Politics

The Prince George’s County state’s attorney’s office has launched a carjacking task force that will work with local lawmakers, school personnel and community organizations on prevention and public awareness of the rising crime — especially among the region’s young people. Carjacking crimes have spiked over the past year and a half locally and nationally, as the pandemic brought economic hardship upon many Americans and virtual learning left children and teenagers with more free time.

A Maryland lawmaker is asking for an investigation of a flawed, multimillion-dollar state purchase of coronavirus test kits from a South Korean company, saying there is a “strong indication our state’s procurement laws and regulations were violated.” Gov. Larry Hogan’s splashy $9 million purchase of 500,000 tests from LabGenomics in April 2020 came early in the pandemic, when tests were hard to come by, and he touted the deal as an example of creative thinking and hard work during an emergency.

At first glance, the picture for women seeking high office in Maryland looks grim: There are no Democratic women running for governor in 2022. The state’s congressional delegation, once dominated by trailblazing Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D), has been all-male since Mikulski and former Rep. Donna Edwards (D) left office at the end of 2016. And women traditionally have been even more under-represented in Maryland’s top executive posts than in Congress.

In October 2019, when Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. informed his state Senate colleagues that he would relinquish the gavel he had held for more than three decades, the discussions about who would replace him moved from respectful whispers to an all-out campaign. If there was a frontrunner, it was probably Sen. Guy Guzzone (D-Howard), chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee. But others were making a play for the Senate presidency as well, including Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery), Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George’s) and Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s).

The back-to-back announcements last week by Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. and U.S. Rep. David J. Trone that they’ll seek re-election in 2022 rather than run for governor clarifies the Democratic primary picture to a degree but also leaves several questions unanswered. In their own races, Trone and Olszewski will be favorites for re-election — even though Trone’s 6th District could look significantly different after redistricting. With his unlimited ability to self-fund, however, he may be able to withstand any political storm.c