The 50 Most Controversial Bills of the 2026 Maryland General Assembly: #10–1
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews — SPECIAL SERIES: 2026 Maryland General Assembly Scorecard — Part 3 of 3 | The Top 10...
Tag: Annapolis politics
Maryland Celebrates Balanced Budget While Staring Down a $4 Billion Cliff
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — Governor Wes Moore signed Maryland's fiscal year 2027 budget into law...
Moore’s Taxpayer-Funded Spokesman Attacks Journalist While Governor Spends $120K on Social Media Influencer Director
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — When a journalist asks Maryland's governor uncomfortable questions, there are...
Maryland Counties Revolt Against Moore’s Disability Cuts as $150M Reduction Sparks Statewide Backlash
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A rare bipartisan backlash is building across Maryland as counties push back against...
Republicans Put Forward Neil Parrott for Washington County Commissioner Vacancy, Setting Up Test for Moore Administration
By MDBayNews Staff In a move that highlights both local political dynamics and broader state-level tensions, the Washington...
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...
One-Party State: Maryland Democrats Now Running Candidates Everywhere — and That’s the Problem
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews For the first time in more than half a century, Maryland Democrats are celebrating what...
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...
Maryland Bill Would Let State Sue Nonprofits Over Israel Donations
By MDBayNews Staff A controversial proposal moving through the Maryland General Assembly is raising alarms among free...
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...
Maryland House Moves to Open Primaries to Unaffiliated Voters
By MDBayNews Staff The Maryland House of Delegates has approved legislation that would allow unaffiliated voters to...
Moore’s Second-Term Question: Tensions With the Legislature Raise New Political Risks
By MDBayNews Staff Governor Wes Moore entered office in 2023 with enormous political momentum. A bestselling author, Army...
The Primary That Changed Maryland
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When historians look back at the razor-thin 1994 Maryland gubernatorial election, most...
Why Maryland’s Legislature Is So Dominated by Democrats
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland is often described as a deep-blue state, and in the General Assembly the numbers make that...
“Leave Nobody Behind?” Moore Budget Plan Targets Disability Lifeline and Risks Losing $300 Million
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews When Maryland Governor Wes Moore ran for office, one phrase defined his campaign message:...
Maryland General Assembly Hits Midpoint as High-Stakes Deadlines Approach
By MDBayNews Staff ANNAPOLIS — The 2026 session of the Maryland General Assembly has reached its midpoint, and the coming...
Maryland Senate Republicans Move to Roll Back Vehicle Registration Fee Hikes
By MDBayNews Staff ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Senate Republicans are pushing new legislation aimed at reversing steep...
Maryland’s Lawsuit Habit: Anthony Brown Sues Trump Over Tariffs While Local Problems Mount
By MDBayNews Staff ANNAPOLIS, MD — Another day in Maryland politics, another lawsuit against Donald J. Trump. On...
The Election That Nearly Flipped Maryland
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews In the long arc of Maryland politics, there are elections that confirm the status quo —...
Maryland Bill Targets Utility Donations—But Raises Broader Campaign Finance Questions
By MDBayNews Staff A new bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly is reigniting debate over corporate influence in...
Maryland’s Public Defender Shortage: A Growing Crisis the Legislature Can’t Ignore
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s criminal justice system may be heading toward a constitutional crisis—and...
Baltimore Candidate Demands Utility Donations Be Returned — But the Bigger Question Is Annapolis’ Energy Politics
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews A Baltimore candidate is demanding that Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson return...
Maryland House Passes HB 432: Public Safety Reform or Urban Chaos Experiment?
By MDBayNews Staff A controversial bill moving through Annapolis is igniting sharp debate over public safety, homelessness...
The Top 100 Donors Who Control Maryland Politics
By Michael R. Phillips | MDBayNews / Thunder Report For years, Maryland politicians have insisted that policy decisions in...
Anne Arundel’s Open Seat: A Crowded Democratic Primary and a Clear Republican Contrast in 2026
By MDBayNews Staff For the first time in eight years, Anne Arundel County voters will choose a new county executive without...
House Republicans Issue “Midterm Report Card” as Session Hits Halfway Mark — and Democrats Don’t Like the Grades
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews ANNAPOLIS — As the 2026 Maryland General Assembly session reached its official halfway...
Governor Moore Demands Tariff Reimbursement — Maryland Families Demand $5,000 Back
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Governor Wes Moore has joined Comptroller Brooke Lierman and Treasurer Dereck Davis in...
Maryland’s 2026 Governor’s Race Is Set — And Wes Moore Is Running on a Record Voters Should Scrutinize
By MDBayNews Staff The filing deadline has officially passed. Maryland’s 2026 gubernatorial race is now locked in, and...
Maryland’s Legal Offensive Expands: Brown’s Lawsuits Against Trump Now Top 55
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is no longer simply responding to federal policy...
Maryland’s Behavioral Health Push: Compassion, Cost, and the Coming Budget Fight
By MDBayNews Staff As Maryland heads deeper into the 2026 General Assembly session, state legislators and mental health...
Delegate Eric Bouchat Will Not Seek Re-Election After Two Decades on Maryland Ballots
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews CARROLL COUNTY — After appearing on Maryland ballots for nearly 20 years, Delegate...
Moore Touts $8.5 Billion Housing Impact — But Are Marylanders Feeling It?
By MDBayNews Staff Governor Wes Moore took to social media this week to celebrate what he called a major success for the...
Maryland’s Political Echo Chamber: Brown’s ICE Lawsuit Backed by Two Insiders — But Where’s the Public?
By MDBayNews Staff When Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced his lawsuit aimed at blocking construction of a...
Supermajority in Chaos: Maryland Democrats Riven by Democratic Socialist Faction — Republicans and Independents Could Be the Real Winners
By MDBayNews Staff While Maryland Republicans grapple with their own public infighting, the state’s dominant Democratic...
A Party at War With Itself: Maryland Republicans Face a Defining Crossroads
By MDBayNews Staff Maryland Republicans don’t have the luxury of civil war. Yet that is precisely what appears to be...
Ethics Questions Still Linger Around Maryland AG Anthony Brown
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Thirteen months after a formal ethics complaint was filed against Maryland Attorney General...
Can Maryland Fix Its One-Party Democracy? A Reform Roadmap for Real Competition
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews Maryland’s one-party dominance is not new. Democrats have controlled the General Assembly...
Safe Seats, Silent Voters: What Maryland’s One-Party Rule Means for Democracy
By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews In a state where one party controls virtually every lever of power, what does it say about...