Politics

For the first time in Baltimore City’s history, voters on Tuesday will get a chance to elect two members of the Board of School Commissioners. The city will join many localities across the state that have moved recently to an all elected or hybrid school board. The shift comes four years after Baltimore County began electing seven of its 11 school board members to four-year terms.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszweski Jr. this week announced personnel changes in his administration, including the departure of a top aide. Deputy Administrative Officer Drew Vetter’s last day with county government will be Friday, Olszewski’s office said in an announcement Tuesday. He was one of Olszewski’s first hires after the Democratic county executive was elected in 2018.

As early voting drew to a close Thursday, the Harford County Board of Elections saw a dramatic increase in mail-in ballots compared to the 2018 midterm primary, according to elections director Stephanie Taylor. In 2018, 1,038 ballots were requested and 695 were returned, Taylor said. But as of Wednesday, there were more than 18,000 requests for mail-in ballots, and 7,269 ballots were returned

Carroll County Commissioners President Ed Rothstein is seeking reelection to his position representing District 5, and will face two challengers in the Republican primary July 19. No Democrats have filed to run in the district, meaning the winner will be decided by the primary. District 5 includes the southeast portion of the county, including the towns of Eldersburg and Sykesville. All three candidates live in Sykesville.

With the battle to succeed him nearing a crucial moment, Maryland’s current chief executive has been traveling throughout New Hampshire, meeting with business leaders and conducting media interviews ahead of a potential White House bid in 2024. Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) hit the road on Sunday, when he flew to Connecticut to speak at a fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Themis Klarides (R). Klarides, who hopes to unseat Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D), has been described as a “moderate voice.” She spent 20 years in the state House of Representatives, including six as leader of the Republican minority.

Two statewide campaigns have filed complaints with the Maryland State Board of Elections after their races attracted outside spending. On Saturday, the campaign of Katie Curran O’Malley, who is in a competitive Democratic primary race for attorney general with Rep. Anthony Brown, filed a complaint with the Maryland State Board of Elections against the VoteVets PAC, which is airing an attack ad against O’Malley. The ad is the latest in what is becoming an acrimonious battle over bona fides in the race. In late June, O’Malley released an ad that highlighted recent endorsements by The Washington Post and Baltimore Sun and her experience as a judge and prosecutor.

Voters in the July 19 Maryland primary election will choose Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, all hoping to succeed term-limited Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in November. Here is where several candidates stand on several key issues. Ten Democrats will appear on the ballot: former Prince George’s County executive Rushern L. Baker III, who suspended his campaign last month; former government worker and nonprofit executive Jon Baron; State Comptroller Peter Franchot; former Maryland attorney general Doug Gansler; Ralph W. Jaffe, a retired teacher; Ashwani Jain, a local program director for the National Kidney Foundation; former U.S. education secretary John B. King Jr.; author and former nonprofit chief Wes Moore; former Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez; and Jerome M. Segal, a philosopher and activist.