Following a surprise announcement from U.S. Rep. John Sarbanes that he would not be pursuing another term following 17 years in office, 31 candidates are running to succeed the Democrat in Washington.
The candidate pool includes state senators and representatives, small business owners and veterans. It features 22 Democrats and nine Republicans. Most candidates are from in or near the district itself which covers all of Howard County as well as parts of Anne Arundel and Carroll counties. A few are farther out, residing in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Montgomery County. Congressional candidates are not required to live in the district they are seeking to represent as long as they live in the state.
Candidate information was obtained through interviews, emails, campaign websites and LinkedIn. Seven Democrats and one Republican reported funds raised on the FEC website.
The primary election is on May 14. The general election is Nov. 5.
Here’s a look at who’s running:
Democrats
Sarah Elfreth, a member of the Maryland Senate since 2019, serves as chair of the Senate’s Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation and as a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Elfreth represents the Annapolis area and southern Anne Arundel in the Senate and serves on the Chesapeake Bay Commission, which works on policies to protect the bay. According to her most recent Federal Election Commission filing in January, she has so far raised more than $400,000 for the race.
Clarence Lam, who has served in the Maryland Senate since 2019, is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, and is Senate chair of The Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight. He represents northern Anne Arundel County and eastern Howard County. Lam is also a physician specializing in preventative care and holds a master’s in public health. As of January, his campaign had raised about $355,000, according to his FEC profile.
Mike Rogershas been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019 representing northwestern Anne Arundel. He is chair of the house’s Maryland Veterans Caucus. He is also a member of its Economic Matters Committee, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus. Rogers spent around 30 years in the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army and completed three combat tours, retiring as a colonel in 2015. According to the FEC, he had raised about $91,000 as of January.
Mark Changis also a delegate in the Maryland House, where he has served since 2015 representing northwestern Anne Arundel. He’s the vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee and chairs the House’s Spending Affordability Committee. Chang is a lifelong Glen Burnie resident and a child of Korean immigrants. He is vice chair of the Maryland Legislative Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Caucus. As of January, his campaign had raised nearly $67,000, according to the FEC.
Terri Hill, a House of Delegates member since 2015 representing eastern Howard County, serves on the House’s Health and Government Operations Committee. She is a physician specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery. She also is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Women Legislators of Maryland and Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus as well as a member of the state’s Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council and State Advisory Council on Hereditary and Congenital Disorders. She had raised $75,000 as of last month, according to the FEC.
Harry Dunn, a U.S. Capitol Police officer of 15 years who was on duty during the violent breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, currently lives in Montgomery County and is hoping to represent the 3rd District. Dunn is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Citizens Medal. He also published a memoir called “Standing My Ground” about his relationship to Washington politics and his experience defending the Capitol Building in 2021.
Michael Coburnis a former prosecutor turned criminal defense lawyer living in Annapolis. In his law career, he’s advocated for Maryland residents to get the mental health and addiction recovery treatment they need and prevent additional jail time for those who can’t afford their fines, according to his campaign website. He also worked with the FBI as they investigated a 3D gun printing gang operation.
Malcolm Colombo was born to working-class parents and lived on government assistance throughout his childhood. He’s a Millersville resident and structural engineer as well as a first-generation college student. Colombo supports Medicare for All, climate change reform, including the 2019 Green New Deal congressional proposal, and labor unions and an increased minimum wage, according to his campaign website.
Abigail Diehlis an Annapolis-based owner of a produce stand, Diehl’s Produce of Annapolis, and a CBD company. She also has held positions at cannabis companies including Kind Therapeutics and MariMed. Diehl became involved in politics around efforts to legalize recreational cannabis. During that time she served as Montgomery County Sen. Brian Feldman’s volunteer senior cannabis adviser. Her campaign has raised around $36,000 as of January, according to the FEC.
Juan Dominguez,a Severna Park business executive and Gulf War veteran, is the child of Cuban immigrants. He’s a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is fluent in Spanish and has worked in sales for several technology companies throughout his career, including Comcast and Otis Elevator Company. Most recently he served as vice president of customer service and sales for a telecommunications company Breezeline. He is hoping to advocate for improved government resources for veterans and reforming education, according to his LinkedIn page. So far, his campaign has raised $290,000.
Lindsay Donahue, an Annapolis resident and graduate of Annapolis High School, is an information technology professional working with health care entities. She started out helping hospitals transition to electronic record keeping and now helps health care facilities safely exchange information. Donahue hopes to champion women’s access to health care as well as advocate for universal health care and fight for gun reform, she told The Capital in January.
Mark Gosnell is a board-certified pulmonologist and critical care doctor with MedStar Health.
Aisha Khan owns two child care centers in the Catonsville and Woodlawn areas and lives on the border of Catonsville and Ellicott City. She also served on the Baltimore County Democratic State Central Committee.
Matt Libber works as the executive director of Maryland SoccerPlex in Montgomery County. Last year, he was appointed secretary of the Board of Directors of the Sports Events and Tourism Association, a national nonprofit. Libber also spent 10 years in IT contracting for federal and state government projects including for the U.S. Postal Service and Maryland State Board of Elections. He studied political science and history at McDaniel College and received his Master’s in sports industry management from Georgetown University.
Kristin Lyman Nabors, a Severna Park nurse, works in nephrology research at Johns Hopkins University. She’s a survivor of substance use disorder and spent a period of time living without health insurance. Her experiences with health care worker burnout, addiction recovery and the burdensome cost of higher education inspired her to run, she told The Capital in December.
John Morse, a lawyer who represented members of the Association of Flight Attendants – Communications Workers of America, lives in Annapolis. He specializes in various labor issues and plans to advocate for workers’ rights if elected. Morse supports stricter regulations on big businesses and hedge funds, fighting for voters’ rights and ending gerrymandering, or the strategic drawing of legislative maps to benefit one party, and protecting women’s reproductive rights, according to his campaign website.
Jake Pretot is a six-year army veteran living in Laurel. He’s owned small businesses including a window cleaning company and a software development company. Pretot also worked at Worldcom as a financial systems analyst which has provided him insight into how Federal Communications Commission policies affect American technology consumers, he wrote on his campaign website. He plans to advocate for campaign finance reform, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and a higher minimum wage, he said.
Don Quinn, who resides in Severna Park and was raised in India, is a civil rights lawyer and owner of a marketing company with his wife. Also a combat veteran, he enlisted in the military following 9/11 and completed a tour in the Middle East, he said on his website. He’s committed to advocating for affordable housing, strengthening the nation’s relationships overseas and passing legislation to prevent another insurrection.
Dan Rupli, a civil rights attorney and Columbia resident, spent the early years of his career working for the Department of Justice enforcing the Voting Rights Act in the American South. As an 81-year-old with an 8-year-old daughter, he said his priorities in office would include is hearing the issues of young people, restoring the environment and supporting women’s rights.
Gary Schuman is teacher, author, restaurateur and freelance journalist and columnist with the Baltimore Jewish Times. He lives in Pikesville. Schuman, who has experience managing congressional campaigns, said he would focus on supporting citizens in need, including those experiencing homelessness, illness and hunger. In office he would not be persuaded by powerful special interest groups and would prioritize quality constituent services, he told The Capital.
Stewart Silver did not respond to a request for comment from The Capital.
Jeff Woodard, is the executive director of the Pennsylvania College Access Program nonprofit, which helps high school students chart a path to higher education. He holds master’s degrees in criminal justice and business administration. He plans to advocate for an easier path to citizenship for immigrants, bolstering protections for members of the LGBTQ+ community and championing college affordability, including fighting for free community college and/or trade school for low-income citizens, he said on his campaign site.
Republicans
Arthur Radford Baker, a long-time Ellicott City resident, has spent most of his career in criminal justice. He worked as an FBI special agent for more than 30 years, as a Baltimore County police officer, and as an attorney, according to his website. Five years of his FBI career were spent detailed to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. After retiring from the FBI he was appointed senior investigative counsel on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate cases related to the 2016 presidential election.
Ray Bly is a Vietnam veteran and nearly five-decade Jessup resident. He received his associate’s degree from Howard Community College and owns a used appliance company and a car repair business in Jessup. Growing up in D.C., he spent periods of his childhood homeless and experienced evictions, he told The Capital. In office he hopes to place more restrictions on government assistance to low-income Americans and limit foreign aid.
Berney Flowers, a Howard County resident, is a 21-year Air Force veteran. He served during the 9/11 Pentagon attack and was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine before retiring as a lieutenant colonel, he said on his website. He also authored the book “Black Values Matter” about helping Black people navigate their political options. In his time with the Department of Defense, he assisted in refugee resettlement efforts. He plans to fight for expanding access to charter school vouchers and child care tax credits, he said. His campaign has raised more than $13,000 as of January, according to the FEC.
Thomas “Pinkston” Harrisis a retired owner of a financial services business and attended Delaware State University for undergraduate and Coppin State and Johns Hopkins Universities for graduate school.
Jordan Mayo, a military spouse and real estate professional, said she’ll advocate for gun ownership rights, ending foreign aid and supporting tax relief, according to her campaign website. She plans to use her real estate expertise to help reform the housing market and make home ownership attainable for average Americans.
Naveed Mian owns a social media management company, Adapt Media Solutions, and serves as the COO of an athletic clothing brand, Elysium Athletic. He’s also a Howard Community College graduate. A self-declared “New Age Republican,” Mian hopes to support small businesses, integrating advanced technology including artificial intelligence into American classrooms and investing in clean energy infrastructure, he said on his website.
Joshua Morales did not respond to a request for comment from The Capital.
John Rea has been running consistently for elected office since 1996. In 2019 he ran as a Democrat against Sarbanes. He is based in Baltimore City.
Rob Steinberger, an eight-year Anne Arundel resident living in Arnold, is a University of Notre Dame Naval ROTC graduate and was commissioned into the Naval Individual Ready Reserves after school. He holds an MBA, law degree and master’s in educational technology. Most of his career was in business management, but he now works as an attorney in corporate law, he told The Capital. His goals in office include lowering taxes, tightening gun control regulations and improving veterans services, he said on his website.
