Moore To Announce First Eight Primary Endorsements

By Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters

April 28, 2026

Eight Democratic candidates will get a pre-primary boost Tuesday from Gov. Wes Moore (D), amid a push by the state Democratic Party to compete in districts across the state, including some of the reddest districts.

“If we are going to build a Maryland that leaves no one behind we must uplift our community leaders that will prioritize creating work, wages, and wealth in all of our communities,” Moore said in a statement. “These leaders have raised their hands to serve in our state’s most competitive districts and we are all in to make sure in November these communities have someone in office who will fight for them.”

Topping the list are two candidates running in districts Democrats see as competitive: Chuck Cook is running in Anne Arundel County’s District 33B, where Vice President Kamala Harris edged out Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and Josh Hastings is running in District 38B in Wicomico County. Both are running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Cook, a senior adviser to Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day, is “an Army veteran, like the Governor, and as an advocate for working people, ‘Leave no one behind’ isn’t just a catchphrase or motto, it’s the entire reason we want to serve,” he said in a statement.

Hastings describes himself in a statement as a “two-term County Councilman that has built a strong reputation for thoughtfully and civilly bringing together opposing views, I’m eager to work alongside Governor Moore to make authentic progress on day one for every Wicomico resident regardless of their ZIP code or their party affiliation.”

Cook faces Stuart Michael Schmidt Jr., a one-term Republican, in the general election. Hastings will square off against first-term Del. Barry S. Beauchamp, who was nominated in 2024 to fill the vacancy created when Republican Del. Carl Anderton resigned to join the Moore administration.

Governor’s slate looking for a few Moore Democratic legislators

For Cook and Hastings, the endorsement comes with a $6,000 donation, the maximum allowed.

The donations are expected to come from Moore’s own campaign account and not a slate account he and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller set up in November to support legislative candidates, including some Democrats who are challenging incumbents. The Leave No One Behind Legislative Slate will focus on supporting Democratic candidates seen as more supportive of Moore’s agenda. It was announced at a time when the governor’s hand-picked redistricting advisory committee was set to consider redrawing the state’s eight congressional districts.

Moore is also backing Corynne Courpas, a Carroll County Democrat running for the House of Delegates in District 42C. Courpas faces a difficult challenge in a single-member district where Trump won all 13 precincts in 2024 and defeated Harris by a more than 2-1 margin.

She’s running unopposed in the primary as is Steve Patten, the Republican. Del. Josh Stonko, the first-term GOP incumbent, is not seeking reelection.

Moore is also backing Lara Westdorp, who was a staffer to former Sen. Ron Young, in her campaign for the District 4 Senate seat in Frederick County. The seat is currently held by first-term Sen. Bill Folden (R). Neither candidate has a primary opponent.

Along with the endorsement, Westdorp is also expected to receive a $6,000 contribution from Moore. The district favored Republicans by just 4 points in the 2024 election and is seen as the best opportunity for the Democrats to flip one of 13 red Senate seats blue.

“The fact that Governor Moore’s first major endorsement rollout this cycle is all red-to-blue candidates shows he is committed to winning flippable districts up and down the ballot and all across the State of Maryland,” said Steuart Pittman, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. “Together we will work to win big in competitive seats all across the state and send a message in November that Maryland Democrats are sending leaders to Annapolis that will leave no one behind.”

In March, Pittman announced that the party was successful in finding a candidate in every state legislative race at the House and Senate level. The party did not reach its goal of finding a candidate for all local races in the coming election.

“The Maryland state party and the Moore-Miller campaign are in lockstep about flipping competitive districts up and down the ballot and all across the state,” said a spokesperson for the governor’s campaign.

Other endorsements

Moore is also weighing in for some Democrats in local and federal races.

Moore is backing Dan Schwartz for Congress in Maryland’s 1st District, where Schwartz is locked in a four-way primary against Victor Allen Guidice, George Walish and Randi White.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Andy Harris (R). Moore unsuccessfully pushed for mid-cycle redistricting this year that would have made the 1st District more competitive for a Democrat. The House passed the bill, but the Senate, led by President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), refused to bring it to the floor for a vote.

In southern Anne Arundel County, Moore is backing Spencer Jones’ bid for the District 7 council race currently held by first-term Councilmember Shannon Leadbetter, who is not seeking re-election. Jones is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Dillon Aldrich and Dawn Pulliam face each other in the Republican primary.

In Harford County, Moore is endorsing Hunter Baker in Council District E, where first-term Councilmember Jessica Boyle-Tsottles faces a Republican primary challenge from Douglas J. Phillips. Phillips is seen by some as more of an ally to County Executive Bob Cassilly (R), who continues squabbling with members of his own party in county government.

In Kent County, Moore is backing John T. Carroll, one of four Democrats competing for three county commissioner spots on the November ballot.

Current commissioners Ron Fithian, Albert Nickerson and John F. Price, all Republicans, are seeking reelection. Kamala Harris lost the county by almost 3 percentage points in 2024.

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: scrane@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and Twitter.