In two letters sent four days apart, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and lawyers representing the state and national Republican Party and two party officials in Maryland raised concerns about efforts to purge duplicate and ineligible voters — including those who are deceased, incarcerated or undocumented immigrants. Both letters, obtained by Maryland Matters, cite federal election law and a 2023 state audit that raised questions about the accuracy of state voter rolls.

State Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis acknowledged that his agency received both letters in the past week.

“We’re reviewing the DOJ letter,” DeMarinis said in an interview. “We are acknowledging that — like the general public — information is available under the public information act, and we will respond accordingly.”

The July 14 Justice Department letter requested voter registration data from November 2022 to November 2024. Federal attorneys also asked the state to provide “the number of voters identified as ineligible to vote” during that period because they were a “non-citizen … adjudicated incompetent” or had a felony conviction.

Federal attorneys set a 14-day deadline for state officials to provide the information.

A Justice Department spokesperson, in an email, declined to comment.

The letter comes as a growing number of election boards around the nation are facing scrutiny from a federal government led by a chief executive who has widely claimed he was the victim of extensive voter fraud.

“It heightens concerns about federalism and the roles between federal and state governments involved in election administration,” DeMarinis said.

Separate federal lawsuit threatened

In a separate but parallel letter, attorneys representing a group of local, state, and national Republicans alleged “implausibly high” voter registration percentages, both statewide and in some individual counties. The letter was sent to state and local elections officials four days after the Justice Department request.

In a 12-page notice of intent letter, attorneys with the firm Consovoy McCarthy said they represent the Republican National Committee and the Maryland Republican Party.

“Maryland is failing to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter rolls, in clear violation of federal law,” Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. “Citizens deserve to know their vote isn’t being canceled out by duplicate or ineligible voters. We’re demanding action because clean voter rolls are essential to protecting free and fair elections in Maryland and across the country.”

The statement also referenced a 2023 report from the Office of Legislative Audits that raised questions about how the state maintains its voter rolls. That report raised concerns that potentially deceased residents remain on state voter rolls. State elections officials said auditors exaggerated those claims.

Maryland was sued last year by two organizations claiming widespread problems with the state’s voter registration system, but a U.S. District Court judge in Baltimore dismissed the case for lack of standing by the groups bringing the suit, citing the groups’ lack of standing to file a lawsuit. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal in February.

A  Maryland Republican Party spokesperson referred all questions about the letter to Nicolee Ambrose, a Republican National Committeewoman and 2022 Republican congressional candidate who is also represented by the law firm, according to the letter. Ambrose did not respond to a request for comment, but she did comment about the letter in a social media post.

“The Maryland State Board of Elections has run out of excuses for violating federal law,” she wrote on Facebook. “It is imperative they do their job and clean up Maryland’s egregiously out-of-date and inflated voter rolls.”

The firm also said it represents Reardon Sullivan, whom it described as chair of “Committee to Control MoCo Spending,” a ballot issue committee. He is also a former chair of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee.

Sullivan, in an email, said “ensuring updated and accurate voter rolls is a non-partisan issue that affects every Maryland voter.” Issues with inaccurate voter rolls “directly [affects] our committee’s efforts to collect valid signatures for our ballot petition,” he wrote.

Data cited in the GOP letter alleges that there are more voters than adults who are eligible to vote in Maryland, which Sullivan said “is obviously impossible. … Maryland must take this issue seriously and remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists prior to the 2026 election.”

Allegations in the letter include state elections officials failing to maintain accurate voter registration rolls and counties with “implausibly high” voter registration rates. It said its analysis of state records identified two counties — Howard and Montgomery — as having “more active registered voters than eligible adult citizens” between 2019 and 2023.

Both Republicans on the five-member state board of elections have ties to those counties: Diane Butler is a former member of the Howard County Board of Elections and Jim Shalleck, vice chair of the panel, served six years as president of the Montgomery County Board of Elections.

The law firm’s analysis compared state voter registration totals and annual census data estimates.

“This evidence shows that your office and officials in these counties are not conducting appropriate list maintenance to ensure that the voter registration roll is accurate and current, as required by federal law,” the firm wrote in its letter.

Virginia-based Consovoy McCarthy is known for its conservative pedigree, representing President Donald Trump in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and arguing the case that ended the practice of race-based college admissions. Two of its attorneys clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The firm said its clients “will bring a lawsuit” against the state and local boards “if you fail to take specific actions to correct these violations” within 90 days.

“We’ve received it, and it is under review,” DeMarinis said when asked about the Consovoy McCarthy letter.

David Naimon, president of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, said the local agency is reviewing the letter and declined further comment.

Officials in Howard County did not respond to a request for comment.

Sowing ‘doubt’ and ‘conspiracy theories’

Maryland is one of a growing number of states where election officials have received letters from the Justice Department.

Some see the effort as a weaponization of federal law enforcement for political reasons.

“They’re just trying to come into a state that is currently dominated by Democratic leaders and sow doubt and imply there’s a problem where none exists,” said Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee Vice Chair Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan, a Montgomery County Democrat, who devotes much of her legislative policy focus to elections law.

“Don’t forget that next year is an election year in Maryland,” she said. “So, if Republicans, whether they are in the administration or in the political party, are looking to plant conspiracy theories or doubt, this is the right time to do it.”

Federal laws restrict the federal government’s ability to centralize information on Americans, said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. Even if states provide voter registration information to the public, they often redact sensitive information.

In Orange County, California, the DOJ sued local election officials in June, seeking unredacted voter registration information, such as Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses, as part of an investigation into noncitizen voting.

More than 350 election officials from some 33 states participated in a conference call about federal actions Monday hosted by Becker, who was previously an attorney in the DOJ Voting Rights Section during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. He said the interest in the call shows the level of uncertainty and anxiety over the current “federal imposition” on election administrators.

“The DOJ seems dead set on acquiring personal information on voters, including driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers and dates of birth — records that are highly protected under federal law and under state law and which state election officials are sworn to protect,” Becker told Stateline.

Maryland joins growing list of states

At least nine states have received requests for information over the past three months, according to letters from the DOJ obtained by Stateline. Some states also received emails from a DOJ official last week asking for meetings to discuss information-sharing agreements.

When asked whether Maryland had received any other letter or demands from the Department of Justice, DeMarinis said: “No.”

DeMarinis said the most recent letters will have little effect on how state elections are administered in the state.

“My charge and my mission is to make sure Maryland’s elections are safe, secure and transparent,” DeMarinis said. “I’m not going to be deterred from that mission.”

The department’s focus on elections comes after Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi in March to seek information about suspected election crimes from state election officials and empowered her to withhold grants and other funds from uncooperative states.

For years, Trump advanced false claims about elections, including the idea that the 2020 election he lost was stolen. Now back in power, his administration is taking a new level of interest in how states — and even local authorities — administer elections.

In March, Trump issued an executive order attempting to impose several election policies, including proof of citizenship requirements, reviews of state voter registration lists and requiring all mail in ballots be received by Election Day. That executive order is the subject of an ongoing court challenge.

Stateline reporter Jonathan Shorman contributed to this article.

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: scrane@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and Bluesky.

Tom Wieland, a Gambrills Republican, said he aims to mitigate the swelling traffic he’s witnessed since moving to the county 40 years ago. It’s an issue he blames on increased development combined with stagnant construction of infrastructure and roads.

“When we moved here, the area that is now Waugh Chapel Towne Centre had horses there,” Wieland said of his move from Glen Burnie to the western portion of the county. “We thought we were moving out into the suburbs. Ever since then, Democrats have continually passed more high density zoning and building all along route 3 all the way up to Laurel.”

The current county executive, Steuart Pittman, is a Democrat, while the three before him were Republicans.

Wieland, 71, lost a 2022 bid for the seat in the Republican primary to Cheryl Renshaw. Current District 4 representative Julie Hummer, a Laurel Democrat, defeated Renshaw in the general election.

Hummer is finishing her first term on the council and is eligible for reelection. However she did not respond to an inquiry about whether she would be seeking another term.

The primary election is June 23, with a candidate filing deadline of Feb. 24.

Wieland owns and operates Ritchie Pharmacy in Brooklyn Park.

“I’m a business owner, we want jobs, we want businesses, but you have to have roads,” Wieland said. “They spent millions of dollars doing a study on how they’re going to fix the congestion of Route 3. Of course, nothing has happened and there’s no way they can widen it.”

Maryland transportation officials are working on a projectto improve traffic and safety along the Route 3 corridor starting in 2027. The project — three lanes going north and south from Waugh Chapel Road to Annapolis Road — is expected to cost about $35 million. Anne Arundel County is covering 20% with the state paying for the rest.

Quick to say he is not a MAGA Republican, Wieland said he intends to support parental rights and provide options for what children are — and are not — being taught in county public schools.

Among other issues he intends to focus on if elected, Wieland voiced his approval of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deporting undocumented immigrants, but also supports providing “pathways” for some. He pointed to the newly introduced Dignity Act of 2025 in the U.S. House of Representatives as a good example. The bipartisan bill aims to let immigrants earn legal status if they meet certain requirements — like being in the U.S. since Dec. 31, 2020, or passing a criminal background check — over a period of time.

While state and local governments can pass legislation touching on immigration, the federal government holds the exclusive power to regulate immigration. In May, the Department of Homeland Security included Anne Arundel County and Annapolis in a list of cities, states and jurisdictions it said are “deliberately obstructing” the enforcement of federal immigration law. The list of “sanctuary cities” was removed shortly after.

Wieland says he’ll represent the district with small business owners and the working class in mind. He also said he’d focus on district-specific legislation.

“We need to flip the county,” he said. “If you’re a county council member, you need to concentrate on what’s going on in your district. Everybody is different, people in Arnold and Pasadena, leave them to do what they want to do. I’ll try to fix what’s going on in District 4.”

Wieland holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a degree in pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore.

Wieland and his wife, Monica, have two children and three grandchildren.

Before his children were grown, Wieland volunteered as a scout leader and coached youth athletics. He’s currently HOA treasurer for the Four Seasons Community of Gambrills and treasurer for the North County Republican Club.

Wieland is also a trustee for the Maryland Pharmacist Association and volunteers his time oyster farming for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

“People are getting fed up with all these things in my district,” he said. “They thought they were going to move here for a nice, suburban community, it’s just not working out for them. Hopefully that’s going to inspire people to vote for me as a Republican.”

Have a news tip? Contact James Matheson at jmatheson@baltsun.com, 443-842-2344 or on X @jamesmatheson__

Guthrie, 86, of Joppatowne, is the third Democrat to file for the seat; current District A council member Nolanda Robert and Kelly Bryant are the others. One Republican, Jeff Beck, has also announced his intention to run.

Guthrie joined the Harford County Council in 2002 as the District A representative and served in that role for three consecutive terms. He was elected to a fourth term in 2023, and was removed from office on Nov. 15 after he entered a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest, in a Baltimore County felony theft case. Guthrie was accused of stealing between $5,000 and $25,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers Local 1501 in Baltimore County between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2021. The plea Guthrie entered acknowledged that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to convict him without admitting guilt; he had paid more than $23,000 in restitution.

On Thursday Guthrie said he wants to continue working on issues in District A, such as building a community center in Joppatowne, making improvements to Mariner Point Park and potentially placing a dog park in a vacant lot on Route 7.

“I decided to run because I had these issues that if I hadn’t been put off the council I probably would have had these moving along and they would get done before I ended my term next year,” he said.

As Guthrie embarks on another election, he said he doesn’t believe the Baltimore County court case will have any effect on his ability to get votes. He said he had to put numerous initiatives on hold while dealing with legal issues that he called “political” and he’s eager to get back onto the council to finish what he started.

“I decided to run again to make sure those things get done,” he said.

The Democratic primary is on June 23, 2026.

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.

Throughout last year’s campaign season, AI-generated fake videos and images proliferated. Sometimes the aim was to amuse, but mostly, the idea was to mislead voters or throw a wrench into the wheels of democracy.

In one such case in New Hampshire in January 2024, a robocall with a voice sounding like President Joe Biden appeared to tell voters to skip the state’s primary election. The political consultant who allegedly created that call later was indicted for deterring people from voting.

To better understand deepfakes, we had talked with Oren Etzioni in Seattle. An AI expert, he’s launched a website that uses human and computer tools to inspect files for telltale signs of AI generation.

“When you see an image or a video — we’re visual animals — it’s natural to say, ‘Okay, I see this with my own eyes; I believe it,'” Etzioni said. “Unfortunately, we’ve reached the point where AI is sophisticated enough that it’s easy to fake these images, to fake these videos, so that they look real, but they’re not.”

Scenes that look unlikely still can look convincing. In one case, fake images showed President Donald Trump hugging Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — an attack on Trump’s decision not to fire Fauci.

“The real downside of this, though, is, because we’re all afraid of AI, because there’s so much stuff, anybody following these campaigns is looking at a wall of noise,” said Peter Loge, director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University in the nation’s capital. “We don’t know what’s true, what’s not, what’s fake, what’s not fake, what the candidates are saying, what people are pretending. So, maybe, we don’t believe any of it.”

Loge says the big campaigns have largely avoided AI for their advertising and videos because of the risk of being called out. But smaller campaigns and foreign actors seeking influence can have a large impact without spending much.

It wouldn’t take much for someone with malicious intent to alter the way people see a political candidate, Etzioni said.

“It would take a few dollars,” he said. “We’re not even talking about a hundred dollars. We’re just talking about a few dollars and existing tools.”

It leaves voters to wonder if what they see and hear during campaigns is real or a sophisticated con.

A number of states have passed legislation to ban or punish deepfakes in elections. But California’s law recently was ruled unconstitutional.

Scott Thuman is a correspondent for “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson,” which airs at 10 a.m. Sunday, WJLA (Channel 7) and WBFF (Channel 45).

William Marks, a 1996 Naval Academy graduate, said he’s been in search of new ways to give back since retiring from the Navy in 2018. That search led him to the 25th Congressional District in Texas, where his wife is from.

“From Jan. 20 on, there has been a fire inside me,” Marks, a Democrat, said, referring to President Donald Trump’s inauguration. “When I saw what they were doing to the Naval Academy and the military as a whole, I said ‘I need to do something and I need to stand for something.’ ”

After the Naval Academy released a list of 381 books that were removed from its Nimitz Library  — in compliance with a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to eliminate works focused on diversity, equity and inclusion — Marks, 51, enlisted the help of his favorite Annapolis book store, Old Fox Books.

That partnership produced Operation Caged Bird, which raised money to purchase and make available to academy faculty and midshipmen many of the removed books. Since launching in April, Operation Caged Bird has raised about $70,000.

The name is a reference to Maya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The book, one of the more high-profile titles on the removed-books list, details the racial abuse Angelou encounters throughout her early life.

Last month, the academy announced that most of the removed books were placed back on their shelves after a second Pentagon-ordered review, but Operation Caged Bird is continuing.

“If you’re a midshipman, if you’re Naval Academy staff, and you need a book, we’re going to get you a book,” Marks said. “That’s fully funded all the way up to the next [presidential] election.”

Marks said he was in Annapolis having dinner with fellow alumni and fundraiser volunteers last month when news broke that the books were being returned. He said his reaction was a mixture of elation and disbelief.

“When we saw it was true, we just celebrated,” Marks said.

The following morning, Marks said he visited the Nimitz Library, where he watched staff removing books from boxes and putting them on shelves.

“Everyone at the Nimitz Library was thrilled,” Marks said. “You could see it on their faces, the relief. It was just such a feeling of joy and accomplishment.”

During his 22-year military career, Marks was deployed on guided missile destroyers located as far as the Persian Gulf, before switching to work in naval communications.

He’s since worked as a spokesperson at the Pentagon, led public affairs for the Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln Battle Group and directed communications for the Naval Academy. He was the lead spokesperson for the relief efforts of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in 2014.

Throughout his career, Marks said he’s developed an ability to listen — a tool he knows will prove useful in Congress.

“I’m here to listen to people’s concerns,” Marks said. “My number one priority is fighting for the people of [District 25] in Texas. The first thing I will do is listen.”

Marks said he is grounding his campaign in five things: prioritizing the middle class, closing financial loopholes for billionaires and corporations, minimizing government overreach in programs like Social Security and Medicare, returning ethics to Congress and ensuring “safety and security” by prioritizing investment in soldiers first, rather than defense contractors.

Marks lives in Arlington, Texas, with his wife and two children.

The primary election is March 3, 2026, and the general election Nov. 3, 2026.

Marks will join the race against incumbent Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican. Williams took office in 2013 and ran unopposed in the 2022 and 2024 general elections. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Sometimes when you’re trying to lift up other people, it’s not a quiet activity, it’s a fight,” Marks said. “That’s what we do in the military. I can still do that, I still have that fight in me. Truth is, this country needs it right now so here I am.”

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Smith, 45, will officially announce his bid to replace Steuart Pittman, a Democrat who is term-limited, at an event Saturday at 797 Cromwell Park Drive in Glen Burnie from 1-3 p.m. Smith is in his third non-consecutive term representing District 1.

If elected, Smith would be the county’s first Black executive.

“I’ve always felt I had more to offer,” said Smith, a Jessup resident. “I’ve certainly shown my commitment to this county, why not offer myself up to be an option for folks to consider.”

Smith is the third Democrat to enter the race. He joins his colleague, council member Allison Pickard of District 2, and James Kitchin, Pittman’s special assistant who is a former teacher and public policy researcher. A Republican challenger has not yet entered the race.

Smith was appointed to the County Council in 2012 to replace Daryl Jones after he pleaded guilty to tax charges and was removed. Smith was forced to step down after Jones served five months in a South Carolina prison and won an appeal to regain his seat because he was still a county resident.

Smith then ran and won his first full term, holding the seat from 2014 to 2018. He lost the 2018 primary before being elected again in 2022.

“You’re going to see a very aggressive thinking outside of the box when it comes to efficiencies in our government and in our county,” Smith said of his campaign. “I’ve already started looking at some of this when it comes to public safety and using technology to incorporate and enhance our police services.”

Smith is an intelligence officer in the Marine Corps Reserves, which he joined after 14 years of active-duty service. He’s employed at the National Security Agency, headquartered in Smith’s district at Fort Meade.

Smith credits his 27-year military career for his willingness to work across party lines. His vote on the seven-member council is more of a swing vote than a Democratic one, he said.

Last month, before the council approved an amendment to rezone the area around the Glen Burnie light rail station to encourage transit-oriented development, Smith stalled the process.

On April 21 he joined Republicans in rejecting the measure in a 4-3 vote because residents in District 1, which includes the light rail station, had reservations about the amendment.

“I don’t look at legislation necessarily through a lens of politics,” Smith said. “I look at it through a lens of what is in the best interest for citizens of Anne Arundel County. Sometimes that may be something that doesn’t align with my party but I’m always willing to do what is in the best interest of the citizens and the businesses because they’re who I work for.”

While he prioritizes investing in Anne Arundel County’s youth, tech infrastructure and housing, Smith said his bipartisan approach will help him pass legislation more efficiently.

Smith said he plans to introduce a mentor program to provide an additional resource to help kids in the school system to stay out of trouble and find success.

Smith grew up amid poverty and drugs in Chicago. He said his life was shaped by mentors who steered him to success; he intends to do the same for Anne Arundel kids.

Smith said he intends to explore ways the county can incorporate land acquisition and work with developers to build smaller, more efficient homes to reduce cost and increase accessibility.

“No one should have to struggle to simply live in our county. I want to change that,” Smith said.

He’s recently introduced legislation aimed at establishing development requirements for tiny home communities, neighborhoods of small, efficient homes that prioritize sustainability.

Affordability and public safety in Anne Arundel are among Smith’s other top priorities if elected.

“I’m going to be laser-focused on the economic independence of every community in this county,” Smith said. “People are better off when they can stand on their own two legs, they feed themselves, take their kids to school and have a worthwhile job.”

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Bryant, a Democrat, is the second person to enter the race in District A; Jeff Beck, a Republican, filed in March.

Nolanda Robert was appointed in January to the District A council seat, filling the seat left vacant after Councilman Dion Guthrie was removed from his position late last year.

Bryant is a special education teacher in Baltimore County and has lived in Harford County for nearly 20 years. Bryant’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Maryland and a master’s in applied behavior analysis from Purdue University.

“This area has always been home to hardworking, blue-collar families,” he said in a statement to The Aegis. “They want what everyone wants – stability, opportunity and a decent life. But I believe we can do more than just get by.”

If elected, his goals include opening the door for local entrepreneurs, attracting new businesses and addressing vacant storefronts.

Bryant also wants to pursue municipal status for Edgewood, a community with about 25,000 residents that has been fighting for several years to gain it. Bryant says becoming a city would allow Edgewood residents the power to make their own decisions without waiting on others.

“This community has enormous potential,” he said. “I refuse to watch it go untapped any longer.”

Bryant leads a youth initiative called Warriors of Growth that’s focused on helping young men develop discipline, confidence and life skills. He has also been involved in the community as a coach, mentor and educator.

Bryant said he’s running for the council seat because he feels the community has been overlooked and wants to build a community that works for everyone.

“We’ve been underestimated for too long,” he said. “That ends now.”

The Harford County Council consists of seven members that act as the legislative branch of government. Council members earn a salary between $46,000 and $52,000.

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.

So far, one incumbent for the Harford County Council has announced their re-election bid for 2026: Jacob Bennett for District F.

Nolanda Robert, District A incumbent, has yet to add her name to the race, but she has two competitors, one of whom is Republican Jeff Beck. He officially filed for the race in March. Kelly Bryant, a Democrat, has also announced he is running for District A.

Beck initially toyed with the idea of running for office, but said in a statement to the Aegis, that the timing didn’t feel right until now.

“I try to make a positive impact in the world around me with everything I do, and District A has been underserved for quite a while,” he said. “I am committed to responsible governance that puts the community first by focusing on smart economic growth, strong public safety, and keeping taxes low.”

Beck’s education includes graduating from Concordia Preparatory School, then known as Baltimore Lutheran School. He furthered his education, receiving a certificate in Automotive Technology from Lincoln Technical Institute. Within the community, he’s served on the Community Advisory Board for Gifted and Talented Education and was confirmed to represent District A on the Human Relations Commission.

Beck, a sales and learning consultant, has lived in Harford County for almost 20 years. Overdevelopment, a responsible government and taxes are the three issues he plans to address.

“I will fight to protect our parks, farms and open spaces and encourage responsible use and redevelopment of vacant properties by attracting new businesses owned by District A citizens,” according to his website.

Beck explains on his campaign page that Harford residents deserve transparency, maturity and responsibility from their government.

“We’ve watched for too long public and petty bickering within and between agencies, and this serves no one except the bureaucrats,” his website states. “I will work collaboratively with the council, the executive office and all county agencies to ensure transparency in legislation, public service and budgets.”

As it relates to taxes, Beck said he aims to grow county revenue and not raise taxes, but increase the tax base. He says it will attract and grow tourism, grow businesses and attract new residents from inside and outside the county.

“The increase in revenue will ensure that our educators and deputies are well compensated and will allow for the growth of other services as well,” his website states. “I will work with all parties involved to identify efficiencies in the budgets.”

In a previous version, the date of the election was incorrectly given as June 2025. It is June 2026. Aegis regrets the error. 

Have a news tip? Contact Shaela Foster at sfoster@baltsun.com or 443-826-5894.

Gov. Wes Moore and Ulman say Pittman is the next man for the job. Moore intends to nominate Pittman later this month, all but guaranteeing he will fill out the remainder of Ulman’s term, which ends next year.

Pittman faces an array of challenges. Every statewide elected official — Moore, all 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly, the entire eight-member U.S. House delegation, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman — will be on the ballot in 2026.

In an interview with the Capital Gazette, he said he’s up for the challenges that come with becoming the lead fundraiser and campaign spokesperson for the state’s Democrats.

“My goal is, of course, to win elections and elect great people — the party has been really good at that,” Pittman said. “I’d like to strengthen and deepen the party as a permanent institution. Part of that is expanding the small donor base of the party.”

Central committee members from each county will vote June 21 in Prince George’s County at a meeting of all Democratic State Central Committees. No other candidates have emerged so far.

Balance

Pittman hopes to help his friend Wes Moore win reelection in 2026. While Pittman, a two-term county executive, is lending some of his campaign success to the gubernatorial race, some question whether he can do so without his day job interfering.

Dan Nataf, political science professor at Anne Arundel County Community College, questions how effectively Pittman can help Democratic leadership while juggling the partisan nature of politics and the bipartisan nature of governing.

He says the timing is “unusual.”

“It’s something I think he could do well if he were not county executive,” Nataf said. “I don’t know how easily the two roles mesh together.”

Budgeting time was also a concern of Nataf’s.

“It’s certainly a full-time job to be county executive and doesn’t leave a lot of time to dabble in other things,” Nataf said. “I could see that it would be unexpected and maybe good for the party to have him, but from the governance point of view, in my mind it’s a distraction.”

Pittman dismissed concerns. He compared balancing the two roles to any politician on the campaign trail. Similarly, Pittman said he’ll handle the workload the same way he did in 2022 when he sought reelection.

This time, Pittman would be working on behalf of multiple candidates. He said he’d be involved in campaigns across the state, whether he was state party chair or not.

“The work of being on the campaign trail for reelection [along with] governing does take some time,” Pittman said. “But it’s normal toward the end of a term to be doing political work like this.”

Solace out of the spotlight

Pittman said removing himself from the candidate spotlight — where he admitted being uncomfortable during his first campaign — and instead working on behalf of state Democrats is a sweet spot for him.

“I have spent most of my life as an advocate for causes and it was always a little different to be advocating for my own candidacy,” Pittman said. “Working on behalf of the Democratic Party is a more comfortable space for me.”

In his early career as a community organizer, Pittman built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards and attracted investment to blighted communities in Illinois and Iowa.

He was an advocate for environmental control standards to protect waterways as director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, before going on to create the Retired Racehorse Project, which transitions racehorses into second careers.

Pittman will be partially responsible for raising money to fund the general election campaign of his successor. The Democratic Party does not raise funds for primary elections, Pittman said.

So far, next year’s Anne Arundel County executive race is between Democrats, County Council member Allison Pickard and Pittman’s special assistant James Kitchin. Pittman is term-limited from running again and no Republican has filed to run.

Pittman endorsed Kitchin, among others, but said as chair he would not favor any candidate.

“Whoever comes out on top, the party will be there to help in the general election,” Pittman said.

Anne Arundel impact

If Pittman starts splitting his energy between the 2.2 million registered Democrats in the state and the more than 600,000 residents in Anne Arundel County, what does “The Best Place – For All” have to gain?

Del. Dylan Behler, a Democrat representing the county in District 30A, says Pittman’s experience winning the top seat and governing in a purple county will be an asset to state Democrats.

“[Democrats] constantly talk about everything we want to do, but when we come into power we don’t end up doing those things and become complacent,” Behler said. “The sooner we become a party that delivers when we’re in power, the better off we’ll be.”

Behler worked as Pittman’s driver during his first campaign in 2018. He said that once elected, Pittman focused on results rather than becoming more moderate or concerning himself with political outcomes — contributing to his reelection win by a larger margin.

“The state will benefit from him, specifically on the Anne Arundel side of things,” Behler said. “He’ll recognize how important it is to invest in races in the county. But it’s more about having somebody that comes from a county as diverse politically, ethnically and income-wise that will really allow him to speak to more Marylanders.”

What’s next?

Ulman, a former Howard County executive, has been state party chair since November 2023. Historically, the position has been a short-term one.

When asked what his next position might be — maybe a role as secretary of a state agency if Moore is reelected, or a run for Congress — Pittman demurred.

“You know me, I love to write,” Pittman said, referring to his weekly newsletter. “Maybe at the end of all this I’ll do a tell-all book but I love to serve as well. I honestly don’t have a plan for beyond this election.”

Have a news tip? Contact James Matheson at jmatheson@baltsun.com, 443-842-2344 or on X @jamesmatheson__

Though only three candidates have registered to run vying for three open seats, the town will still hold an election. That is because the town charter allows residents to write in candidates.

The three candidates are incumbents Chris Cuneo and Vince Pacelli, and former Town Administrator Steve Miller.

During the most recent town election in May 2023, incumbent Mayor Ryan Warner was defeated by Melinda Smith. In the race for two Town Council seats, Ryan Nazelrod and incumbent Jennifer Miller were the winners.

Pacelli was elected May 16, 2023, to replace council member David G. Richardson, who resigned May 9, 2023. Pacelli filled out the remaining two years in Richardson’s term.

Cuneo was first elected to the council in 2021. Miller served as town administrator for 44 years, starting in 1979. He was recognized for 40 years of service with the town in 2019.

Town Council members and the mayor serve four-year terms.

Anyone who is a registered voter in the county and a resident within the incorporated town limits is eligible to vote in the May election. Voters must have lived within the corporate limits of the town at least 30 days before the election.

The Town of Manchester will hold its election from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Town Hall at 3337 Victory St.

Have a news tip? Contact Sherry Greenfield at sgreenfield@baltsun.com, 240-315-7029.