Why FIFA Really Passed Over Baltimore — And Whether the City Has Caught Up
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When FIFA announced its 16 World Cup host cities on June 16, 2022, the Baltimore-Washington...
Money & Influence
The $150 They’re Bragging About May Be Built on Fraud
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Every month, quietly tucked into your utility bill, there's a charge you probably didn't...
Who Governs Maryland?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Every year, for 90 days, Maryland's General Assembly convenes, passes several...
Hangar Deal: Construction Firm with Airpark Lease Has Donated $11,000 to the Luedtkes While Expansion Bypassed Council Review
W.M. Rickman Construction holds a 'Through the Fence' agreement at KGAI. State campaign finance records show six straight...
Before the Endorsement: Jawando’s Senate Committee Gave $115,000 to Working Families Party PAC
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Editor's Note: After publication, MDBayNews became aware that Montgomery Perspective...
Jawando Taps Public Financing — and a Parallel Big-Money Committee
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Editor's Note, April 8, 2026: This article has been updated to reflect federal campaign...
Who Was Running Total Wine? Records Contradict Trone’s Claims of Arm’s-Length Management
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews For years, David Trone has offered voters a reassuring story: when he went to Congress, he...
Blind Date at the Ballot Box: Inside the Money Network Behind Montgomery County’s Judicial Elections
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Most voters can name their governor. Some can name their state delegate. Fewer can name...
The Airpark Influence Network: Donations, Oversight, and the Questions Facing Montgomery County
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews GAITHERSBURG, Md. — What began as a local dispute over aircraft noise and safety at the...
The Davis Money Web: How Jim Davis’ Personal Checks, Business Entities, and Foundation Footprint Extend Political Power in Maryland and Beyond
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Jim Davis is not just another wealthy donor writing the occasional campaign check. He is...
Inside the Trone Donor Network: How Family, In-Laws, and Coordinated Giving Amplify Political Influence in Maryland
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Campaign finance reports are often treated like a bureaucratic afterthought. They are...
The Annapolis Money Machine in 2026: Who’s Spending, Who’s Benefiting, and What Should Raise Eyebrows
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews If you want to understand Maryland politics, stop listening to the speeches about...
Jamie Raskin’s Political Money Machine: Millions Raised, Millions Spent — and Questions About Where It All Goes
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Rep. Jamie Raskin has built a national profile as one of the Democratic Party’s most...
The Annapolis Money Machine: How Maryland Campaign Cash Circulates Among Political Insiders
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland politicians like to talk about transparency, accountability, and reform. But if...
Following the Money: A Closer Look at Attorney General Anthony Brown’s Political Network
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s Attorney General is supposed to be the state’s top legal watchdog — a...
The Ferguson Network: Money, Power, and the Architecture of Maryland’s Political Machine
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews In Maryland politics, power rarely reveals itself through a single headline or a dramatic...
Follow the Money: A Look at Rep. Johnny Olszewski’s Donor Network
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Fresh campaign finance filings offer a revealing look at the financial ecosystem...
April McClain Delaney: The Establishment’s Technocratic Moderate—or Just Another Cog in the Democratic Machine?
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s 6th Congressional District has long been one of the most politically...
Van Hollen’s Off-Year Money Machine: A Look at His Top Donors Since 2025
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Chris Van Hollen is not on the ballot in 2026. His Senate seat is a Class III seat, meaning...
Follow the Trone Money
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews David Trone is running again. After spending more than $62 million trying to buy...
Maryland’s Money Gap: How Democrats’ War Chests (and Out-of-State Networks) Shape a One-Party State
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland’s campaign-finance filings keep telling the same story: Democrats are building massive...
Maryland’s Campaign Finance System: Transparency on Paper, Loopholes in Practice
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland’s campaign finance laws are often described as some of the more structured and...
Moore’s Ethical Line—Drawn Late—Reignites Maryland’s Pay-to-Play Debate
By MDBayNews Editorial Desk A Baltimore Sun exclusive this morning lit up Annapolis—and not because it revealed a crime....
Ferguson’s $2 Million War Chest — and the Curious Fear of a $75K Challenger
By MDBayNews Staff By any normal political standard, a sitting Senate President with nearly $2 million in the bank should...
Out-of-State Money Is Reshaping Maryland Elections — And Voters Rarely Hear About It
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland likes to present itself as a state driven by grassroots politics and local values....
Fundraising Divide Emerges in Montgomery County Executive Race
By MDBayNews Staff As Montgomery County heads toward a high-stakes Democratic primary in June 2026, newly filed campaign...
Money, Message, and Maryland: What Wes Moore’s Massive War Chest Really Says
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland Gov. Wes Moore enters the 2026 election cycle with a campaign balance sheet most incumbents can...
Maryland’s Political Money Machine: Who’s Raising the Most Heading Into 2026—and Why It Matters
By MDBayNews Staff As Maryland heads toward the 2026 election cycle, new campaign finance filings offer a revealing...