Maryland 2026 Election & Infrastructure Intelligence

# Maryland 2026 Elections and Infrastructure Overview ## Election status Maryland held its primary on June 23, 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The official general-election candidate list was last updated August 3, 2026. Maryland has no U.S. Senate contest this cycle. ## Praevoium thesis Maryland is a high-consequence PJM state where data-center policy is inseparable from regional electricity prices, transmission allocation, new generation, federal research capacity, cyber and defense infrastructure, and the economic geography of Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's, Baltimore, and the Eastern Shore. Governor Wes Moore has adopted a **Conditional** posture: data centers may advance only when developers cover their own power needs, hire and train local labor, engage local governments and communities, and protect existing ratepayers. The 2026 Utility RELIEF Act reinforces this direction by assigning large-load infrastructure costs to the customers creating them. ## Statewide races - Governor: Wes Moore / Aruna Miller (D), Dan Cox / Rob Krop (R), Andy Ellis / Owen Silverman Andrews (Green), Cathy White / Cathy Permut (Working Class). - Comptroller: Brooke Lierman (D), Sonya Dunn (R). - Attorney General: Anthony Brown (D), James B. Rutledge III (R). ## House districts All eight districts are included. MD-05 is open, MD-01 remains Republican-held, and MD-06 and MD-08 carry especially high relevance for data centers, federal research, biotech, cyber, and grid planning. ## Core planning issues 1. Large-load cost allocation and PJM reform. 2. New local generation, including nuclear, natural gas, renewable energy, and storage. 3. Data-center siting, local consent, workforce commitments, and community benefits. 4. Federal AI, cyber, biotech, defense, and research spending. 5. Chesapeake Bay, water, coastal resilience, ports, and transportation infrastructure. 6. Congressional redistricting and the future of MD-01. ## Polling No sufficiently reliable i

Race	Status	Candidates	Impact	Key issue
MD-01 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-02 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-03 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-04 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-05 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-06 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-07 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact
MD-08 — U.S. House	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact

# Maryland Race and Candidate Dossiers ## Posture taxonomy Enable | Pause | Restrict | Conditional | Mixed | Unverified ## Statewide — Governor / Lt. Governor - **Impact:** High - **Candidates:** Wes Moore / Aruna Miller; Dan Cox / Rob Krop; Andy Ellis / Owen Silverman Andrews; Cathy White / Cathy Permut - **Praevoium stakes:** Conditional development, ratepayer protection, grid supply, local consent - **Polling:** No verified independent public general-election poll located. ### Wes Moore (Democratic) - **Data-center posture:** Conditional - **AI posture:** Enable - **Confidence:** High - **Evidence:** Supports data centers only with developer-funded power, local hiring, local engagement, community buy-in, and ratepayer protection. - **Backing:** Incumbent governor; Democratic nominee; Moore-Miller administration coalition - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Aruna Miller (Democratic) - **Data-center posture:** Conditional - **AI posture:** Enable - **Confidence:** High - **Evidence:** Running with Wes Moore on the administration platform. - **Backing:** Incumbent lieutenant governor; Democratic nominee - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Dan Cox (Republican) - **Data-center posture:** Unverified - **AI posture:** Unverified - **Confidence:** Low - **Evidence:** - **Backing:** Republican nominee; former state delegate - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Rob Krop (Republican) - **Data-center posture:** Unverified - **AI posture:** Unverified - **Confidence:** Low - **Evidence:** - **Backing:** Republican lieutenant-governor nominee - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Andy Ellis (Green) - **Data-center posture:** Mixed - **AI posture:** Mixed - **Confidence:** Low - **Evidence:** Green Party alignment suggests environmental scrutiny, but no direct 2026 data-center position verified. - **Backing:** Green Party nominee - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Owen Silverman Andrews (Green) - **Data-center posture:** Mixed - **AI posture:** Mixed - **Confidence:** Low - **Evidence:** Running with Green nominee Andy Ellis; direct position not verified. - **Backing:** Green Party lieutenant-governor nominee - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Cathy White (Working Class Party) - **Data-center posture:** Unverified - **AI posture:** Unverified - **Confidence:** Low - **Evidence:** - **Backing:** Working Class Party nominee - **Source:** https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html ### Cathy Permut

# Maryland Research Gaps and Refresh Rules - Refresh the official candidate list daily through ballot certification and after withdrawals or petition decisions. - Refresh campaign finance and outside-spending data weekly, then daily during the final 45 days. - Do not infer AI or data-center posture from party affiliation. Keep **Unverified** until direct evidence is captured. - Track implementation of the Utility RELIEF Act, PSC large-load tariffs, PJM cost allocation, and data-center project announcements. - Track whether the congressional-redistricting constitutional amendment qualifies for the November ballot. - Polling must include sponsor, pollster, field dates, sample, mode, and margin of error. Campaign polls must be labeled. - Presidential Election Intelligence remains **Coming Soon** for 2028.