ANOTHER LARGE RATE HIKE REQUESTED FROM HEALTH INSURERS: Marylanders who purchase individual healthcare plans on the state’s insurance marketplace may see another year of higher monthly costs as health insurers have requested an average rate increase of 13.7% across plans in 2027. Danielle Brown/Maryland Matters.
MARYLAND FILL GAPS TO AID HOUSEHOLD SWITCH TO ENERGY UPGRADES: The Trump administration changed guidance for two federal home energy rebate programs early this month, announcing it will no longer cover household switches from oil, propane or gas heating to electric heating. The change will restrict how Maryland can use $136.6 million in federal dollars for household energy-saving upgrades, but the state is already well-positioned to fill in the gaps with its own funds. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
THE VERY MEH PRIMARY: Maybe it was the rain. Or the lack of a marquee statewide race. But Maryland’s primary elections this year weren’t as compelling — for voters or observers — as 2024 or 2022. Sure, there were a few upsets and nail-biter races. But incumbents mostly won and the voting experience was largely drama-free. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
TO WIN GOVERNORSHIP, REPUBLICANS TO FOCUS ON MONEY ISSUES: Maryland Republicans came out of Tuesday’s primary elections with the same gubernatorial nominee who lost by more than 30 points four years ago. But party leaders say their path to competing against Gov. Wes Moore in November will rely less on defending Dan Cox and more on persuading voters to focus on affordability, taxes and the state’s finances. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
FERGUSON EMERGES AS WINNER, BRUISED AND HUMBLED: Senate President Bill Ferguson, having just declared victory over his primary opponent, stood on stage before a crowd of supporters Tuesday night and offered a moment of introspection: This campaign humbled him. During the legislative session, it became clear that a race that could have been a cakewalk was actually a 15-point dogfight. Bobby LaPin may be an amateur politician, but he spent months effectively exploiting what some saw as Ferguson’s biggest weakness: The 16-year incumbent had lost touch with his district. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
LaPIN ASSESSES HIS LOSS TO FERGUSON: The morning after his primary election loss to Senate President Bill Ferguson, Bobby LaPin woke up and smashed together a grilled cheese and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Then he jumped into his Toyota to scour the 46th District for his remaining campaign signs. The night before, a spirited Democratic primary challenge against Ferguson ended in a double-digit loss. LaPin oscillated between hope and self-doubt as he rolled through the district’s northeast side, one bare foot up on the dashboard. Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
JULIAN JONES WINS DEM PRIMARY FOR BALTIMORE COUNTY EXEC: Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones has won the Democratic primary for Baltimore County executive. As of Saturday evening, Jones maintained a commanding lead over his nearest rival, fellow councilman Izzy Patoka. Rona Kobell/The Baltimore Banner.
- “I want to congratulate you on a great campaign,” Patoka wrote to Jones. “I waited to call you until the majority of mail in votes were counted.” “You are the democratic nominee for County Executive and I will support you in your efforts to win the general election,” Patoka wrote. “I will also offer my support in anyway that you feel appropriate. Again congratulations and well done!” Josh Davis/The Baltimore Sun.
JAWANDO DECLARES VICTORY IN DEM PRIMARY FOR MO CO EXEC: Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando declared victory Friday in the Democratic primary for county executive even though votes are still being counted. Jawando has amassed roughly 40% of votes tallied so far, tailed by Councilmember Andrew Friedson with 34% and Councilmember Evan Glass with almost 22%. Will Hammann/Maryland Matters.
VAST MAJORITY OF MOORE’s PICKS WIN; WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign says 94% of his endorsed candidates won or were leading after Maryland’s primary. Political scientists say that’s a sign of strength—but not necessarily proof his endorsements decided the races. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
FREDERICK’s ‘APPLE BALLOT’ CANDIDATES HOLDING ON TO TOP SPOTS: All four candidates on the Frederick County Board of Education’s “apple ballot” maintained the top four spots after the third day of mail-in ballot counting on Saturday, followed by the four “orange ballot” candidates. All other local races maintained the same candidate positions after 4,500 more ballots were counted on Saturday. Sarah Rubenstein/The Frederick News-Post.
THREE SEEK DEM COMMITTEEMAN’s REMOVAL AFTER POLLING PLACE HARASSMENT: Three residents have filed a complaint with Maryland Democratic Party officials calling for the removal of Ronald Rosenbluth from the 41st District Central Committee after an incident in which he harassed a woman at an early voting center. Fern Shen/Baltimore Brew.
COMMENTARY: MOORE DIDN’T SAVE THE PREAKNESS; HE BOUGHT THE RISK: There is no question that the Preakness Stakes is one of Maryland’s most cherished traditions. It is an iconic sporting event, an important economic driver and a source of pride for generations of Marylanders. Preserving the Preakness is a goal that enjoys broad bipartisan support. The question was never whether the Preakness should remain in Maryland. The question was how best to accomplish that goal. Unfortunately, Gov. Wes Moore chose the most politically attractive option rather than the most financially responsible one. Sen. Steve Hershey/The Baltimore Sun.
BIDEN URGES MARYLAND DEMS TO FIGHT TRUMP: Former President Joe Biden fed red meat to the Maryland Democratic Party’s faithful Saturday night, blasting President Donald Trump and urging them to fight. From Trump’s cozying up to Russia’s Vladimir Putin to putting his name on the Kennedy Center and earning billions while in office, Trump represents “corruption on a scale never seen before,” Biden said. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner.
- Biden used his 10-minute speech to blast Trump’s failings and accused him of profiting off the presidency, saying Trump has made billions of dollars since he returned to the White House. He called it “brazen blatant corruption. Corruption on a scale never seen before in American history in any administration.” And he urged the crowd to do something about it, saying “It’s time to get up, dammit. Get up. Get up, now.” William Ford/Maryland Matters.
ELFRETH HONORS CAPITAL GAZETTE SHOOTING VICTIMS ON HOUSE FLOOR: U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat representing the Annapolis area, honored the victims of the 2018 shooting in the Capital Gazette newsroom on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. Katharine Wilson/The Capital Gazette.
COLUMN: A RETURN TO THE SCENE OF NEWSROOM MURDERS: For eight years, I’ve avoided getting too close to 888 Bestgate, the building where five friends were murdered on June 28, 2018. It’s the dark point on my landscape of regrets, and it smacked me in the face as I waited to interview a public official in Annapolis. The past week has been the first since the newsroom murders of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters that I haven’t been in Annapolis in the days leading up to June 28. Rick Hutzell/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE’s SUPERIOR OFFICER: MOORE DID NOT RECEIVE BRONZE STAR: A photograph provided by retired Army Lt. Col. James “Jamie” Gottschling, Gov. Wes Moore’s first-line supervisor during the deployment, shows Moore standing in formation with the medal pinned to his desert uniform. “The picture clearly shows Moore receiving an ARCOM, not a Bronze Star,” Gottschling said. Drew Sullins/The Baltimore Sun.
COMMENTARY: A MANUFACTURED SCANDAL: For months now, Maryland has watched a strange spectacle unfold: a decorated combat veteran being told — by people who never served with him, never deployed with him, and never operated in a combat zone — that his service somehow doesn’t count. This is the Baltimore Sun’s coverage. The Baltimore Banner stepped in. They reviewed the records. They interviewed the Gov. Wes Moore and first lady Dawn Moore. They spoke with Moore’s fellow service members and commanding officers. They examined the chain of command evaluations. And their conclusion was blunt: Gov. Wes Moore’s military service is not in doubt. Barry O’Connell/The Maryland Wire.
LONGTIME SUN POLITICS REPORTER JEFF BARKER RESIGNS: Last Monday, Jeff Barker, who spent 25 years as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, posted on X that he was resigning. He covered Maryland’s congressional delegation, politics and sports. “I was proud to have been there during a long period when our reporting followed the facts wherever they happened to lead,” he wrote. “I’m not saying anything readers can’t see for themselves, but The Sun has changed since its purchase by David Smith, executive chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. I no longer fit there.” The article also looks into the Sun’s coverage of Gov. Wes Moore. Susie Banikarim/Columbia Journalism Review.
Why do you keep running items about the Balto Sun’s erroneous reporting on Gov. Moore’s Bronze Star. An error was corrected. His superior officer re-submitted the paperwork. Moore was awarded the decoration. Please stop circulating the Sun’s reporting error. Thank you.