By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
A campaign sign for Greg Holmes, a candidate for Prince George’s County Executive, was vandalized in the early morning hours of May 1 at a high-visibility location on Maryland Route 450 near Superior Lane in Bowie — a stretch of road active even at 2–3 a.m. Someone used blue painter’s tape to spell out “FREEMAN” and “TND” and placed a swastika over Holmes’ likeness. Because the vandalism included a hate symbol and language that Bowie Police interpreted as a death threat, the matter was escalated from local authorities to Homeland Security, which routinely reviews potential hate-crime threats against political candidates. No arrests have been made.
Holmes, notified by Bowie City Police, called it “a level of violence and vandalism that I hadn’t seen in the county.” In his campaign’s formal statement, Holmes condemned the act but declined to speculate on the perpetrator while the investigation remains active. The campaign is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
The incident is not isolated. It lands against a backdrop of antisemitic vandalism that has been building across Maryland for months.
In February, the Shaare Tefila Congregation in Olney had its exterior signs defaced with a swastika, the word “genocide,” and the acronym “AZAB” — an abbreviation for “all Zionists are bastards.” Montgomery County police launched an investigation and increased patrols. Then, just days before the Holmes sign was discovered, antisemitic graffiti was found overnight at Greenwood Elementary School in Brookeville, painted on a wall near the kitchen entrance and along the building’s roofline, with anti-Israel messaging and a Star of David.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington called the Greenwood incident the latest entry in a “deeply troubling pattern” of antisemitic incidents across Montgomery County Public Schools, citing physical threats against Jewish students, “Heil Hitler” gestures at middle school events, and anti-Israel messaging at a school culture night. The JCRC is now calling on MCPS to adopt a formal zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism.
Governor Wes Moore has condemned each incident as it emerged. Following the Greenwood vandalism, Moore stated that “such hate has no place in our schools or our state, especially as we begin Jewish American Heritage Month.”
The Holmes sign vandalism carries a feature that distinguishes it from graffiti: deliberateness. The use of painter’s tape rather than spray paint, the precision of the lettering, and the selection of a single prominent highway sign suggest a targeted act rather than opportunistic defacement. Maryland law treats swastika-based intimidation as a hate crime, which is why the matter moved beyond local jurisdiction.
Holmes drew a direct line from the vandalism to broader civic values. “You commit vandalism, we’re going to make sure we do everything we can to find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. He noted that community response has been strong — neighbors offering to replace the sign and requesting yard signs of their own. “It’s not so much support for me; it’s really talking about we don’t want this in our county.”
Early voting in the Prince George’s County Executive race begins June 11. Election Day is June 23.
Sources: Greg Holmes for Prince George’s County Executive campaign press release and statement, May 4, 2026; WTOP News, “Prince George’s County candidate speaks out after campaign sign is defaced with hate symbols,” May 5, 2026; WTOP News, “Antisemitic graffiti discovered at Olney synagogue,” February 10, 2026; The Daily Record/Washington Post News Service, “Maryland synagogue defaced with antisemitic symbols,” February 13, 2026; The MoCo Show, “Antisemitic graffiti found at Greenwood Elementary,” May 2, 2026; Jewish Telegraphic Agency/The Forward, “Maryland school district urged to adopt zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism,” May 6, 2026; The MoCo Show, “Gov. Wes Moore condemns antisemitic graffiti at MCPS elementary school,” May 6, 2026.
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