Politics

Like many GOP battles around the country this year, the gubernatorial primary in Maryland features a Trump backed candidate, Del. Daniel Cox (R), squaring off against someone from what used to be called the establishment wing of the party, former Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz. What’s different in Maryland is that Schulz is backed by outgoing Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), a frequent Trump critic who has increasingly broadened his criticisms of the former president and encouraged his party to go in a different direction.

To the chagrin of Comptroller Peter V. R. Franchot (D), the Maryland Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to lease one of the state’s three publicly run psychiatric hospital campuses to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. The cost: $1. Although the university has no specific plans at the moment, UMBC wants to use the hospital grounds to eventually expand its campus. But the lack of an official plan — and the low, low price — vexed Franchot.

A plan by the city of Frederick to add more surveillance cameras in parks and other public areas has the city’s aldermen concerned about how the cameras would be monitored. The discussion of how the cameras would be used and who would monitor them arose during a discussion among the mayor and aldermen as the aldermen prepare to vote next week on Mayor Michael O’Connor’s proposed fiscal 2023 budget.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday called on federal law enforcement to “provide sustained resources” to secure the homes of Supreme Court Justices, where demonstrators are protesting a leaked draft opinion suggesting the court is poised to overturn Roe V. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. Dozens of people also gathered over the weekend outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. More than 100 people gathered Monday night outside Justice Samuel Alito’s home in Virginia, lighting candles and chanting, “Abort the court!”

In a result that resonates across the border in his old state — and may radiate across the country — U.S. Rep. Alex X. Mooney (R-W.Va.), a former Maryland state senator, rode the support of President Trump to defeat another Republican congressman in a rare member vs. member GOP primary contest Tuesday. With an estimated 99% of the primary vote counted Tuesday night, Mooney had 54% to 36% for U.S. Rep. David McKinley (R), with the rest of the ballots split among lesser-known candidates. The two members of the House of Representatives were thrust into the same district because the Mountaineer State lost population over the last decade — and lost a seat in the latest round of congressional reapportionment as a result.

Gov. Larry Hogan said the $3.5 million to fund the training of abortion personnel requested by Comptroller Peter Franchot won’t be released. The governor told WBAL’s Phil Yacuboski that the process is complicated. “What this bill did was to lower the quality of care to allow people who are not doctors to perform abortions,” Hogan said in reference to nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The legislation was vetoed by Hogan but legislators overrode that veto. Hogan said some are trying to force him to spend money from a different part of the budget.

Health officers in two major Maryland jurisdictions are encouraging a voluntary return to mask use as COVID-19 cases tick back up. All of the state remains in a low transmission range according to current guidelines issued by the Centers For Disease Control. Health officers in Baltimore city and Anne Arundel County said the rates in their respective jurisdictions are nearing the moderate range and urged caution. “This new data does indicate that Baltimore city, like other similar sized jurisdictions around the country is seeing a stark increase in case rates,”said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa.