Politics

Squelching speculation of a third-party presidential run, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday endorsed Nikki Haley for the GOP nomination, saying he feels she “is the strongest chance” for Republicans to win in November. Hogan told CNN’s “State of the Union” he thinks “it’s pretty clear” that former President Donald Trump will win Monday’s Iowa caucuses,” but that Haley “has all of the momentum” to make her a strong nominee.

When Joanne Martin embarked on an ambitious project to display wax replicas of some of the best-known Black Americans, she knew that her centerpiece figure had to be Martin Luther King Jr. King’s display is the culmination of the museum tour at The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, which opened on North Avenue in 1988. The slain Civil Rights leader is also mentioned several times throughout the museum, a three-story former firehouse.

Former U.S. Senate candidate Juan Dominguez, a Severna Park business executive, has joined a large field of candidates — including five state lawmakers and a former U.S. Capitol Police officer — vying for the 3rd Congressional District seat being left open by the retirement of Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes. Dominguez, 56, a Democrat and Gulf War veteran whose parents emigrated from Cuba, had previously announced for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is not seeking reelection.

The state delegation for Frederick County is considering a new approach for increasing the salary of the Frederick County sheriff — an initiative that has failed in Annapolis the past two years in a row. During a meeting of the Frederick County delegation on Friday, state Sen. Karen Lewis Young (D-3) sought the delegation’s support on a bill that would implement a salary increase for the sheriff who takes office after the 2026 election.

Wednesday was the start of the 2024 Maryland General Assembly session, and Governor Wes Moore wants housing to be a big priority this year. The state is short 96,000 homes due to decades of underbuilding, and the Moore administration just announced three proposals to fix that, which we’re calling Moore Housing (the administration is free to use this if they choose). There are three parts: to streamline the approval process; to increase financing for affordable housing development; and to strengthen renter protections.

The centrist political organization No Labels has met the 10,000-signature threshold to potentially have a third-party presidential ticket on the Maryland ballot in November, state elections administrator Jared DeMarinis said Thursday. No Labels, the Washington, D.C.-based group that former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has been heavily involved in, still must complete other requirements to become a recognized political party in the state — including establishing bylaws, a constitution and an initial governing body.

Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland and a moderate Republican who has been critical of Donald Trump, stepped down last month from the leadership of the third-party movement No Labels, a move that could signal his preparations to run for president using the group’s ballot line. Hogan did not address his own future in a letter to No Labels President and CEO Nancy Jacobson announcing his resignation as co-chair, but he offered no criticism of the group, its plans or leadership.

A top Maryland elections official resigned Thursday after his arrest this week on multiple charges that he participated in the U.S. Capitol attack, encouraging officers trying to disperse rioters to “join us.” Federal investigators allege that Carlos Ayala, 52, scaled a police barricade on Jan. 6, 2021, while carrying a black flag that said, “We the People,” before pacing a line of police gathered to quell the riot.