Dear Friend,

What a week and what a Primary Season it’s been! We’re still awaiting final results in several races and jurisdictions but a number of outcomes are clear, especially for many of our 2022 Slate Candidates.

But first, let’s highlight the statewide results. Democrats chose Wes Moore and Aruna Miller for Governor and Lieutenant Governor; Anthony Brown for Attorney General; and Brooke Lierman for Comptroller. All of these candidates and their campaigns garnered support across the state, made hundreds of speeches and appearances in which they talked about equity, justice, and building a better Maryland. Moore and Brown are both Army veterans, Miller and Lierman are both experienced lawmakers and proven progressive champions. Congratulations to all of them!

And congratulations to the Progressive Maryland Slate (launched last November) for their incredible campaign efforts over the past year. They have inspired us and galvanized tens of thousands of progressive voters from Frederick to Charles County and from Baltimore to Salisbury. Here are some major highlights:
In Montgomery County, Natali Fani Gonzalez won the District 6 seat on the County Council and it appears almost certain that Laurie-Anne Sayles has enough votes to win one of the four At-Large seats.
In Prince George’s County, Krystal Oriadha prevailed in the County Council race for District 7. Wala Blegay is leading in the contest for County Council District 6 and Ed Burroughs was re-elected to the Council representing District 8.
Jamila Woods will likely win a seat in the House of Delegates for District 26 and Michele Gregory won in the Democratic Primary for State Senate for District 38.
Del. Sheilah Ruth is the top vote-getter in District 44 B and Tiffany Jones won a seat on the Democratic State Central Committee for District 45 in Baltimore.

We’re excited about what these leaders can do during the fall election campaigns and once they’re in office. And we’re proud of the rest of the Slate candidates who didn’t prevail but who gave it their all. We look forward to continuing to work with them to advance our vision and values. Hats off to them: Ruben Amaya, Carlos Childs, Logan Endow, Januari McKay, and William “Billy” Reid.

We’re in awe of our amazing and dedicated volunteers! These leaders and supporters in the past 60 days alone, door knocked, called, and texted almost 188,000 voters! They helped us run an effective targeted get out the vote campaign during Early Voting and in the final push. We could not have succeeded without them. Campaigns are a lot of work and these folks helped shoulder the load. We had so much fun teaming up with them.

As you can see, there is much to celebrate about the results of our work and the outcome of the Democratic Primary. Thank you for all of your interest in Maryland politics! If you are not yet a member of Progressive Maryland, please consider joining the organization so you can support our organizing efforts and victories.

Stay safe during this terrible heat wave and spike in COVID cases.

In Solidarity,
The PM Team

📝 More On Election Results:
Montgomery County: Six women are likely to gain seats on the Montgomery County Council! PM is proud to have supported three of them: Natali Fani Gonzalez,, Laurie-Anne Sayles, as well as Kate Stewat who won decisively in the race for District 4. The Council will go from having only 1 woman of 9 members to having women fill 6 of 11 seats. The At-Large Council members will be the most demographically and geographically representative we’ve ever seen. It’s still too early to tell if Marc Elrich will win re-election. He leads by a few hundred votes as we go to print.
Prince Geoge’s County: A progressive bloc is poised to take the majority on the Prince George’s County Council! Our Slate candidates Wala Blegay (District 6) Krystal Oriahda (District 7) Edward Burroughs will be joined on the Council by Eric Olsen (District 3) who is a PM endorsed candidate. All will be able to join with current progressive members to help create a more representative and responsive Council.
Here’s an article from the Washington Post about what was at stake in Prince George’s contests.
Harford County: Congratulations to Progressive Harford County's endorsed candidates Heather Mizeur (US House 1) Jacob Bennett (County Council) and Stephen Puopolo (Board of Education) for their Primary victories! We also want to recognize Sarahia Benn and Nolanda Robert; they didn't advance past their primaries but they ran great campaigns.
Stay tuned for more results, more reporting and more analysis on our social media sites and in emails going out this week.
Task Forces & Issue Campaign Updates:

The PM Healthcare Task Force will resume its biweekly Wednesday meetings next week on August 3. Our focus in the coming months is the Campaign to Advance Medicare For All, the Make Medicines Affordable Campaign, and our ongoing efforts to End Medical Debt. Contact Patty if you want to get involved.

Rx Drug Pricing: The Senate can pass Prescription Drug Pricing Reform this month. The measure would require Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, cap out of pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries, and would save patients and the Federal government billions of dollars. The pharmaceutical industry and its CEOs are raking in record breaking, obscene profits and this measure will help put some of that money back into the hands of patients and taxpayers.

The Justice Task Force and Drug Policy Task Forces will also be meeting in early August. Contact Dev for JTF and Yves for DPTF if you would like to get involved.

Local Chapter Updates:

Progressive Harford County:
Congratulations to Progressive Harford County's endorsed candidates Heather Mizeur, Jacob Bennett and Stephen Puopolo for advancing past their primaries. We also want to recognize Sarahia Benn and Nolanda Robert; they didn't advance past their primaries but they ran great campaigns. Join Progressive Harford for our post-primary election recap on August 15 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. We will have our endorsed candidates speak on how the primary went for them and then outline what they'll need from the chapter during the general election.


State and National News:
Winners and losers are still fresh news in the primary election results every day because Maryland makes election offices wait to process mail-in ballots until the polls close. So last Tuesday’s primary was just the beginning. Larry Hogan, having guaranteed that election results would trickle in slowly just in case yahoos needed time to fan claims of fraud, now dismisses his party's chances in the gubernatorial general election and moves serenely on to preach Maryland-style "moderation" with a side of presidential aspirations. But some other news you can use is fighting its way through the muddle. Read it here.


Events and Actions From Allies:

For the People Maryland (of which PM is a Member):
We support the DISCLOSE Act in the U.S. Senate to regulate super PACs, dark money groups, and corporate donors who have far too much influence in our political and legislative process. We can make progress and real headway on key racial justice, healthcare, and environmental protection if we get money out of politics. Please call our Senators to urge them to support the DISCLOSE Act.
Call Sen. Cardin and Sen. Van Hollen: Call your Senator today to voice your support for the DISCLOSE Act

Progressive Maryland BlogSpace:
We value creating space for our members to express their thoughts on any issues related to our campaigns. Have an idea for a blog post? You can submit writing, film, graphic design, etc. to be published on our website to the blog moderator Woody at [email protected].
New Today – Slow election count keeps winners, losers a daily news diet
​​It's all about the turnout -- base and more. MD has a decisive primary.
Moneymoneymoney starts to give our elections that awkward look
SCOTUS goes home leaving wreckage in Maryland and nationwide
Fighting Back on the Dobbs abortion decision – and a few more challenges
>>Read more on the homepage of progressivemaryland.org



Progressive Maryland
P.O. Box 6988
Largo, MD 20792
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive emails from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] or update your preferences in your supporter portal.