Even Pro Tems Need Practice, Hoyer And Boafo Hit The Road, Eberle Steps Down, In Political Notes

By William J. Ford, Danielle J. Brown and Christine Condon, Maryland Matters

March 3, 2026

It’s been a while since the speaker of the Maryland House was addressed as Mr. Speaker, but your ears were not deceiving you if you were listening to the proceedings Monday night.

That’s when Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), the House speaker pro tem, took the reins and ran the show, even though House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) was in the room — and occasionally on the rostrum — with her second in command.

When asked, a spokesperson for the speaker’s office said Clippinger was wielding the gavel for exactly the reason you might suspect — he was getting in some practice for when he might have to step in and run the chamber.

It was mostly a night of congratulations and guest announcements, and Clippinger handled it well. But the speaker needed to nudge him aside at the end of the roughly 40-minute session and take control of the microphone, however, after a delegate asked if members could observe a moment of silence for a member of the U.S. armed forces killed in the opening days of the attack on Iran.

“We cannot do a moment of silence because of the rules,” Peña-Melnyk explained. “There are very strict rules. But I promise that tomorrow, when we do the prayers, we will do it in their honor.”

Hoyer and Boafo, together

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th) and Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s) made their first campaign appearance together Monday, about a month after Hoyer endorsed the delegate to be his successor from a crowded field of Democratic contenders.

Hoyer’s decision to step down, after more than 40 years in Congress, set off a stampede for his seat: 24 Democrats, three Republicans and three independents had signed up to run by last Tuesday’s deadline. His endorsement of the delegate as his successor. But Hoyer said he had seen Boafo, who once worked as his campaign manager, “not only in a campaign context, but in a subtext of dealing with issues.”

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-5th), left, and Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s) pose for a picture Monday at the Kenhill Center in Bowie. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)

“There are a lot of people in this race … but the reason I decided to endorse and urge the people of this district to select Adrian as their member of Congress is because I’ve seen firsthand how effective he is,” Hoyer told a crowd of Boafo supporters at the Kenhill Center in Bowie as part of a kickoff tour of the 5th District.

Besides Boafo, another four Democratic candidates currently hold elected office: Sen. Arthur Ellis (D-Charles), Del. Nicole Williams (D-Prince George’s), Charles County Board of Commissioners President Reuben Collins II and Prince George’s County Councilmember Wala Blegay.

Other high-profile Democrats in the race include former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who finished second in a 22-candidate Democratic primary field for the 3rd District seat now held by Rep. Sarah Elfreth, and former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III.

Boafo acknowledged the other Democrats in the race, but said he will separate himself from the crowd by building a coalition. For instance, his 23rd Legislative District colleagues – Sen. Ron Watson and Dels. Kym Taylor and Marvin Holmes – all were in attendance Monday to back his candidacy.

Just as Hoyer got to see Boafo up close, Boafo said the same of Hoyer and his interactions with constituents.

“Even if you disagreed with him, he would give you his opinion, and he owed you that as his constituent. Not to say what you wanted to hear, [but] what he thought was best for America and for this great state,” Boafo said. “And that’s the exact energy we’re going to bring.”

Eberle to retire from ACA insurance exchange

Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Executive Director Michele Eberle is stepping down after more than eight years leading the organization that oversees the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.

The exchange last week announced her plan to retire this summer. The statement said the Board of Trustees will hire an executive search firm to conduct a nationwide search for her replacement.

“It has been my honor and pleasure to serve Maryland in this capacity, and I am very proud of what my team has accomplished over the last 10 years,” Eberle said in a written statement.

Michele Eberle, executive director for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, in a 2023 photo. She is retiring this summer. (File photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters)

The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange oversees the state’s ACA marketplace, the Maryland Health Connection, which helps Marylanders find the most beneficial and affordable insurance plan for them. Eberle’s been with the exchange in various roles since 2013 and took over as executive director in 2017 — the longest to serve in that position.

Under Eberle’s supervision, the exchange has worked to improve access to ACA plans. It also worked with legislators to create a subsidy aimed at reducing costs for young adults buying insurance on the marketplace, bringing down monthly costs for an age group that is more likely to forgo health insurance.

“I am most proud of the impact we have made reducing coverage disparities in our Black, Hispanic and young adult communities through our focused efforts and partnerships,” Eberle said.

In recent years, she oversaw the “Medicaid unwinding,” the post-pandemic review of more than 1.8 million Medicaid recipients to see who still qualified for the federal health plan after restrictions on renewing were largely lifted during COVID-19.

Eberle is not leaving until June 30, which means she will still be a part of discussions during this legislative session on how to incorporate federal changes to the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, including new work requirements that will take effect in 2027.

Campaign energy

Senate President Bill Ferguson’s (D-Baltimore City) announcement in Baltimore City may have been about his frustrations with a proposed power line, but that didn’t mean his supporters couldn’t use the event to get in a plug, too.

Senate President Bill Ferguson (D- Baltimore City) speaks at a news conference Monday beside Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen (D), right. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters)

Ferguson, who has represented Maryland’s 46th District since 2011, faces a primary election challenger this year in Bobby LaPin, a Baltimore sailboat captain and social media personality who has sought to differentiate himself from the Senate President on key issues. LaPin has lobbied hard, for instance, for midcycle Congressional redistricting, while Ferguson has blocked the issue in the Senate.

During Monday’s news conference, Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen (D) appealed to voters directly to support Ferguson in the race.

“Don’t get it twisted. We’ve got a real leader in Bill Ferguson,” Cohen said. “If he were to lose this seat, Baltimore would lose an enormous amount of influence. Today is a great example of why it matters that the Senate president lives right here in Baltimore.”

Cohen’s pronouncement did not exactly break new ground: He announced his endorsement of Ferguson and the entire slate of District 46 incumbents back in December.

A wintry Blueprint

Snow, sleet, rain and a little bit of wind didn’t stop education leaders, advocates and students from traveling to Annapolis Monday for the fifth annual “Blueprint Day” rally outside the State House to tell lawmakers to fully fund the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s multibillion-dollar education reform plan.

The year’s rally had a decidedly student-led feel, which is how organizers with Strong Schools Maryland wanted it. Students were fortified with sandwiches, pizza, snacks, gloves and hand-warmers. Students from the Middle River Dance Team performed in the rain, while other students held signs that read “Fund our schools,” “Blueprint = Education,” and “Education is a right.”

Cortly Witherspoon, a high school student from Baltimore City, speaks at the annual Blueprint rally Monday night at Lawyers Mall. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)

State Schools Superintendent Carey Wright, watching the students at the rally, said it showed that “America’s in great hands.”

“When you’ve got kids like this that are coming out on a night like this, speaking and dancing, America’s in good hands for the future,” Wright said a few minutes before she spoke to the crowd.

State Board of Education President Joshua Michael was on hand, with his two daughters in tow, and Del. Stephanie Smith (D-Baltimore City), who chairs the House Appropriations’ Education and Economic Subcommittee, told the students they have “a right to a free, fair and adequately funded education.”

Advocates don’t expect the same challenges they faced last year, when the state was staring down a $3.6 billion budget deficit and lawmakers trimmed some of the Blueprint. Del. Ben Barnes (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said last month that, for now, the “Blueprint’s fully funded this year.”

Cortly Witherspoon, a Baltimore City high school student, still reminded lawmakers to maintain funding for public education.

“We must ensure that [a] student’s ZIP code does not determine the education that they receive,” he said. “We are the future and the future starts now.”