On May 14, hundreds of thousands of Maryland voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2024 primary elections. Republicans and Democrats in the Whitman community will vote in the primary races for U.S. president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Circuit Court judge and Montgomery County Board of Education. Independent and third-party voters can only vote for Board of Education members. 

In the congressional primaries, voters in the Whitman community will select one nominee per party in the Senate and Maryland 8th Congressional District races. While there are eight Maryland congressional districts, each voter can only vote for the district in which they live.

In Maryland, citizens can vote if they are 18 or will be 18 before the general election on Nov. 5. They can register to vote ahead of time or take advantage of same-day registration offered at polling places. 

U.S. Senate

Voters across Maryland will select their party’s nominee for the November Senate race to succeed retiring Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD). Two Democratic and two Republican candidates are competing for their party’s nomination. 

Democratic candidates include Representative David Trone (D-MD) and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. 

Both candidates have similar platforms and support liberal policies on issues like abortion, climate change and criminal justice. On the campaign trail, Trone discussed his experience in Congress, while Alsobrooks emphasized the local connections she has gained as Executive of Prince George’s County. 

One difference between the candidates is their fundraising philosophy. Trone has raised $54.9 million to support his campaign — $54.1 million of which has come out of his pocket — while Alsobrooks has raised $7.6 million to date, with most funds coming directly from voters. Trone says his self-funding allows him to avoid Political Action committees (PACs) and lobbyists, while Alsobrooks says her fundraising keeps her accountable to her constituents.

Trone is endorsed by 63 members of Congress, including Maryland Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd district) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-CA). Alsobrooks has endorsements from Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and The Washington Post. 

Current polling gives Trone a three to nine lead in percentage points over Alsobrooks. 

The two candidates running in the Republican primary are former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and former Maryland State Delegate Robin Ficker. 

Hogan’s campaign website cites his ability to find solutions that work for everybody and touts his tax cuts and expansion of the Maryland economy while Governor. He also says that his experience as a Republican governor working with a Democratic state legislature has shown him how to find solutions that work for everyone. Ficker discusses his disagreements with Democratic politicians on issues like the southern border and the economy, saying that he would work to reverse policies established by current U.S. President Joe Biden and other Democrats. 

 The two have similar fundraising levels; Hogan has raised $3 million compared to Ficker’s $2 million. Polls show Hogan ahead of Ficker by 40 to 60 percentage points. 

Eighth Congressional District

There are two Democrats and two Republicans on the ballot for the Eighth Congressional District. 

The Democrats on the ballot are Jaimie Raskin and Eric Felber. Raskin is a three-term Representative and the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. His website stresses his support for liberal policies as well as his history of managing the second impeachment of Donald Trump for his actions on January 6th. Felber promises to continue to support Israel, small businesses, women’s health and community safety if elected. Raskin has raised $2.9 million for his reelection bid while Felber has not raised any funds so far.

The two Republican candidates are Public Relations Executive Cheryl Riley and Engineer Michael Yadeta. Riley lists her priorities as combating crime, lowering taxes, increasing affordable housing and stopping the drug crisis. Yadeta says his campaign priorities include guaranteeing religious freedom, immigration reform, healthcare and education. Yadeta unsuccessfully ran for this seat in 2020 and 2022.

Board of Education 

The Board of Education controls the budget of the Montgomery County school system and allocates funds for everything from school lunches to teacher salaries. It is a nonpartisan body, which means that candidates’ parties will not affect the race they compete in. The top two candidates for each district will advance to the general election. Seats for Districts 2 and 4, as well as the at-large seat, are up for election this year. The Whitman community can vote for all districts regardless of home address. The district designations only affect which race candidates are eligible to run in. 

There are six candidates for the at-large seat, five in District 2 and three in District 4.

Lynne Harris, Sharif Hidayat, Mellisa Kim, Jonathan Long, Fitzgerald Mofor and Rita Montoya are the candidates for the at-large seat.

Harris is the incumbent in this race, running for her second four-year Board of Education term. Hidayat is a retired police officer who emphasizes school safety in his campaign. Kim works for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and hopes to make students the Board’s highest priority if elected. Long works at a credit union and says his experiences with the Individualized Education Program process as a parent have shown him how to fix the inefficiencies in the school system. Mofor, a paralegal, promises to spend more of the budget on teachers and increase math proficiency in MCPS schools. Montoya, an attorney, says that her experience of fighting through adversity as an MCPS student has given her knowledge of the support that students need. 

In the 2nd District, the candidates are Rebecca Smondrowski, Brenda Diaz, Ricky Fai Mui, Aby Thioye and Natalie Zimmerman. 

Smondrowski is the incumbent, seeking her fourth term on the Board. Diaz is a teacher at the Fusion Global Academy who features her teaching career heavily in her campaign. Fai Mui, a Rockville City Human Services Advisory Commission member, laments the current state of education in Montgomery County and says that the answer is more support for teachers and lower student-to-teacher ratios. Thioye works at NIH and wants to increase the respectability and transparency of the Board. Zimmerman, a second-grade teacher at Wheaton Woods Elementary School, says her main goal is increasing transparency and trust in the Board.

The last Board of Education race is for the Fourth District and candidates Shebra Evans, Bethany Mandel and Laura Stewart will be on the ballot. 

Evans is running to secure her third term on the Board. Mandel is a journalist who says she has learned about the faults of the county through her journalism experience. Stewart is a full-time volunteer who says that her experience as a volunteer worker will translate to an ability to manage MCPS’ limited budget and use the Board’s resources effectively. 

For all Board of Education races, the top two candidates in the primary will advance to a runoff in November.

The general election in November will decide which party controls the House of Representatives and Senate. The Board of Education could also get as many as three new members. 

Individuals can vote by mail or local drop boxes — early voting will be available at several locations, and voters can also vote on election day at their local polling place. Constituents can find their polling place using the Voting Location Lookup available on the Maryland Voter Services website. 

Those interested in watching the results of the local and federal primaries should tune in to their news source of choice after polls close at 8 p.m. on May 14th.