Lobbyists seeking to influence Maryland officials donated about $2.6 million to the campaigns of those officials since the last statewide election in 2022 — a nearly 75% increase. Gov. Wes Moore

How special interests make their mark on Maryland politics and governing can be difficult to track. Companies, trade groups and nonprofits hire high-priced lobbyists to testify at public hearings and run ad campaigns — all in the effort to advocate for their positions on all sorts of critical issues up for debate in Annapolis.

Maryland is traditionally a top-down state politically. Until recently, the state’s political landscape has been dominated by senior Democrats, whose centrist, establishment politics continue to hold sway in the State House and in many local governments.

There’s a growing list of candidates vying to steal Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s seat ahead of the 2026 primary election.

Maryland Democratic Party Gala, state and national leaders emphasized the need to turn rising public concern over the 47th president’s agenda into purposeful action. The event also sparked outrage over the forcible removal of a Democrat senator from a DHS press conference.

MCEA is expediting its timeline for endorsements for the 2026 gubernatorial election to be released in December.