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All but one of Maryland’s congressional incumbents cruised to victory Tuesday, with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen fending off a challenge from Republican Chris Chaffee and Congressman Andy Harris — the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation — besting Democrat Heather Mizeur. In Western Maryland, Republican Neil Parrott held a lead over Democratic Rep. David Trone with mail ballots still to be counted.
Van Hollen, 63, was elected to a second term in the Senate. He had captured 61% of the votes counted by Wednesday morning. He previously served seven terms in the U.S. House, representing the state’s 8th Congressional District, centered in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Van Hollen suffered a minor stroke in May, but quickly resumed his full duties in the Senate, where he is a strong advocate for the environment. Chaffee, 61, is a perennial candidate from Calvert County.
Van Hollen, speaking in an interview Tuesday at a poll in Annapolis, said he would use a second term to support early education, K-12, apprenticeships and workforce training programs.
“We’ve got to be equipped for the 21st century,” Van Hollen said. “We’ve taken some steps, but we are falling behind in a lot of areas.”
Harris, a physician, weathered a challenge from Mizeur, a former state legislator, in the state’s 1st Congressional District, which stretches up the Eastern Shore before wrapping into Harford and Baltimore counties. Harris, 65, of northern Baltimore County, is an ally of former President Trump. He had received 60% of the votes counted by Wednesday morning.
Mizeur, 49, of Chestertown, is a progressive who emphasized during the campaign Harris’s opposition to abortion rights and close ties with Trump, noting that committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection found that Harris was among a small group of Republican leaders who met with Trump in December 2020 to discuss the possibility of then-Vice President Mike Pence refusing to certify the election results.
Here are the results of Maryland’s other congressional races:
2nd Congressional District
Ten-term congressman Dutch Ruppersberger beat challenger Nicolee Ambrose in the newly-redrawn 2nd Congressional District, which includes much of Baltimore and Carroll counties. Ruppersberger, a Democrat, is a former Baltimore County executive who has served in the House since 2003. Ambrose, a small business owner, was endorsed by Gov. Larry Hogan. Ruppersberger had 53% of the votes counted as of Wednesday morning.
3rd Congressional District
Democrat John Sarbanes, who has served in the House since 2007, sailed to victory against Republican Yuripzy Morgan in the 3rd Congressional District, which envelopes a swath of central Maryland including Howard and much of Anne Arundel counties. Sarbanes, the scion of a political family, lives in Towson and worked in education and law before embarking in a political career. He’s championed transparency and accountability in office, while also being a strong environmental advocate. Morgan, too, is an attorney. The daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and Mexico, she is among a wave of Latina Republicans seeking office this year. She hosted a conservative talk radio show on WBAL. Sarbanes had corralled 55% of the votes counted as of Wednesday morning.
4th Congressional District
Former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey, a Democrat, crushed his opponent, Republican Jeff Warner, for the seat that had been held by Rep. Anthony Brown, who left to launch a successful bid to be Maryland attorney general. Ivey is no stranger to Capitol Hill. The Harvard Law graduate has served as counsel to several high-ranking senators and was an assistant U.S. attorney during the Obama administration. The 61-year-old had captured 89% percent in the heavily Democratic district as of Wednesday morning.
5th Congressional District
Democrat Steny Hoyer handily dismissed a bid to unseat him by Republican Chris Palombi, winning his 22nd term in the House with 61% percent of the vote by Wednesday morning. The bigger question for Hoyer, 83, was whether he would be able to hang onto his title of House majority leader, with Republicans favored to take control of the House. Hoyer has represented Maryland on Capitol Hill since 1981. The 5th District encompasses most of Southern Maryland.
6th Congressional District
In what could be the sole upset for a Maryland congressional incumbent, Republican Neil Parrott held a narrow lead Wednesday morning in his contest to unseat Democrat David Trone in the 6th District, which stretches across Western Maryland. Read the full story.
7th Congressional District
Democrat Kweisi Mfume easily warded off a challenge from Republican Scott Collier in the 7th District, which includes most of Baltimore City and portions of Baltimore County. Mfume was elected to the seat in 2020 following the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings, but he had previously represented the district from 1987 to 1996, leaving to serve as the president of the NAACP. Mfume had 81% percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning.
8th Congressional District
Democrat Jamie Raskin, who led the House impeachment hearings against Trump soon after the death of his son, easily defeated Republican Gregory Coll in the 8th District, which centers around Montgomery County. Raskin had 76% percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
julie.scharper@thebaltimorebanner.com
This story was updated to correct Dutch Ruppersberger's years of service in the House, and the spelling of Republican candidate Gregory Coll's surname.
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Julie Scharper is an enterprise reporter for The Baltimore Banner. Her work ranges from investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and abuse to light-hearted features. Baltimore Magazine awarded Scharper a Best in Baltimore in 2023 for her series exposing a toxic work culture within the Maryland Park Service.
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