HOW THE ANDURIL DEAL CAME TOGETHER: It began with a text. On a busy Tuesday in Annapolis last December, Gov. Wes Moore got a message from Matt Grimm, co-founder of upstart defense technology company Anduril Industries. Earlier that month, over lunch in California, the governor had met with Grimm and other executives. Now, Anduril was searching for a spot to spend billions on a new manufacturing facility. Might Maryland be interested? Hayes Gardner, Pamela Wood and Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
DEMS MAKE THEIR CLOSING ARGUMENTS FOR QUESTION 3: Democrats are making their closing push for Question 3, the proposed amendment to the Maryland Constitution that will establish new standards for redrawing the state’s eight congressional districts. At a rally in Bowie Monday — following the release of an ad for Question 3 featuring former President Barack Obama — Democrats focused their arguments on the issue as one of standing up to Republican President Donald Trump. Rep. Glenn F. Ivey (D-4th) said passage was needed because “Donald Trump has been attempting to find any way he can to steal this election, and we got to fight fire with fire.” Bryan P. Sears, William J. Ford and Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
MOORE’s NATIONAL TV PRESENCE RAISES QUESTION ABOUT HIS SECOND TERM: Gov. Wes Moore made at least 27 national television appearances between July and October, according to a Baltimore Sun review of his public schedule. The interviews have put Moore before a national audience to discuss his party’s political fortunes and Maryland’s clashes with President Donald Trump. With eight days until Election Day, they have also given him further exposure to a question he has repeatedly declined to answer directly: Would he serve a full second term? Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
MARYLAND MATTERS VOTERS GUIDE: Here is the Maryland Matters Voters Guide. Staff/Maryland Matters.
STATE ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS TO BOOST ENERGY PROJECTS: Maryland is beginning to accept applications for a program to bolster solar, wind and battery storage developers with state grant funding. The program, christened Megawatts for Maryland, was established earlier this year by the General Assembly, using $200 million over two years from an existing state fund. Christine Condon/Maryland Matters.
SENATORS WITHDRAW FUNDING REQUESTS FOR TWO B’MORE NONPROFITS: Maryland’s U.S. senators had sought $4 million in federal taxpayer funding for two Baltimore nonprofits now facing financial scrutiny, including one the FBI raided and another linked to a federal investigation. Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen withdrew their funding requests after news investigations examined the organizations’ financial practices and oversight. The reversals come before Congress has approved its fiscal 2027 budget. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
REP. JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI ON WHAT DEMS NEED TO ADDRESS AFTER NOV. 3: There’s a big repair job ahead for Democrats, should they gain control of the House and even the Senate in November’s midterm elections. In an interview John “Johnny O” Olszewski, a freshman Democrat running to continue representing Maryland’s 2d District in the House, reflected on his first term and what Democrats need to address next year: Trump corruption, the cost of living and the public’s lost faith in an effective Congress. Dan Rodricks/Substack.
BANKRUPTCY FILINGS SPOTLIGHTED FOR MARRIED CANDIDATES: Sharonda Dillard-Huffman and her husband, Artus Huffman, have raised three children together, navigated the challenges of ill parents, and are now campaigning for political office together — she for Baltimore County Council and he for a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. They’ve also filed for bankruptcy — three times in the last decade. Their political ambitions — and Dillard-Huffman’s proclivity for excoriating current council members — have led opponents to shine a spotlight on their finances. Rona Kobell and Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
CARROLL’s EARLY VOTING TURNOUT ABOVE 2022 LEVEL: More than 7,346 Carroll County residents had voted during the 2026 gubernatorial general election’s in-person early voting period as of Sunday, according to unofficial counts from the Maryland Board of Elections. That turnout is slightly above what it was in 2022. Gabriella Fine/The Carroll County Times.
MO CO SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO FACE DISPARITIES IN ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: Despite some areas of improvement, Montgomery County Public Schools continues to face disparities in academic performance between Black and Latino students and white and Asian students, according to an academic performance presentation Thursday to the school board. Ashlynn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
REPORTER JEFF BARKER TO JOIN THE BANNER: I’ll be joining The Banner next week as a reporter. I’m looking forward to working for an independent outlet that’s been hiring journalists who are accomplished but also adaptable enough to embrace new ways to engage with the communities and beats they cover. I’ll be based in my home Maryland county (Montgomery), where The Banner has been making inroads as it builds its brand in the capital region, while its parent nonprofit has expanded its reach by acquiring the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jeff Barker/Free State of Mind.
