Washington and Frederick counties’ state Senate and House seats are set for November — but a last-minute Republican withdrawal in Hagerstown means one race looks nothing like it did on primary night.
By MDBayNews Staff
Legislative District 2 — covering east Washington County, including Hagerstown, along with a slice of north Frederick County — enters the fall campaign with Republicans favored in every race on the ballot. But the district’s most closely watched contest, the Hagerstown-based 2B House seat, changed shape just days before ballots go to print, after the GOP nominee dropped out and county party leaders tapped a familiar name to replace him.
“The district’s most closely watched contest changed shape just days before ballots go to print.”
State Senate: Corderman faces a first-time candidate with an unusual résumé
Republican Sen. Paul Corderman is running for a second full term after being appointed to the seat by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2020 to succeed Andrew Serafini, and winning election in his own right in 2022. A Hagerstown native and University of Maryland graduate whose father also served in the state Senate, Corderman previously held the 2B House seat and sat on Hagerstown’s city council. He faced no primary opposition.
His Democratic opponent, Eric Van Buren, is a first-time candidate running on an unusual biography: Van Buren has described himself as a “returning citizen” who spent close to two decades in federal prison before founding a nonprofit and becoming a certified paralegal, mediator and behavioral therapist. He also ran unopposed in his primary. Corderman reported raising $101,525 as of the state’s May 12 campaign finance filing, with $69,176 cash on hand; Van Buren’s campaign had not filed a comparable report as of that date.
“Corderman faces a first-time candidate whose path to the ballot includes nearly two decades in federal prison and a second career in nonprofit and behavioral work.”
House of Delegates, District 2A: two Republican incumbents, no primary fight
District 2A — redrawn during 2022 redistricting to include eastern Washington County and a portion of northern Frederick County around Thurmont and Emmitsburg — elects two delegates at large. Both Republican incumbents are seeking reelection unopposed within their own party after turning back a primary challenge:
Republican primary (2A):
- William J. Wivell — nominee
- William Valentine — nominee
Dianna Palmer
Wivell, first appointed to the seat in 2015 and a member of the House Economic Matters Committee, is a longtime Washington County figure who previously served on the county’s Board of Commissioners. Valentine, a retired police officer from Emmitsburg, joined him in Annapolis in 2023 after the district’s boundaries shifted to fold in part of Frederick County. Both easily turned back Dianna Palmer’s primary bid.
On the Democratic side, two candidates advance to the general election: John D. Leonard and Brandon Thompson, both of Washington County. A third Democrat, Aamina Hutchison, filed for the seat but withdrew from the race before the primary. Leonard and Thompson each ran unopposed as a result.
“Redistricting changed District 2A’s geography more than its political complexion.”
House of Delegates, District 2B: a late substitution shakes up Hagerstown’s seat
District 2B, which covers the city of Hagerstown, was on track for a rematch-style contest between Republican Sean Flaherty, a sitting Hagerstown City Council member, and Democratic incumbent Matthew Schindler — until Flaherty withdrew on July 31, just hours ahead of the state’s deadline for parties to name a replacement nominee.
“The Republican who won the primary won’t be on the November ballot.”
The Washington County Republican Central Committee moved quickly, selecting former Del. Brenda Thiam to take Flaherty’s spot on the ballot. Thiam previously held the 2B seat from 2020 to 2023 after her own appointment by Gov. Hogan, becoming the first Black Republican woman to serve in the Maryland General Assembly, before losing her bid for a full term to Democrat Brooke Grossman in 2022. She more recently ran for Congress in Maryland’s 6th District in 2024 and appeared on a 2026 gubernatorial ticket as a running mate before that campaign wound down following the primary election.
“Thiam returns to a district she once represented — and one where voters denied her a full term in 2022.”
Republican nomination (2B):
Sean Flaherty(won primary, withdrew July 31; replaced by county GOP committee)- Brenda Thiam — substitute nominee
Schindler, the Democratic incumbent, was himself appointed to the seat by Gov. Wes Moore in January 2025 after Grossman resigned and moved out of state. A former Hagerstown City Council member and IT manager, Schindler previously lost a bid for a full term on the city council in 2024 before his appointment to Annapolis. He defeated Ocewana E. Baker, an actress, community activist and cinematographer, in the Democratic primary.
Democratic primary (2B):
- Matthew J. Schindler — nominee
Ocewana E. Baker
What to watch
“District 2B now pits two candidates who reached Annapolis by appointment against each other for a full term.”
- A late-breaking race in Hagerstown. The Flaherty-to-Thiam swap gives Republicans a familiar, well-known name in 2B, but it also means Thiam enters the general without the benefit of a primary campaign — and with a general election loss from 2022 already on her record in the same district.
- Redistricting’s fingerprints on 2A. The subdistrict’s newly drawn lines, which pulled in part of Frederick County, appear to have changed little politically: both GOP incumbents cleared their primary comfortably, and Democrats managed only two candidates for two seats.
Correction (added 8/10/2026): A previous version of this article stated that Democratic candidate Aamina Hutchison was disqualified from the District 2A primary ballot. Hutchison withdrew from the race; she was not disqualified.
Sources: Candidate listings and filing statuses are drawn from the Maryland State Board of Elections’ certified 2026 general and primary election candidate lists. Reporting on Sean Flaherty’s withdrawal and Brenda Thiam’s replacement nomination is drawn from Tri-State Alert’s August 2026 coverage. Candidate biographical details are drawn from Ballotpedia profiles of Paul Corderman, Eric Van Buren, William J. Wivell, William Valentine and Matthew Schindler; Wikipedia’s sourced pages for Maryland Legislative District 2, the 2026 Maryland House of Delegates election, Brenda Thiam and Matthew Schindler; official Maryland General Assembly biography pages; and prior campaign-cycle reporting from The Herald-Mail and Yahoo News on District 2A and 2B primary fields.
Keep MDBayNews Reporting Free
MDBayNews exists to help Marylanders understand decisions made by state and local leaders — especially when those decisions affect daily life, rights, and public services.
If this article helped clarify what’s happening or why it matters, reader support makes it possible to keep publishing clear, independent reporting like this.
Have a tip or documents to share?
We review submissions carefully and confidentially. Anonymous tips are welcome when appropriate.
Discover more from Maryland Bay News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.