Politics

When Larry Hogan announced his bid for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat, it immediately turned the state into ground zero for the Democratic Party’s chances to hold onto its thin majority. To replace retiring Sen. Ben Cardin, the party will now likely have to expend significant party resources to defeat a formidable former governor on the Republican side in what previously seemed like a safe blue seat.

The Maryland Senate as early as this week could take up the stalled appointment of a Howard County woman to the Maryland State Board of Elections. Diane Butler was nominated by the Maryland Republican Party to fill one of two vacancies on the panel. The Senate Executive Nominations Committee delayed a vote two weeks ago after one member of the committee asked for a pause because of comments made in emails and a social media post described as antisemitic.

The Maryland General Assembly delivered both disappointments and successes in pursuit of the state’s climate and environmental aspirations as it moved past the crossover deadline on March 18 — the point in the session where most bills have to move from one chamber to the other to stay in the race to pass.

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) is not budging from opposition to broad-based tax increases or iGaming in the waning days of the 2024 session. House and Senate leaders are expected to head to a conference committee next week to work out differences in the $63 billion fiscal 2025 spending plan.

The race for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat is heating up. One day after a Washington Post poll was released, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks’ campaign released a new ad focusing on her work as a former prosecutor. In the ad, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates endorses Alsobrooks to fill the seat of current U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, who is not seeking re-election.

Life with Sybil DiMaggio was, in a nutshell, energetic. Days would start with music blasting in the house — the construction inspector and her husband, George Durm, bonded over their love for the rock band 311 — and would continue with gardening and canning activities, her husband said. She was “outdoorsy” with her personal and professional life, doing mosquito control and municipal jobs for a while before continuing to her work on the highway.

A 13-year veteran of the Maryland General Assembly is leaving her post in May after just one year in the Maryland Senate. Sen. Ariana B. Kelly (D-Montgomery) announced Wednesday night that she will leave the Senate to become the executive director of the Maryland Commission for Women, beginning on May 6.

Lawmakers are evaluating what expertise is needed to lead the Maryland Board of Nursing, as they consider legislation that would remove a requirement that the executive director have a registered nursing license to qualify for the position. The board oversees nursing professionals across the state and ensures that nurses are complying with state and federal laws within the profession, according to the fiscal note for the bill. They also manage the licensing process for nurses.