Politics

Individual campaign contributions from South Asian Marylanders soared in the week following Vice President Kamala Harris’ announcement that she would be running for president. Before the announcement, South Asian Americans had been donating an average of almost $2,300 per week to President Joe Biden’s campaign in 2024.

U.S. Senate Republican candidate Larry Hogan and the super political action committee that is funding a massive ad campaign to help him are facing a complaint that they engaged in improper coordination. A Montgomery County voter filed a complaint with federal elections officials on Tuesday, alleging that the deep-pocketed super PAC Maryland’s Future violated the law by placing a prominent “donate” button on its webpage that goes directly to a fundraising page for Hogan’s campaign committee.

With less than three weeks before the Nov. 5 general election, the two candidates for Maryland’s 6th congressional district met at a forum in Hagerstown on Wednesday morning to answer questions on a wide variety of topics. Republican Neil C. Parrott and Democrat April McClain Delaney — who are seeking to win the seat currently held by Democrat David Trone — participated in an event held by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

Baltimore County is beginning to consider life after County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. if he wins a U.S. House of Representatives seat on Election Day. It’s unclear who will succeed the two-term Dundalk Democrat, who first won office in November 2018, but several people have come forward to throw their hats into the ring.

As a Black and Indian woman and former prosecutor-turned-politician, Wanika Fisher has been dubbed the Kamala Harris of Maryland. The two, who share many of the same viewpoints on issues, are even part of the same sorority. So, when Donald Trump questioned the racial identity of Harris this summer — asking “is she Indian or is she Black?” in a room filled with Black journalists in Chicago — Fisher also couldn’t help feeling attacked.

Former U.S. Commerce Department official April McClain Delaney (D) has opened a wide fundraising lead over former state Del. Neil C. Parrott (R) in the state’s most competitive U.S. House election, fueled in part by the more than $2 million she has loaned her campaign. Through the end of September, Delaney had spent more than five times as much money as Parrott in the race for the 6th District seat, according to Federal Election Commisssion campaign finance reports released Tuesday.

Abortion rights advocates trying to drum up support for Maryland’s reproductive freedom ballot question have vastly outraised and outspent their opponents — pulling in more than five times the funds and unleashing a new $500,000 ad campaign three weeks before Election Day. Backed by a hefty investment from Planned Parenthood and other large donations, the advocates raised more than $752,000 and spent $400,000 through early October with their organization, Freedom in Reproduction Maryland, according to new campaign finance reports released Friday.