore Banner.
