Dear Friend,
Happy Pride! We’re excited to see the number of openly LGBTQ+ candidates running for office this year! And the number of allies who are running and pledging to support the needs and rights of LGBTQ+ Marylanders! Electing good progressive lawmakers who are in step with our communities will help us realize the dream of an inclusive and affirming place for ALL Marylanders to live and grow up in. The struggle for LGBTQ justice is central to Progressive Maryland’s vision.
This year’s Primary Elections give us a fantastic opportunity to elect progressive champions up and down the ticket! And to elect a more representative group of local and state government officials. The Primary also sets up the general election this November when we can win back the Governor’s seat, giving us an opportunity to advance a bold agenda on economic, environmental, education and equity issues. Our Governor just vetoed another set of bills, including a bill to establish a transit system in the Baltimore region and a measure that would have delayed eviction proceedings if a tenant had applied for rental assistance from the government. It’s time to end the Hogan Era and usher in a new Progressive Era that moves us forward.
The Primary election is just around the corner! Be sure to take some time THIS WEEK to review our endorsed candidates, to check out the websites of candidates, to attend Candidate forums and make a decision about who to support in each contest. Make a plan to volunteer and make a plan to vote. See the memo for more details on voting and opportunities with our voter outreach teams.
Join us on the campaign trail in the next six weeks! Help us have an impact on the outcome in July. We can make real progress with people power from supporters like you! Thanks for supporting this vision, our organizing efforts, and our voter engagement efforts. With Pride, The PM Team |
2022 Maryland Elections: The Primary election is Tuesday, July 19. Make your plan to vote! Here are options and dates to help you decide: - Early Voting: Thursday, July 7 – Thursday, July 14 Check the local Board of Elections website for voting locations and hours.
- Mail In Option: Request a ballot until July 12 Click here to learn how you can request a mail-in ballot.
- Tuesday, July 19: Primary Election Day Check your local Board of Elections website for polling locations and hours.
Starting today! Make your plan to volunteer with our voter contact program! We’re knocking doors, making phone calls, texting and supporting events with candidates.We’re doing this each and every day– all you need to do is find a couple hours in your schedule to help us get the word out about the great progressive candidates running on our Slate. Sign up today! Contact Yves for more information. We’ll also need your help for coverage at Early Voting and Election Day polling places in July.
Our Throwdown Thursday phonebank is the place to be on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. Come meet like minded folks, have fun and make a difference for one of our Slate campaigns. 6–8pm. Click this link to let us know you’ll join PM Endorsed Candidate Corner Campaign Events With Slate Candidates and Allies Endorsed Candidates!
Tomorrow, June 7, at 6:00 p.m. Virtual Town Hall and Forum on the Baltimore County State’s Attorney Primary Election and why it matters. Register here.
Meet Laurie-Anne Sayles at our upcoming House Party! She’s running for an At-Large seat on the Montgomery County Council. Progressive Maryland and Jews United for Justice will host a virtual event next Monday, June 13 at 7pm where you can learn more about Laurie-Anne, her experience, and her progressive vision and values. RSVP here.
Save the date to meet Ruben Amaya! He’s running for Delegate in D-10 in Baltimore County! He’s got a wonderful message and a terrific grassroots campaign. Come enjoy a barbecue with live music with Ruben on Friday June 24 in Catonsville. Follow Ruben here where details will be posted.
View our full list of endorsements on our website!
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Statewide & Federal Updates: 🩺 Medicare for All
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) along with fourteen other Senators including Senators Warren, Baldwin, Booker and Pedilla are working to gain support from other Senators for the 2022 Medicare For All Bill. We are, too, along with our friends at the Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition. Please support this campaign. Simply click here to send a message to Senator Van Hollen and Senator Cardin. The majority of Marylanders support health care for all and the move to a single payer Medicare For All system. Four of our U.S. House Members, Rep. Raskin, Rep. Sarbanes, Rep. Brown, and Rep. Mfume are sponsors of the House Bill. We need our Senators to join them! Contact Patty to get involved in our Health Care For All Campaign.
😷 COVID Advocacy
Please keep exercising caution and be sure to get vaccinated, boosted and tested. Check the website of your local health department for information on scheduling appointments and getting free COVID tests. We will keep pushing our elected officials at the state and federal level to allocate the resources that will support the treatment and care people need now and over the long haul.
💛 THE OVERDOSE CRISIS
The MAT Act - a bill that will increase access to live-saving medication (buprenorphine) for those with opioid use disorder - PASSED out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. We are working hard to bring the bill to the House Floor for a vote and expect that to happen this summer. Check out the Overdose Crisis Cohort's 2021 Report: No More Drug War to learn more about the powerful work that we are part of through People’s Action that got us here over the last year.
Why does this bill matter? Last year, more than 108,000 people died of overdose. Many of those preventable deaths were caused because folks couldn't access treatment like buprenorphine. Right now only 1 in 5 people who need access to buprenorphine are able to get it. And Black Americans face even more barriers to access than white Americans. That’s why It's time to pass the MAT Act to remove the stigma-based barriers to treatment! |
Local Updates:
Progressive Harford
Welcome to our new members, including five folks who signed up last week! Thank you! It was fun to spend time in the community on Saturday at the Edgewood Community Cleanup and Resource Fair. Join the Chapter tonight, Monday, June 6, at 7 p.m. to meet candidates running for the Harford County Democratic Central Committee. Register here.
Be sure to join our growing chapter so you can attend our next chapter meeting on June 20. Contact Zack to learn more.
Anne Arundel County Chapter Progressive Maryland is leading a campaign on behalf of Fair Elections Maryland to win public financing for County Executive and County Council races in Anne Arundel. The first step in the process is a petition effort to collect the 10,000 signatures from registered county voters required to bring the question to the ballot in November.
Anne Arundel is one of the largest counties in Maryland and holds special political significance as the home of our state capital, Annapolis. A strong win here will not only ensure that Anne Arundel residents have a county government that reflects everyday people over corporations, but will also add to the growing pressure to pass a similar system statewide for the General Assembly. Progressive Maryland has organized on this issue for many years so we’re excited about bringing this system to Anne Arundel. We helped pass one of the best public financing systems in the country in Montgomery County.
Progressive Montgomery
Contact Patty for more information about our grassroots election efforts in Montgomery County. |
State and National News:
In a final veto dump on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, Gov. Hogan erased laws for better transit, more transparent and easy voting and protecting tenants against eviction. What's not to like? We have the reaction to that and more in state action, plus the prospect of a week when both US House and Senate will be at work dodging questions about, you know, guns and dead elementary school students. Find it all in the News You Can Use blog post.
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Events From Progressive Maryland & Our Allies: |
Saturday, June 18 | 10 am (Washington, DC) - The Poor People’s Campaign is organizing a Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington & to the Polls on June 18. People’s Action, PM’s national affiliate and PM are endorsing organizations. The gathering is intended to declare the power of poor and low-wealth people and to say that we must rise up and transform this system that is killing us and our communities. Learn more and RSVP here.
Saturday, June 11| 12:30 2:00 pm - CASA in Action is hosting a Community Day of Action to support the Perez-Sneed campaign on Saturday, June 11th! Join CASA in Action and other allies at the Multicultural Center in Hyattsville (at 8151 15th Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20783) to rally and learn more about what you can do to help the Tom and Shannon ticket. (Progressive Maryland recently endorsed Tom Perez for Governor.)
Tuesday, June 24 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm - Prince George's County Executive Candidates Forum sponsored by Prince Geroge's County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The League of Women Voters, NAACP, and National Pan-Hellenic Council. This event will be in-person (at Prince George's Community College) and virtual. For either, you must pre-register. More information is available at this link.
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Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792
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