The Republican nominee faces long odds against Anthony Brown, but says independents and disaffected Democrats give him a path.
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews
Jim Rutledge, the Republican nominee for attorney general, says the office should spend less time suing the federal government and more time backing law enforcement and protecting Maryland’s waterways. He is challenging Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Maryland Matters described Rutledge as outnumbered in voter registration and likely outraised. In an interview with the outlet, he said he still sees a route to winning. He said independents, Republicans and Democrats unhappy with Brown’s record on basic law enforcement will not back the incumbent this time, and he named the Fraternal Order of Police as an example of that dissatisfaction.
Both men are 64 and both are lawyers. Their approaches to the job differ sharply.
“Their approaches to the job differ sharply.”
Rutledge’s pitch
“I’m not going to take my direction from any president, any political party.”
- Fewer lawsuits against Washington. Rutledge said the state should not sue the federal government over policy disagreements. He cited the state constitution’s treatment of federal law and said such suits should not be a knee-jerk reaction. “I’m not going to take my direction from any president, any political party,” he said.
- More support for police. The Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Rutledge, Maryland Matters reported. He backs an FOP-endorsed proposal that would bar officers from being placed on prosecutors’ “do not call” lists without their knowledge. Prosecutors keep those lists of officers whose credibility as witnesses may be in doubt, because of prior false statements, pending charges or other reasons. Maryland Matters reported that the lists became public after Anton’s Law, passed in 2021, made police misconduct and personnel records subject to the Public Information Act. Prosecutors also have a constitutional duty under Brady and Giglio to disclose information that could undermine a witness’s credibility. Rutledge argues listed officers get no chance to challenge the accusation, and that a listing can gut a career.
- A harder line on out-of-state pollution. He said the office should take a stronger stance against states like New York and Pennsylvania over waste he says is being dumped into the Susquehanna River, which feeds the Chesapeake Bay. He said the problem has gone on for decades.
“Rutledge argues listed officers get no chance to challenge the accusation, and that a listing can gut a career.”
Maryland has gone to court over upstream pollution before. In September 2020, the attorneys general of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Washington, D.C., sued the Environmental Protection Agency, arguing that Pennsylvania’s and New York’s Bay cleanup plans did not meet nitrogen reduction targets, CBS Baltimore reported. Maryland Matters did not report what additional steps Rutledge would take.
Rutledge has practiced law for about 40 years and has an office in Harford County. He was elected a Bel Air town commissioner in November 2023 and stepped down in October 2025. MDBayNews covered his position on the do-not-call lists on Oct. 2. On Sept. 5, it reported that the police union, long in Brown’s corner, had endorsed Rutledge instead.
Brown’s record and response
Brown is in his first term, and his campaign has been low-key. He said his office’s work speaks for itself. “We speak through our actions,” he told Maryland Matters.
“We speak through our actions.”
His political career spans almost 30 years. Brown was elected to the House of Delegates from Prince George’s County in 1999, served as lieutenant governor under Gov. Martin O’Malley for eight years, lost the 2014 governor’s race to Republican Larry Hogan, and served three terms in Congress. As attorney general, his office released a 463-page report on abuse by Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Baltimore just weeks into his term and won expanded authority to bring class action suits in civil rights cases.
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, Maryland has led or joined more than 150 lawsuits, court briefs and advisory letters against administration policies, according to Maryland Matters. Brown said the office only brings cases tied to everyday concerns like transportation and education money, and that its work preserved millions of dollars, including $110 million in education funding the White House tried to freeze.
Brown also points to the Independent Investigations Division, which prosecutes police-involved deaths. Its first charges came in December 2024, when two Anne Arundel County police corporals were indicted over a fatal crash that followed a high-speed chase. Both were cleared of charges in September 2025. Brown declined to discuss that case but said criminal charges are only one form of accountability. Under legislation approved last year, the division can also request administrative changes within an agency, such as enhanced training.
The numbers
“Those totals come from separate, uncontested party primaries, so they are not a head-to-head measure of support for the two men.”
Neither candidate had a primary opponent. Brown received 568,685 votes in the Democratic primary and Rutledge received 161,800 in the Republican primary, according to the State Board of Elections. Those totals come from separate, uncontested party primaries, so they are not a head-to-head measure of support for the two men. Maryland has about 2.2 million registered Democrats, just over 1 million Republicans and about 1 million unaffiliated voters, as of September, Maryland Matters reported.
Political scientist Todd Eberly of St. Mary’s College told Maryland Matters that Republicans other than Larry Hogan have struggled statewide and rarely raise enough money to run an effective campaign.
What to Watch
- The lawsuit divide. Rutledge says policy disputes with Washington are not the attorney general’s fight. Brown says his challenges protect federal money Marylanders were promised.
- The police endorsement. The FOP is backing Rutledge. Whether the do-not-call proposal gets a hearing in the General Assembly is an open question.
- The Bay. Rutledge wants tougher action on upstream pollution. Watch for whether he lays out specific enforcement steps.
- Unaffiliated voters. About 1 million are registered, but registration does not show whether or how they vote. Rutledge says he is counting on independents and disappointed Democrats.
Sources: Maryland Matters, William J. Ford, “Rutledge faces steep climb to unseat Brown in low-key attorney general’s race,” Oct. 13, 2026. Maryland State Board of Elections, official 2026 gubernatorial primary results for attorney general. CBS Baltimore, “3 States, DC, Sue EPA Over Alleged Failure To Enforce Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Goals,” Sept. 10, 2020. MDBayNews, “Rutledge Backs Notice and a Hearing for Officers Before They Land on ‘Do Not Call’ Lists,” Oct. 2, 2026, and “The Union That Always Picked Brown Just Picked His Opponent,” Sept. 5, 2026. Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), and Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972).
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