Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman. Photo by Emily Condon/Capital News Service.
On a day when Marylanders tried to stay off the state’s icy roads, more than 250 Democrats journeyed to Annapolis Tuesday for the Maryland Democratic Party’s annual fundraiser that takes place just before the General Assembly session kicks off.
Many of them had to be there anyway: With the legislative session starting at noon on Wednesday, scores of lawmakers were going to be moving into their offices and temporary lodging even with Monday’s snowstorm.
“Welcome back to the frozen tundra of Annapolis,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) greeted the crowd.
Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller (D), who has made road safety a top priority, gave a “big shout-out and a thank-you” to highway workers for their efforts during the storm.
The ballroom at the Westin Hotel was about two-thirds full, with several local officials and Democratic activists choosing to forgo the drive and skip the lunch — and members of the U.S. House of Representatives, who frequently make an appearance at these events, stuck on Capitol Hill for floor votes.
But the fact that so many people showed up, on a day when schools were closed, government offices opened late and motorists were urged to stay home, illustrated something about the insular world of Maryland politics. Wherever lawmakers assemble, lobbyists are always nearby, and donors are usually in the vicinity. The general public may or may not be on hand.
Every year, the Democrats’ lunch is like a pep rally and look-ahead to the session, and Tuesday’s event was no different.
But Maryland Democrats find themselves in an uncomfortable place. While they continue to celebrate electoral victories at home in 2024, they are still stunned by Democratic losses in national elections and fear the myriad impacts President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress could have on the state.
Moreover, while Democrats control all levers of state government and enjoy supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature, they are staring down the barrel of enormous deficits, which have to be closed over the next 90 days — and which are expected to necessitate uncomfortable choices over taxes and spending in the weeks ahead.
Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) “veered from script,” in his own words, and compared the upcoming session to an Antarctic expedition led by the early 20th century explorer Ernest Shackleton, which went woefully wrong due to extreme weather and other unanticipated conditions, but ended successfully.
“They build a team and a find a way and everybody works together to save everybody’s lives,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson also argued that even with the challenges, Maryland still has “incredible assets,” unprecedented diversity, and economic vitality.
“We’re still the same state we’ve been,” he said.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) addressed the session strategy a little more prosaically.
“Instead of talking about what our budget can’t do, I like talking about what it can do,” she said. “Most important, it can protect vulnerable Marylanders.”
But Jones conceded that Maryland Democrats are “worried about what lies ahead for the next four years,” and asserted that they’re ready “to fight the extreme agenda [in Congress] that seeks to divide us.”
While lawmakers in both parties have already teed up hundreds of pieces of legislation, many are waiting to hear what Moore’s priorities are — and want to see what his budget proposal, which will be released next week, looks like, and whether he’ll embrace any tax increases.
Moore spoke mostly in generalities at the lunch Tuesday, saying he was anxious to continue to address child care challenges, gun violence and the rebuild of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He expressed confidence that the end product of the legislative session “will serve the hopes and dreams and aspirations of everyone who calls the state home.”
“Leadership matters not only when it’s easy — leadership really matters when it’s hard, when it’s complicated,” he said.
State political leaders are mindful that whatever happens this session, it can impact their electoral fortunes in 2026, when Moore and other statewide elected officials are up for reelection and all 188 legislative seats are up for grabs. Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman closed the lunch with a pledge of solidarity.
“Your party has your back,” he told the policymakers.