Weekly Recap: 12/12-12/18

December 29, 2021December 29, 2021 Annapolitics Staff

In AA County

MD-Governor: David Lashar, Libertarian candidate for Governor, has announced Anne Arundel business owner Christiana Logansmith as his running mate.

AA-Exec: Del. Sid Saab (R-33) has been reportedly considering a run for County Executive, but announced this week that he would instead seek re-election in District 33. The district currently encompasses Crofton and the Broadneck Peninsula in central Anne Arundel County, but may be significantly reconfigured after redistricting due to the county’s population growth.

Around the State

Senate-10: Senator Delores Kelley (D) has announced that she will not seek an eighth term representing District 10 in western Baltimore County. Kelley, 85, was chairwoman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Western Baltimore County has grown in population and the lines of the current Districts 10 and 44 are likely to be redrawn, and Kelley’s exit means that there won’t be as much need to draw those lines to protect her incumbency.

In fact, a slate of Democratic candidates has already formed for the district in the next election. Current Del. Benjamin Brooks will run for Kelley’s Senate seat. On the House side, Del. Adrienne Jones (who is also the Speaker) is joined by newcomers N. Scott Phillips and Jennifer White.

Delegate-13: Pam Guzzone is running for the House of Delegates from District 13 in Howard County as a Democrat. Her husband is Guy Guzzone, the state senator from this district.

Guzzone joins the two incumbents, Del. Vanessa Atterbeary and Del. Jen Terrasa, as well as one newcomer, educator Amy Brooks, in the Democratic primary for this district’s three seats in the House. Chris Yates is the only Republican who has filed here so far.

Delegate-24: Two candidates have filed to join the crowded Democratic primary in this three-member district in Prince George’s County: Alexis Solis of Springdale and Shawn Maldon of Capitol Heights. Maldon, an entrepreneur and community activist, was elected Mayor of Capitol Heights in May 2018.

Only one member of this district’s delegation elected in 2018 is running in 2022: Del. Andrea Fletcher Harrison. Del. Erek Barron was appointed U.S. Attorney in October 2021. Democratic Central Committee member Faye Martin Howell was appointed to replace him, and she is not expected to run for a full term. Del. Jazz Lewis is running for Congress in District 4, as Rep. Anthony Brown (D) is running for Attorney General.

As a result, there are several candidates competing for the open seats. In addition to Harrison, Solis, and Maldon, the following candidates have filed to run in the Democratic primary:

Delegate-26: Community leader Antwan Brown is running for the House of Delegates in the three-member District 26 in Prince George’s County as a Democrat. Another Democrat, Andre D. Nottingham, also filed this week.

District 26 contains the fast-growing communities of National Harbor and Oxon Hill in southern PG County, and is quickly becoming more affluent and diverse. Two of the incumbent delegates, Veronica Turner (D) and Kris Valderrama (D), have filed for re-election. The third incumbent, Del. Jay Walker (D), has not filed yet and may be considering a run for the county council seat vacated by his wife, Monique Anderson-Walker, who is running for Lieutenant Governor on Peter Franchot’s ticket.

In addition to the two incumbents and the two candidates who filed this week, community activist Kendal Wade will also be joining the crowded Democratic primary, having filed at the end of October.

Frederick-Exec: Jessica Fitzwater made her campaign for Frederick County Executive official this week. The move has been long anticipated from Fitzwater, who is currently serving her second term on the county council. Fitzwater will face fellow county council member Kai Hagen and business leader Daryl Boffman in the Democratic primary to lead this purple county. State Sen. Michael Hough has the Republican field to himself.

Incumbent County Executive Jan Gardner (D) cannot run again due to term limits.