Already-blue Maryland may not have been drenched by the massive political wave that swept the nation yesterday, but the ripples reached its shores.
Democratic Gov. Wes Moore won his reelection bid with ease, and the oft-critiqued constitutional redistricting amendment pushed by him and other top Democrats passed by a 60-40 margin, larger than some analysts were predicting.
In the Maryland House of Delegates, Democrats picked up at least two seats to grow their supermajority even larger. The seven largest jurisdictions in Maryland will continue to be led by Democrats, and five of them—Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Howard County—will be managed by African American executives.
In Wicomico County, on the Eastern Shore, a Democrat won as county executive. And in Howard County, for the first time since 1987, all five council seats will be held by Democrats.
Maryland was a willing participant in what was a strikingly good election night for Democrats nationwide. While the results may not have been as cataclysmic as places like Texas or Georgia or Kansas, they were welcomed by Democrats nonetheless.
But even before all mail-in votes are counted and results certified, attention is turning already to what to do with the power of the wave, and what happens in the next election cycle.
After the good night he was hoped for, Gov. Moore’s national visibility remains at a peak. Over the last several months, he travelled the country to boost the prospects of candidates of color, and many state and national observers predict he will at least test the waters for a presidential run.
As Alex Hughes, a former chief of staff to a Maryland House speaker notes, “in American history, there were three black governors elected prior to last night.” Now there will be five serving at the same time, in Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin.
“That entire landscape just shifted,” Hughes said. “At this point, in terms of governors, [Moore] has been elected for four years and a day, but now he’s going to become a mentor to a bunch of these newly elected governors as well.”
Moore has more governing to do in Maryland, with major state budget revenue problems awaiting to be addressed in early 2027. Taxes will be on the table. And Democrats in the General Assembly will have to decide if they want to proceed with a mid-cycle gerrymander that is now allowed with the passage of Question 3
Incumbent Republican Andy Harris, the head of the Freedom Caucus won reelection in the 1st District by ten percentage points over challenger Dan Schwartz and will remain the only Republican in the eight-member delegation.
The pro-gerrymandering ballot question was a response to the Trump push for Republican-led states to create new maps in the middle of the 10-year census cycle. Several did, but it did not work out according to plan.
As the Associated Press reported, Republican redistricting plans collapsed in Alabama, Florida and Texas, where Democrats won seats designed to aide the GOP. And it got offset in California, where a retaliatory Democratic redistricting flipped previously Republican-held seats.
So, there may not be much gain in Maryland in trying to redraw the 1st District, and jeopardize other current and future House members.
In Fredirick County, MAGA-aligned Sheriff Chuck Jenkins lost his bid for a sixth term, and incumbent Democratic County Executive Jessica Fitzwater was re-elected by a 10-point margin after getting hammered over prior support for data centers and having to modify and continuously explain her positions.
The Frederick County Council will now have six Democratic members, up from five. In Wicomico, where Democrat Ernie Davis won as County Executive, Democrats took a four three majority on that county council. It had been five to two Republican.
But as Maryland Now podcast co-host Dori Henry puts it, “interestingly, the blue wave does not seem to have touched Baltimore County.”
Council member Julian Jones was elected as the first Black county executive, a major step in a county where Whites are certain to lose their majority status after the next census. But even as the county council expands from seven to nine members, there will be only one woman serving, and Democrats will hold only a 5-4 majority.
“Which is interesting given the way that Democrats outnumber Republicans in the county,” Henry said. “It’s still going be a very close, close council.”
With one election cycle ending, another is already beginning. Moore is term-limited as governor and has national ambitions. Sen. Chris Van Hollen has speculated about a presidential run, or could join a Democratic administration after the 2028 presidential election. Speculation abounds about the retirement of longtime Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore, and whether someone like Mayor Brandon Scott may be interested in that seat.
As longtime Maryland political journalist Josh Kurtz notes, the most-discussed names for a gubernatorial run include state Comptroller Brooke Lierman (reelected with ease yesterday); Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller; U.S. Rep. John “Johnny O” Olszewski Jr.; and state housing secretary Jake Day, the former mayor of Salisbury.
There are any number of state senators or county executives also interested in congress, the governor’s position or filling a Baltimore mayoral vacancy. One wave, many ripples. The next election will be here before you know it.
