Politics

With mail-in voting already under way, and the election less than a month from now, the number and pace of high-profile endorsements is intensifying in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. On Thursday, two powerful Black women officeholders from Prince George’s County announced they were backing U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-6th) over their own county executive, Angela Alsobrooks (D), who is bidding to become the first Black woman to win statewide office in Maryland, and just the third elected to the U.S. Senate.

Mayor Brandon Scott’s latest television campaign ad on Baltimore’s mayoral race makes two assertions about his opponent former Mayor Sheila Dixon’s record on crime that are deserving of scrutiny. According to polls, Scott, who is seeking a second term, has opened a lead over Dixon, his chief competition in the Democratic primary that begins with early voting beginning May 2 and Primary Day on May 14.

Youth advocates held a rally Thursday night calling on Gov. Wes Moore to veto House Bill 814, otherwise known as the Juvenile Reform Act. The Maryland Youth Justice Coalition, which works to try and stop children from being involved in the legal system, spearheaded the rally. “It expands jurisdiction for our youngest kids, 10 to 12-year-olds.

In the week since Gov. Wes Moore enacted emergency legislation to prop up the Port of Baltimore economy, Maryland has approved more than $1 million in grant funding to help roughly 300 people remain in their jobs as crews race to clear the port’s main channel following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.

The top candidates for Baltimore mayor broke little new ground during the season’s first televised debate Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Scott and former Mayor Sheila Dixon — the front-runners — were joined by attorney Thiru Vignarajah and businessman Bob Wallace. The Democrats took the stage at Morgan State University’s Murphy Fine Arts Center for a panel hosted by WBAL-TV, WBAL Radio and Maryland Public Television.

The Brew has learned that Mayor Brandon Scott will tap a cabinet officer and veteran attorney to head the city’s response to the collapse and reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Dana P. Moore, currently the director of the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, will start Monday as Senior Advisor for Key Bridge Response and Recovery, aiding port workers, business owners and others, and coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Unified Command and private groups engaged in the recovery effort.