The results of Maryland’s July 19 primary election were good for all who care about the future of our planet and the environment. Voters supported numerous candidates whose campaign platforms call for Maryland’s state and local governments to do more to address climate change and protect the environment. Three such candidates for statewide office, Wes Moore for Governor, Brooke Lierman for State Comptroller, and Anthony Brown for Attorney General prevailed, and many who support environmental action won nomination for the General Assembly and county offices. A few losses were disappointing (notably John King, the Sierra Club’s endorsed candidate for Governor).
Some races are still too close to call. Mail-in ballots are still being counted; ballots are valid so long as they were postmarked by 8 pm on Election Day and received by Friday, July 29. Candidates in nine of the contests we are watching are currently ahead or behind by less than 200 votes. Those races will be decided once all votes have been counted.
Here are just two of the many important stories from the primary election:
State Delegate Dana Stein is Vice Chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee and was the chief House sponsor of this year’s signal legislative achievement, the Climate Solutions Now Act. Because of redistricting, he was one of three sitting delegates competing in a two-seat district in Baltimore County. With support from the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations, he was one of the two winners in the primary.
In Prince George’s County, a majority on the County Council has in the past often sided with well-connected real estate developers and has sometimes been slow in considering action to support the environment. Sierra Club volunteers worked hard in the County Council contests, and a majority of the primary winners are candidates who have expressed support for the environment. This is an important victory in one of our largest counties and will have effects statewide.
All primary winners will be on the ballot for the November 8 general election. As the dust settles from the primary, we will spend the next several weeks identifying the strongest environmental candidates for the November election and making preparations to support them.
The November election will determine who will be the officials who will guide Maryland and our counties for the next four years. We will always work to influence elected officials to more aggressively address the climate crisis and protect the environment. Our work will be much easier if the people who are elected already share our concerns and priorities.
I am encouraged that so many candidates were eager to discuss environmental issues in the primary, and hope they will continue that discussion as we approach November. There will be some candidates on the ballot who have little interest in the environment or even actively oppose necessary actions to deal with climate change. So we will need lots of effort and volunteer energy this fall to encourage voters to make good decisions for Maryland’s future.
Rich Norling
Political Chair
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter