I am the guest speaker at the Allegany County Republican Central Committee's Lincoln-Regan Dinner on October 3 at 6 PM. Come on down to have a great time!
I know, we hear it every election cycle, "this is the most important election of our lifetime", and it is. We have the opportunity to change the course of our state, and vote against an administration who consistently supports high taxes and fees.
Your vote matters! I'd be honored to have your vote as state delegate to help champion legislation that will do more good than harm.
Happy National Coffee Day
What kind of coffee drinker are you? Are you:
- one cup a day will do kind of person
- you need an IV drip to make it through the day
Wherever you fit in, enjoy your day
Starting Wednesday, Oct. 1, Maryland begins fining residents who keep their cars registered in Virginia or other states.
Here's how it works: you'll get a written warning and 60 days to register in Maryland. After that, it's $7 a day, up to $420. Still not registered after 120 days? Your car can be towed, booted, or impounded.
But let's ask the real question: why did tens of thousands of Marylanders go to Virginia in the first place?
Because it costs less. Registration, fees, the whole package. When families are stretched by high costs on every front, they look for relief wherever they can find it. I do not encourage breaking the law. However, Maryland needs to do better for Marylanders.
Annapolis can keep writing penalties, or it can work on making Maryland a place people don't feel they need to avoid. As your Delegate, I'll focus on the cost of living, not just new ways to collect.
Authority of Thiam for State Delegate, Treasurer, Cynthia Price.
On September 19, mail-in ballots were sent out.
Voters can request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 27 by submitting an online request. Emailed ballot requests can be submitted by Oct. 20.
Many voters do not trust the mail in ballot process. I encourage you to vote by any means necessary; early vote or go to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3rd.
Vote Vote Vote
Birthday Fundraiser - September 10 at 6:30pm at Vevas with Delegate Brenda J. Thiam, PhD
House of Delegates, District 2B: a late substitution shakes up Hagerstown's seat
Posted on August 8, 2026 by Michael Phillips
https://mdbaynews.com/2026/08/08/maryland-legislative-district-2-election-2026-thiam-flaherty/
District 2B, which covers the city of Hagerstown, was on track for a rematch-style contest between Republican Sean Flaherty, a sitting Hagerstown City Council member, and Democratic incumbent Matthew Schindler - until Flaherty withdrew on July 31, just hours ahead of the state's deadline for parties to name a replacement nominee.
"The Republican who won the primary won't be on the November ballot."
The Washington County Republican Central Committee moved quickly, selecting former Del. Brenda Thiam to take Flaherty's spot on the ballot. Thiam previously held the 2B seat from 2020 to 2023 after her own appointment by Gov. Hogan, becoming the first Black Republican woman to serve in the Maryland General Assembly, before losing her bid for a full term to Democrat Brooke Grossman in 2022. She more recently ran for Congress in Maryland's 6th District in 2024 and appeared on a 2026 gubernatorial ticket as a running mate before that campaign wound down following the primary election.
"Thiam returns to a district she once represented -- and one where voters denied her a full term in 2022."
Republican nomination (2B):
- Sean Flaherty (won primary, withdrew July 31; replaced by county GOP committee)
- Brenda Thiam -- substitute nominee
Schindler, the Democratic incumbent, was himself appointed to the seat by Gov. Wes Moore in January 2025 after Grossman resigned and moved out of state. A former Hagerstown City Council member and IT manager, Schindler previously lost a bid for a full term on the city council in 2024 before his appointment to Annapolis. He defeated Ocewana E. Baker, an actress, community activist and cinematographer, in the Democratic primary.
What to watch
"District 2B now pits two candidates who reached Annapolis by appointment against each other for a full term."
- A late-breaking race in Hagerstown. The Flaherty-to-Thiam swap gives Republicans a familiar, well-known name in 2B, but it also means Thiam enters the general without the benefit of a primary campaign - and with a general election loss from 2022 already on her record in the same district.
- Redistricting's fingerprints on 2A. The subdistrict's newly drawn lines, which pulled in part of Frederick County, appear to have changed little politically: both GOP incumbents cleared their primary comfortably, and Democrats managed only two candidates for two seats.
Maryland GOP lawmakers sue to keep redistricting amendment off November ballot
August 7, 2026
Maryland Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Thursday, suing Gov. Wes Moore and top Democratic officials over the redistricting constitutional amendment passed during this week's two-day special session.
The Maryland Freedom Caucus - far-right House Republicans - and Senate GOP leadership argue the amendment should not be placed on the November ballot for voter approval.
"Annapolis Democrats spent taxpayer dollars on a special session for one reason: to rewrite the Maryland Constitution and eliminate the last remaining Republican congressional seat," said Chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus Del. Matt Morgan (R-St. Mary's County) in a statement.
"Like a banana republic, they suspended the rules, ignored statutory deadlines, and treated the Constitution as an obstacle to be removed. Our Declaration of Rights exists to protect the people from politicians who undermine free and fair elections. We are taking them to court to uphold these principles," the statement reads.
This past legislative session, lawmakers approved a new law that requires the secretary of state to submit ballot questions to the State Board of Elections on or before July 1.
Democrats attached an amendment to the constitutional proposal in order to exempt it from that deadline, which Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County) explained during the bill's debate in the Senate on Tuesday.
"The July 1st deadline was not something we could meet because of the date that this special session was convened," Kagan said. "So the amendment was needed to be sure that the specific words that this body hopefully will be passing soon will be what the voters will see on their ballot in November."
But this change troubles Republican lawmakers, so much so that they think a judge could rule the exemption to be in violation of state law.
"To me, we just passed a new law, specifically about constitutional amendments, that had a deadline that we violated. They even admitted, 'Well, we didn't get it in time. We didn't get this done in time.' So we're adding this language into the constitutional amendment. It's very awkward," Senate Republican Whip Justin Ready (R-Carroll and Frederick Counties) told reporters after the constitutional amendment passed in the Senate.
In the lawsuit, GOP legislators argue the deadline exemption language was not introduced until Monday morning, which deprived the public of the opportunity to fully examine the change.
They also allege that the exemption should be considered an amendment to the Maryland Constitution, not just a technical change, and should be voted on by Marylanders accordingly.
The plaintiffs also take concern with Gov. Wes Moore's decision to ceremonially sign the constitutional amendment on Wednesday, which is not legally required of the chief executive.
"This is an improper attempt to fuse a constitutional process for putting constitutional-amendment referenda in front of Maryland's voters (a process of question formulation that does not involve the Governor) with the process for passing an ordinary law," the lawsuit reads.
The GOP lawmakers have requested the case be fast-tracked due to the November election timeline.
"This was done at the last minute. They have to have this ballot language on Aug. 5, which is tomorrow. And if there's anything that can prevent that from happening, then you know what would happen is exactly what we said. This did not need to be done this year," Senate Republican Leader Stephen Hershey (R-Caroline, Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne's Counties) said on the Senate floor Tuesday.
House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) are not named as defendants in the lawsuit, but they both expressed confidence in the legality of the amendment-passing process prior to the lawsuit being filed.
"We did this because it was needed," Pena-Melnyk said during a press conference on Tuesday when asked about a potential lawsuit. "The bill before you basically gives clarity as to the way the standard should be, the way it has been done historically."
"I think we did everything we could to prepare to make sure that we followed every- dotted every i, crossed every t. Anytime it's in the courts, things are uncertain, and so I would never guarantee anything, but I think that we took every measure and made the appropriate accommodations to follow the law to make sure that this was on the ballot appropriately," Ferguson told reporters on Tuesday.
If Republicans' legal challenge succeeds, a judge could order the removal of the constitutional amendment from the November ballot.
