PRIVATE CHILD CARE IN MARYLAND ‘FUNDAMENTALLY BROKEN:’ As of mid-March more than 22,000 families were receiving financial assistance to pay for care for nearly 33,000 kids. Enrollment in the state scholarship program is on the rise as care options aimed at low-income families shutter. Even as the state invests record numbers of people in the program, the model of private child care is still fundamentally broken, experts and advocates say. Maya Lora and Annie Jenneman/The Baltimore Sun.
FERGUSON CHIDES DUNN ON ATTACK AD: Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson says an attack ad by former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn — now a Maryland congressional candidate — is “patently misleading” and proves Dunn “will not be an effective legislator were he to be elected to Congress.” Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
DESPITE LACK OF LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE, DUNN OVERSHADOWS FIELD: The 22-candidate primary for the 3rd Congressional District has a flavor for everyone. There are five state lawmakers in the race, with solid, serious records of legislative accomplishments. But Harry Dunn’s national celebrity after he fought insurrectionists at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has brought in millions of dollars in campaign contributions, and several high-profile congressional Democrats are backing his campaign. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
- Dunn grew up in Prince George’s County and now lives outside the 3rd District in Montgomery County. The district is split between Howard and Anne Arundel counties, with a piece of Carroll County as well. It is not a requirement that a U.S. House member live in the district they represent, and Dunn said he looks forward to moving to the district, though he did not specify when. Jeff Barker/The Baltimore Sun.
VOGEL GAINS ON DELANEY, RAISING TENSIONS: Tensions between state Del. Joe Vogel and April McClain Delaney, running to represent Maryland’s 6th District in the U.S. House, have heightened in the lead-up to the primary, with televised contrast ads and political fliers sent to voters’ mailboxes that attack the candidates’ values, integrity and personal relationships. But for many Democrats, the back-and-forth has illuminated another threat looming large in the contest — the risk of losing the House seat to Republicans. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
DISTRICT 6 CANDIDATE DROPS OUT, BACKS DELANEY: Maryland Congressional District 6 candidate Peter Choharis (D) dropped out of the race and endorsed fellow Democrat April McClain Delaney (D) on the first day of early voting in the May 14 primary election. Ginny Bixby/MoCo 360.
ALSOBROOKS, TRONE CONTINUE TO BATTLE: Voters on the bus chartered by Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) rolled deep into his opponent’s home turf Friday in Bowie, past a cardboard cutout of Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks’s profile towering over a sea of campaign signs. Erin Cox, Lateshia Beachum and Joe Heim/The Washington Post.
- Both sides are pointing at their opponent, blaming the other for what they said is bitter campaign rhetoric. But as the campaigns head into the final week of early voting before the May 14 election day, state Treasurer Dereck Davis (D) says Trone’s words threaten to divide the party headed into November. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
- Maryland’s U.S. Senate race is already the costliest political battle in the state’s history — and that’s just in the Democratic primary. Mitchell Miller/WTOP-FM.
CHINA TODAY: Maryland Reporter’s Len Lazarick is again teaching a short personal development course on China, this time at Montgomery College’s Lifelong Learning Institute in Rockville. It takes place on the four Thursdays in June at 2 p.m. The course is based on Len’s 30 years of dealing with China and Chinese journalists. It is combination of lecture, videos and discussion. It is designed for people who know little about China or may have been to China and would like to learn more. It will examine the last 150 years of China-U.S. relations with a focus on China’s society, culture, economy, and politics. Tuition (but not fees) are waived for those over 60. Full the full course description and other information, see the institute’s brochure on page 8. Len@MarylandReporter.com.
B’MORE MAYOR CANDIDATES SPEND $1.5M IN APRIL: The leading candidates for Baltimore mayor collectively spent more than $1.5 million in the last month, primarily on television and radio advertising, as they made their final push ahead of the May 14 primary. Emily Opilo/The Baltimore Sun.
- Mayor Brandon Scott reported having $450,000 on hand in the final days of the Democratic primary, while former Mayor Sheila Dixon reported having $110,000, according to the last round of campaign finance reports released before the May 14 primary. Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
POLITICAL NOTES: MAYOR ENDORSEMENTS; GIFTS FOR THE GOV: With the Democratic primary less than two weeks away, Mayor Brandon Scott and former mayor Sheila Dixon announced several key endorsements throughout the week. A Bruce Springsteen concert, artwork, books, shirts and jackets: Gov. Wes Moore has received a lot of gifts since being sworn into office in January 2023. Hallie Miller, Pamela Wood, Brenda Wintrode and Emily Sullivan/The Baltimore Banner.
COMMENTARY: MARYLAND’s TAKE NO PRISONERS NEWSPAPER LOBBY: A vivid case of divergent interests between publishers and the public is government-mandated legal ads to subsidize local newspapers. The amount of these subsidies, as well as what share is paid by various government and non-government entities, is a carefully guarded trade secret by newspaper companies. J.H. Snider/Maryland Matters.
FORMER DEL. DOYLE NIEMANN, LONG-TIME PUBLIC SERVANT, DIES AT 77: Doyle L. Niemann, who served for a dozen years in the House of Delegates and had an even longer record of public service in Prince George’s County, died Wednesday at the age of 77 at the Washington Hospital Center, his family announced. A former colleague said Niemann died of complications from surgery to remove a tumor. Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters.
