Election just over, lawmakers enter pre-session fundraising frenzy

Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) is having one. So is state Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City). So are all four standing committee chairs in the Senate and four of the six committee chairs in the House of Delegates. So, for good measure, are Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) and Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman (D). With a three-month ban on political fundraising set to begin for state officeholders at high noon on Jan. 11, the exact moment that the 90-day General Assembly session gavels in, a weeklong frenzy of post-New Year’s Day fundraisers, one of the most unsavory traditions in Maryland politics, is set to begin. At least 45 state lawmakers will be looking to vacuum up campaign cash in the days leading up to the session.