SPORTS BETTING PAC PICKS SIDES IN MARYLAND STATEHOUSE RACES: Hasan “Jay” Jalisi has “too many red flags” to be sent back to the House of Delegates, including a reprimand from his colleagues, a protective order sought by his daughter, and “shady” business practices. “Jay Jalisi has shown us who he is,” the mailer warns. Del. Frank Conaway Jr., meanwhile, “supported Donald Trump’s ICE tactics” and also shouldn’t be elected, another mailer alleges. The attacks come not from Jalisi’s and Conaway’s opponents in their Baltimore-area races but from a political action committee funded by national sports gambling corporations. Meanwhile, Senate President Bill Ferguson has benefited from nearly $290,000 worth of positive ads. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
REALTOR GROUP SAYS HOUSING INVENTORY, NEW LISTINGS FALL AS PRICES RISE: New data from a Maryland real estate lobbying group reports that Maryland housing inventory and new listings have declined over the last year, despite state efforts to reduce Maryland’s nearly 100,000 housing unit shortage. Maryland Realtors announced Tuesday that active housing inventory fell 16.4% over the past year. New listings are down 22.1%. And costs are rising. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
OUSTED FROM FEDERAL WORK, CANDIDATES SAY THEY KNOW GOVERNMENT: At least nine federal workers from Maryland who were fired, forced out or resigned during the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal workforce are asking you for a new job: They want you to elect them to office. Who better to run government, they say, than the people who really understand the nuts and bolts of it. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
DOES HALE’s POSTED AI IMAGE OF MOORE EMBRACING DAN COX VIOLATE STATE LAW? Hours after accusing Gov. Wes Moore of trying to influence Maryland’s Republican gubernatorial primary through campaign ads and mailers, Republican candidate Ed Hale posted an AI-altered image on social media that may violate the state’s new law against deceptive election-related deepfakes. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
COURT: DNR IGNORED EVIDENCE WHEN IT OK’d GARRETT ROAD, BRIDGE: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources ignored considerable evidence and warnings that a new road and bridge in Garrett County would threaten an area that includes the largest hemlock and white pines recorded in the state, according to a court decision Tuesday. Teresa McMinn/The Cumberland Times News.
DELEGATE HELPED BOOST STATE FUND THAT BANKROLLS HIS NONPROFIT: A Maryland lawmaker helped establish a Maryland Energy Administration fund that later sent about $19 million in state tax dollars to his nonprofit, raising concerns from some experts and a fellow lawmaker about government ethics and conflicts of interest. About $18.8 million went to Civic Works, the Baltimore nonprofit led by Del. Dana Stein, between 2009 and 2025. Patrick Hauf/The Baltimore Sun.
POLITICAL OPERATIVE & FELON RETURNS TO WORK FOR REPUBLICANS: A Maryland political operative known in GOP circles nationwide — and who went to prison from 2020 to 22 for scamming donors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars — is back in the political consulting business. The campaign of Nino Mangione, an incumbent who is running for a seat on the Baltimore County Council, has paid a company called Campaign Communications more than $121,500 for political advice since January 2023, according to records at the State Board of Elections. Those records also show that Republican strategist Kelley Rogers, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and served 2 1/2 years in prison, is an employee of Campaign Communications. Céilí Doyle/The Baltimore Banner.
MO CO ‘TEAM-39’ SLATE SIDELINES ACEVERO ONCE AGAIN: The “Team 39” slate in In Montgomery County’s 39th Legislative District includes most of the incumbent lawmakers from the district. But for the second consecutive election season, the team intentionally left one of its players on the sidelines. Sen. Nancy King and Dels. Greg Wims and Lesley Lopez, all Democrats, added Gaithersburg City Councilmember Robert Wu to their ticket, bypassing Del. Gabriel Acevero (D), with whom they have long had a frayed relationship. Mayah Nachman/Maryland Matters.
TAYLOR AGAIN SEEKS 5th DISTRICT DELEGATE SEAT: When Sallie Taylor ran for the House of Delegates four years ago, it was in response to a national pandemic. Now, she’s running again for a seat in Maryland’s legislative District 5, looking to increase accountability among lawmakers in Annapolis. Taylor is one of four Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for three spots in the June 23 primary, along with Steve Whisler and incumbent Dels. April Rose and Chris Tomlinson. Ryan Marshall/The Frederick News Post.
MFUME-CONWAY BATTLE ENSUES AS AMERICANS FRET ABOUT AGING CANDIDATES: Whenever 77-year-old U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume retires, an open seat in a district with a large Baltimore footprint will be catnip for the area’s high-profile Democrats. At the moment, Mfume isn’t willing to put an end date on his government service, which began in 1987 and has spanned two separate stints. But the 7th Congressional District primary this year reflects a question on the minds of Democrats across the country: Does a politician’s advanced age matter more than experience on the job? Mfume’s most aggressive challenger is Baltimore City Council member Mark Conway, 38. Jasmine Vaughn-Hall/The Baltimore Banner.
HOYER NOT ON THE BALLOT AS HE VOTES FOR HIS PICK: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) showed up at the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department Wednesday morning and did something he hasn’t done since the early 1980s — voted for someone other than Steny Hoyer for the 5th District seat. “For the first time in 60 years I’m not on the ballot,” Hoyer said after casting his ballot for Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s), whom he endorsed to succeed him. William Ford and Steve Crane/Maryland Matters.
RASKIN QUESTIONS PATEL’s ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR HIS PERSONAL FBI DETAIL: Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking member of the House of Representatives judiciary committee, alleged FBI Director Kash Patel had authorized substantial recurring payments to agents in his inner circle and security detail as part of a “personal slush fund” that may have violated federal law. Joseph Gedeon/The Guardian.
TWO HARFORD TEACHERS STABBED BY STUDENT, SHERIFF SAYS: The Harford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday that the two Roye-Williams Elementary School teachers injured in an assault by a student Tuesday afternoon suffered injuries “consistent with being stabbed.” Brendan Nordstrom/The Aegis.
B’MORE HOMEOWNERS GET INITIAL 1-CENT CUT ON TAX RATE: Baltimore homeowners are set to get a small break on their property tax bills next year after the Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved a one-cent reduction in the city’s residential property tax rate, the opening move in what city leaders say will be a multi-year effort to lower one of the highest property tax burdens in Maryland. The reduction, which takes effect in fiscal 2027, is expected to save the owner of a $200,000 home about $20 annually and the owner of a $500,000 home about $50, according to city officials. Brian Carlton/The Baltimore Sun.
