Clair Dixon calls himself an MSNBC junkie. And on a recent pleasant weekday evening, in Dixon’s well-appointed Severna Park home, stands a national hero who appears frequently on the liberal cable network, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is now a candidate for Congress in Maryland’s 3rd District. “You’ve got to watch out for Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Dixon advises Dunn as he introduces the candidate to the two dozen or so people assembled in the living room. “She’s a hottie.” Dunn, who has an easy-going manner and has turned into an accomplished speaker since he became a publ ..read more

Four people with Maryland ties will be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday: champion swimmer Katie Ledecky, ex-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, politician and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg and astrophysicist Jane Rigby. They’re among 19 people who will be honored by President Joe Biden for “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” according to the White House. The post Biden awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to 4 with Maryland ties appeared first on ..read more

With the Democratic primary less than two weeks away, Mayor Brandon Scott and former mayor Sheila Dixon announced several key endorsements throughout the week. Dixon nabbed what was likely the race’s biggest get when attorney Thiru Vignarajah dropped out of the primary running Wednesday and endorsed her, calling her the person most equipped to solve Baltimore’s troubles. The next day, state Sen. Jill Carter followed suit. The post Banner political notes: Dixon and Scott endorsements; tax sale update; the governor’s gifts appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

Attack ads proliferate in the final stretch of a high-profile fight between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. David Trone, who put $54 million of his own fortune in the race. The post Democratic Md. Senate primary grows contentious with early voting underway appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

When the Rev. Matthew Watley graces the stage at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church in Calverton, like most pastors, he prepares to preach the words God has given him. But on one Sunday in late April, he shared a different message: Early voting was fast approaching. The rows of the 125,000-square-foot church were filled from front to back as he told his roughly 5,000 congregants that it would begin outreach the next week to get folks to register to vote through “Souls to the Polls,” a collective effort widely embraced at Black churches to encourage registration and voting on Sunday during the early ..read more

Republican voters in Maryland head to the polls with an opportunity to choose a candidate to represent the party in what could be one of the most competitive Senate campaigns in recent memory. Despite a field of more than a half-dozen candidates, the Republican primary has lacked the heat of its Democratic counterpart. Even so, the state’s minority party by registration has a puncher’s chance of claiming the seat come November.     The post In Maryland, GOP primary feels like a warmup for Hogan ahead of rare consequential general election for Senate appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

Maryland Democrat and U.S. Rep. David Trone has lent more than $54 million to his U.S. Senate primary campaign against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, according to new Federal Election Commission reports. Trone, the co-founder of the Total Wine & More retail chain who represents Frederick County and Western Maryland, has lent his campaign $54.1 million and spent about the same amount, said the report, which covers a period through April 24.   The post US Senate campaign finance reports: David Trone’s loans to own campaign top $54M appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

Baltimore City’s comptroller said water customers in the city and Baltimore County may need to brace themselves for higher water bills in the years ahead. His remarks come after 11 News Investigates revealed Wednesday that the lead pipe replacement program in Washington, D.C., is estimated to cost almost $2 billion, raising questions as the Baltimore area begins its own replacement program. The post ‘Ticking time bombs’: Baltimore comptroller says residents should brace for higher water bills appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore hosted members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Biden-Harris Administration’s Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, senior U.S. Department of Transportation officials, and executives from the Moore-Miller Administration to tour the Francis Scott Key Bridge recovery and salvage operations from the Key Bridge collapse. The post Maryland Gov. Wes Moore shows Congress members Key Bridge collapse salvage progress appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more

According to former Baltimore mayor and current mayoral candidate Sheila Dixon, the 2024 election cycle is her last hurrah. “This is it. I made it very clear,” said Dixon, 70, who, once again, is campaigning for the Democratic nomination to serve as Baltimore’s mayor. “Three times is the charm — or three strikes, I’m out.”   The post Sheila Dixon says this is her last mayoral run: ‘Three times is the charm — or three strikes, I’m out’ appeared first on Center Maryland ..read more