Politics

Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) appears to have gotten her man in the Senate race in her legislative district. Jones — along with outgoing Sen. Delores Kelley (D) — had endorsed Del. Ben Brooks (D) for the Senate seat in the 10th District, which Kelley is giving up after 28 years on the job. And Brooks is leading Del. Jay Jalisi — who is often a bur in the side of legislative leaders — and two other candidates as ballots continue to be counted. The 10th District race is one of several competitive Senate primaries — some for open seats, others involving potentially formidable challengers, that were on tap this year and are in the process of being called.

After Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s choice to succeed him flopped in last week’s Republican primary, his political allies insisted Hogan’s calm brand of moderation will ultimately prevail over the Donald Trump-led right wing. “At the end of the day, the governor will be right and Trump and his ego will be wrong,” longtime Hogan strategist Doug Mayer said. “It’s the long game.” But how long? Even before Hogan-endorsed Kelly Schulz, a former state commerce secretary, lost to Trump-backed Dan Cox, analysts said it was difficult to say when — or if — Hogan’s moment would come in a national party whose base remains enthralled by the twice-impeached 45th president Hogan has often opposed.

Wes Moore has lived quite a few lives. Rhodes scholar. U.S. Army officer who saw combat in Afghanistan. Investment banker. Bestselling author. Leader of a massive anti-poverty nonprofit organization. And now, as a first-time candidate for elected office, his next role may very well be governor of Maryland. Moore, 43, defeated a sprawling field of experienced and well-funded candidates to win the Democratic nomination for governor in Tuesday’s primary. In facing Republican Del. Dan Cox in the general election, he’s hoping to return the state government to full Democratic control after eight years of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

Maryland Republicans’ choice of candidates in Tuesday’s primary election was also a choice about the direction of the party: Was it still the party of outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan’s pragmatic conservatism, or had the cultural clashes and demagoguery that has swept other states taken control here? The nomination of an election conspiracy theorist for governor and a one-time Southern secessionist for attorney general delivered a clear answer.

Returns from Baltimore’s in-person voting on primary day were delayed about 24 hours Wednesday as election officials searched for missing flash drives containing vote totals for 12 city precincts. Elections Director Armstead Jones said Wednesday the flash drives were not hand delivered to the central office Tuesday night as required. Staff searched for the drives as they processed election equipment returned from each of the city’s 296 precincts. Jones said the drives are sometimes tucked into cabinets or bags when equipment is returned.

Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler on Thursday became the latest candidate to concede in the Democratic governor’s race. In a message to supporters posted on social media, Gansler said the results of the race “were personally very disappointing.” “For me, the outcome brings to a close 46 years in politics and elected office, though not my lifelong desire to serve others,” he said.

As the Carroll County Board of Elections began its count Thursday morning of 8,118 mail-in ballots, several candidates for the Board of Carroll County Commissioners said they are anxiously awaiting results. Elections Director Katherine Berry said Wednesday afternoon that the county had received a total of 9,345 mail-in ballots thus far, but only 8,118 would be counted Thursday. The rest, and any additional received, would be counted during the July 29 canvass. The election results will be certified on July 29.