Wednesday, September 18, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Politics

Hogan’s Decision to Lift Gun Restrictions Roils State Politics

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s decision Tuesday to lift restrictions on carrying concealed weapons in Maryland in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion left policymakers scrambling and has created another potentially divisive political issue with Marylanders already voting in their party primaries. One day after mass shootings at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb and fireworks display in Philadelphia, Hogan (R) announced Tuesday that he had directed the Maryland State Police, which issues gun licenses in the state, to suspend what’s known as the “good and substantial reason” standard for carrying concealed weapons.

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Maryland governor contenders Moore and Perez push their visions on Baltimore radio, while Franchot is a no-show

In the tightly contested Democratic primary for governor, front-runners Wes Moore and Tom Perez shared their pitches with Baltimore radio listeners on Friday, while Peter Franchot opted not to participate in the joint appearance. Moore, a bestselling author and former nonprofit executive; Perez, former head of the Democratic National Committee; and Franchot, the longtime state comptroller; are statistically tied atop the Democratic field of candidates, according to a poll conducted by the Goucher College Poll in partnership with The Baltimore Banner and WYPR.

Abortion and gun control aren’t litmus issues for most Maryland voters

What happened last Friday at the U.S. Supreme Court was an outrage for Bethesda resident Julie Paquin. A transplant from California, Paquin, 68, said she has prioritized living in a blue state where most of her political positions are validated by local elected officials — a standard that she said has only been further entrenched by last week’s watershed decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

Donna Edwards wants her Md. seat back. Glenn Ivey stands in the way.

Glenn Ivey wasn’t planning on being in the parade, but as he pulled up behind it in District Heights on Juneteenth, he thought — why not? He hopped out of the car, his hands full of campaign literature, his campaign staffers — his family, actually — carrying “Glenn Ivey for Congress” signs, and started greeting the voters who lined the street for the festivities or watched from their front lawns.

Maryland Republicans and Democrats agree democracy under threat, but the reasons differ

When Calvert County Republican Mark Jones was asked during a June poll whether he felt American democracy was either secure or threatened, he answered, “very threatened.” Prince George’s County Democrat Marianne Rankin agreed about the threat. “This is not the country I grew up in,” she recalled telling her son after seeing video of people rushing the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Maryland Comptroller Franchot tests positive for COVID-19

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, a Democratic candidate for governor, has tested positive for COVID-19. Franchot tweeted that he tested positive Friday night and was experiencing “very mild” symptoms. “I will be quarantining, and continuing to campaign from home until I am able to safely return to the trail,” tweeted Franchot, who said he was vaccinated and boosted.

Read More: Times-News
Johnny Olszewski Jr. latest regional leader to endorse a Maryland gubernatorial candidate from the crowded field

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. is backing Tom Perez for governor, throwing his support behind the former U.S. labor secretary as the highly competitive Democratic primary race enters its final weeks. Olszewski, who leads Maryland’s third-most populous jurisdiction, will announce his selection Friday morning at a union hall in Dundalk. He called Perez the “most qualified and tested” among a field with “several very worthy” Democrats.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Prosecutors: Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s arguments to dismiss charges ‘Orwellian,’ should be rejected

Federal prosecutors responded Thursday to Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s renewed push to dismiss the perjury charges against her by calling her legal arguments “Orwellian.” After rejecting Mosby’s first attempt to have the charges dismissed on the grounds of vindictive prosecution, U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby agreed earlier this month to hear the two-term Democrat’s new arguments for dismissal of the perjury charges.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Abortion and gun control aren’t litmus issues for most Maryland voters

What happened last Friday at the U.S. Supreme Court was an outrage for Bethesda resident Julie Paquin. A transplant from California, Paquin, 68, said she has prioritized living in a blue state where most of her political positions are validated by local elected officials — a standard that she said has only been further entrenched by last week’s watershed decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

Md. Candidates Fret, Tout Green Credentials as Supreme Court Ties EPA’s Hands on Emissions

Just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lacks authority to broadly regulate greenhouse gas emissions, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore stood on the banks of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, surrounded by environmental leaders, promising to take swift and bold action on climate change if elected.

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