Maryland candidates submit final campaign finance reports ahead of July 19 primary

With early voting underway and a mere 11 days until vote counting begins, candidates for state and local office are submitting their final reports on how they’ve done at fundraising ahead of the July 19 primary election.

Most of Maryland’s statewide elected seats are up for grabs in 2022, as Gov. Larry Hogan reaches his two-term limit, Comptroller Peter Franchot tries for the governor’s mansion and Attorney General Brian E. Frosh retires after a 35-year political career.

Including Franchot, nine Democrats are vying for the top spot on the ticket when the November general election rolls around. Polling depicts the primary as being a tight, three-way race among Franchot, author and former nonprofit organization leader Wes Moore and former U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez, with a sizable number of voters uncertain.

Moore, who has consistently been the top fundraiser in the field, reported raising $591,000 and spending $1.9 million between June 8 and July 3, the last day included in the filing period, according to the reports from him and his running mate, former state Del. Aruna Miller. Between their three campaign committees, they had $810,000 in the bank a little over two weeks before primary day.

Since the last campaign finance reporting deadline on June 7, Franchot and his running mate, former Prince George’s County Councilmember Monique Anderson-Walker, have raised $260,000, spent $1.3 million and had $629,000 left.

Perez and his pick for lieutenant governor, former Baltimore City Councilwoman Shannon Sneed, reported a total of $645,000 on Friday, after raising $447,000 and spending $979,000 in the period, according to their reports.

For all races new campaign finance reports were due by 11:59 p.m. Friday. Here’s where things stood as of 9 p.m.:

Former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler’s campaign reported having $550,000 left after reporting about $1 million on hand in June, which was largely because of donations he made himself. He raised $58,000 and spent $579,000 in the latest period.

Former Clinton White House official Jon Baron’s campaign reported $337,000 after having about $1.6 million last month, also primarily because of self-funding. He raised $16,861 and spent about $1.3 million in the roughly four weeks since that last deadline.

Democrats Ralph Jaffe, Ashwani Jain, John B. King and Jerome Segal hadn’t filed by 9 p.m.

Of the four Republican candidates, former Hogan cabinet member Kelly Schulz and state Del. Dan Cox are the focus of their party’s gubernatorial nomination. Only Schulz had filed her new spending numbers by 9 p.m.

Schulz, who is endorsed by Hogan, and her running mate Jeff Woolford, had about $734,000, according to their July reports — roughly the same as a month earlier. They raised $208,500 and spent $260,000 in that time.

Republicans Robin Ficker and Joe Werner hadn’t filed by 9 p.m.

The race to be the next AG

Congressman Anthony Brown and former Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Katie Curran O’Malley are going head to head in the statewide race to replace Frosh, who has been Maryland’s attorney general the past two terms.

Brown served as lieutenant governor when Curran O’Malley’s husband, Gov. Martin O’Malley, entered his second term.

Curran O’Malley’s new reports showed $205,000 on hand compared to $634,000 a month ago. Brown has $361,000 on hand. He spent $878,000 since filing his June report.

Republican candidates Jim Shalleck and Michael Anthony Peroutka had $2,102 and $27,390, respectively.

Comptroller control

In June, Baltimore City Del. Brooke E. Lierman bested Bowie Mayor Tim Adams in fundraising in the race to be the state’s next comptroller.

The comptroller oversees state income tax collection; imposes state taxes on gasoline, alcohol and tobacco, and has a seat on the powerful, three-person Maryland Board of Public Works, which approves major state contracts.

Whoever wins the Democratic primary race will in November face Republican Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, who is now uncontested.

Lierman reported having $385,000 left of the $1.5 million in her coffers last month.

Adams reported $585,000 on hand, a decrease of $381,000 since his June report.

The president and CEO of a technical support company that provides services to the Department of Defense, Adams has lent his own campaign $3.3 million.

Baltimore’s battle for state’s attorney

One of the most contentious races to follow this election season is the city’s local state’s attorney race.

The incumbent, Marilyn Mosby, is embroiled in controversy after a federal grand jury indicted her this year. She was charged with two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements on loan applications to purchase properties in Florida.

Additionally, Mosby has been in the spotlight for her conduct as she prosecutes Keith Davis Jr. for the sixth time.

Late last month, a judge ruled that there was a “presumption of vindictiveness” based on Mosby’s decision to charge Davis with murder after he won the fifth case. She also has violated a gag order that prohibits her from discussing the case publicly. Attorneys for Davis alleged she violated the order again this week by commenting on an Instagram post.

Still, Mosby has strong pockets of support as she seeks reelection for a third time. Her opponents split the votes against her the last time.

She is facing off against private defense attorney Ivan J. Bates, who has $258,000 after raising $454,000, and Thiru Vignarajah, a lawyer and CEO of community development financial firm, Capital Plus Financial, to win the Democratic nomination.

Neither Mosby nor Vignarajah had reported new numbers by 9 p.m.

The winner of the July 19 primary likely will go head-to-head against Roya M. Hanna, who is running as an Independent.