Week in Review: February 22-28, 2026

This week felt daunting going in. Four days in Annapolis. Five testimonies to write. A filing deadline to track. We also sent out the first Sunday newsletter and brought Andrew Eneim onto the team. A lot to carry.

But by Thursday night when Carlos Orbe Jr. came on the livestream the energy shifted. And by Friday, at the halfway point of the 90-day general assembly session, I left Annapolis feeling genuinely optimistic about HB 101, the bill we have been working on all year to make sure we get on the debate stage against Democrats and Republicans.

Let me walk through the week.

Monday: Three Stories for the Week

Monday's media briefing laid out the frame for the week: three things we were tracking.

The filing deadline. Tuesday at 9 PM was the deadline for Republican and Democratic candidates to file for state legislative races. The results confirmed what we've been saying: the two-party system doesn't show up for most of Maryland. More on that below.

The stadium deal. Two bills in the General Assembly — HB 1078 and SB 883 — would authorize $217 million in bonds for a minor league soccer stadium at Baltimore's Carroll Park. The money comes from sports wagering revenue that currently funds the Blueprint for Maryland's Future education fund. Both hearings are March 3 and 5. Look for an op-ed coming this weekend.

The next fight after the 287(g) ban. Governor Moore signed the ban last week. Nine sheriffs immediately said they'd keep cooperating with ICE anyway. SB 791, the Community Trust Act, would close some of those loopholes.

The thread connecting all three: the system is designed to look like it's working when it isn't. Uncontested races look like stability. A stadium deal looks like investment. A signing ceremony looks like protection. In each case, the people in charge are counting on you not looking too closely.

Tuesday: Filing Deadline

Of 118 state legislative races, 52 — forty-four percent — will have no two-party general election. In the State Senate, 25 of 47 districts have only one major party on the ballot. That's 53 percent. Republicans didn't file in 22 Senate districts. Democrats didn't file in three.

In 2022, 27 of 71 delegate races had no two-party contest. That number is identical this cycle. But the composition shifted: Republican no-filings went from 16 to 24. Democratic no-filings shrank from 11 to 3. Democrats expanded their reach. Republicans contracted. And 44 percent of legislative races still have no contest.

We published the full analysis on Thursday. The filing deadline for third-party and independent candidates is July 6. If your community has been written off by both major parties, that's how you push back.

Wednesday: Annapolis

Five bills we are following had their hearing Wednesday. Three were elections and civic engagement bills: HB 1289 (voting methods task force), HB 0962 (public financing for school boards), and HB 1010 (election technology certification). I delivered oral testimony on HB 1289, asking the committee to expand the task force's scope to include proportional representation. Ranked choice voting is a real improvement. But in a district where 70 percent of voters belong to one party, a better counting method doesn't create representation for the other 30 percent. Proportional representation does. Both advocates and legislators were receptive. Watch the testimony.

The other story Wednesday was SB 791 / HB 1575, the Community Trust Act. This is the next fight after the 287(g) ban. The ban ended formal ICE partnerships. It did not touch the informal cooperation that makes those partnerships unnecessary. Many Maryland counties still share arrest sheets, notify ICE of releases, and hold people longer than required. Carroll County drafted a new workaround policy within 48 hours of the ban. SB 791 closes those gaps. Andy submitted testimony in favor.

That's 15 testimonies this session.

Thursday: The Livestream

Carlos Orbe Jr. joined us on Thursday night's livestream. Carlos founded Mind-full Communications in Montgomery County and works on education policy and Latino community advocacy. He and Owen partnered on holding the Maryland State Department of Education accountable and on passing the Credit for All Language Learning Act of 2024. Carlos made the case that the halfway point of session is where you see who's actually fighting and who's just filing paperwork. Watch the full conversation.

We also covered the filing deadline data in a State of the Ballot segment, broke down the week's testimony, and previewed the stadium fight coming March 3 and 5. Watch the full show.

Friday: HB 101

Friday I went back to Annapolis for meetings with two more delegates. Both went well.

This was a big week for the bill. Sponsor Delegate Simmons submitted an amendment that narrows the definition of "public broadcaster" to stations already governed by the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission's fairness statute. That resolves the main objection the broadcaster lobby raised in opposition testimony.

Also This Week

• We onboarded Andrew Eneim as our People Organizer. Watch his interview from the livestream.

Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews are running for Governor and Lt. Governor because the two-party system is a trap that doesn't work for most people. They're building a campaign that works for every Marylander, so we can build the Maryland we all deserve.