Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District House Race

The Baltimore Sun and Capital Gazette have launched a voter guide ahead of Maryland's Nov. 3, 2026 general election, surveying nearly 500 candidates across major statewide and local races. The guide covers contests for governor, attorney general and comptroller, plus General Assembly seats and competitive county-level races for executive, council, school board, state's attorney and sheriff in the Baltimore area and in Wicomico and Worcester counties. Circuit court clerk, register of wills, and orphans' and circuit court judgeships are also on the 2026 ballot.

The questionnaire lets candidates describe their backgrounds, policy positions and platforms in their own words, including reflections on past decisions and where they diverge from their party base. The outlets say the project is intended to help voters compare candidates directly as the election cycle ramps up.

The guide underscores the scale of Maryland's 2026 down-ballot landscape, which includes several competitive executive and legislative races likely to draw attention from political forecasters and prediction markets tracking state-level outcomes.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said Thursday he would "absolutely sign" a statewide moratorium on new data center development if it reached his desk, though he stressed local jurisdictions should retain say over such decisions. Thirteen of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions, including Baltimore and Montgomery and Prince George's counties, have already imposed temporary bans amid resident concerns over housing and utility costs.

Moore's comments add to a growing wave of pushback against data center expansion tied to the AI boom. New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland also backed a moratorium, citing environmental concerns and calling for centers to build their own renewable power. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed regulators to penalize data centers violating water-use rules. At the federal level, Sen. Martin Heinrich blocked a GOP bill on data center electricity costs, calling it insufficient. President Trump has urged data centers to cover their own power and water costs but criticized New York's moratorium, warning it risks losing AI investment to China.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced the "No Fencing at the United States Capitol Complex Act," legislation that would prohibit permanent fencing around the Capitol complex. The move comes years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack led officials to erect a temporary security fence, which stood for about six months and prompted discussion at the time of making a permanent barrier part of broader security upgrades.

Norton, who has long opposed a permanent fence, argued it would send "an un-American message" by turning the Capitol into a fortress rather than addressing actual security threats, and called instead for investment in intelligence, technology and training. She also cited potential disruption to surrounding residential neighborhoods and businesses, noting that streets were blocked and residents forced onto alternate routes after Jan. 6. Van Hollen said the Capitol can be protected "without walling it off to the public." Norton is retiring at the end of her current term.

A D.C. Superior Court judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the felony property destruction charge "with prejudice," blocking U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office from refiling the case even under continued political pressure from President Trump. Edelman wrote that the government "shot first and asked questions later" in pursuing a "lightning-fast indictment," and said any possibility of future prosecution was "theoretical at best."

Pirro had already moved to drop the charge in July after new evidence from the Interior Department indicated Hearn was not responsible for the pool's damaged lining, attributing it instead to a botched contractor installation rushed ahead of the America 250 celebration. Trump publicly criticized Pirro over the decision, saying she "folded like an umbrella," while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum continued to back claims of vandalism. Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian, said he had merely touched a loose piece of the pool's coating during a bike ride before complying with a park worker's instruction to let go. His attorneys called the dismissal a vindication after what they described as an unjust prosecution.

A D.C. Superior Court judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case "with prejudice," blocking U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office from refiling the felony property destruction charge, which had carried a maximum 10-year sentence.

Pirro's office had already dropped the charge in July after the Interior Department produced evidence that damage to the pool's lining came from a botched contractor installation rushed ahead of the America 250 celebration, not from Hearn. Despite that, Trump administration officials continued to accuse Hearn, with Trump publicly criticizing Pirro over the decision. Edelman said the government "shot first and asked questions later" and ruled that permanent dismissal was needed to shield Hearn from renewed prosecution under political pressure. Hearn's attorneys called the ruling a win for the rule of law and for "an innocent American seeking justice."

A D.C. Superior Court judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case "with prejudice," blocking U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office from refiling the felony charge, which originally carried up to 10 years in prison.

Pirro dropped the case in July after the Interior Department produced evidence that damage to the pool's lining resulted from a botched contractor installation rushed ahead of the America 250 celebration, not vandalism by Hearn. President Trump publicly criticized Pirro over the decision, prompting concerns she could face pressure to revive the charge. Edelman cited those political pressures in ruling the dismissal permanent, saying prosecutors had "shot first and asked questions later" in a rushed indictment process.

Hearn, 67, a three-time Olympian, said he had merely touched a loose piece of the pool's coating during a bike ride before complying with a park worker's instruction to let go. His attorneys called the ruling a vindication of due process.

Washington, D.C. voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to elect a new mayor for the first time in 12 years, as Mayor Muriel Bowser leaves office, and a new delegate to Congress for the first time in 36 years, following Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton's departure. The open seats have also reshaped races for several D.C. Council positions, as sitting members sought the higher offices. Mayoral candidates include Janeese Lewis George (Democrat), Rhonda Hamilton (Independent) and Robert L. Gross (Statehood Green Party); the delegate race features Robert White (Democrat), Denise Rosado (Republican) and Kymone Freeman (Statehood Green Party). Voters will also decide on an attorney general race, several ward and at-large council contests, and shadow representative and senator positions.

A separate ballot measure, Initiative 86, asks voters whether to ban the sale and distribution of foie gras in the District. Key dates include an Oct. 13 voter registration deadline, an Oct. 19 absentee ballot request deadline, and early in-person voting from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1.

Ahead of Ohio's Nov. 3 general election, early voting has already topped totals from the 2018 and 2022 midterms, with nearly 1.5 million ballots cast by Oct. 30 — about 907,000 in person and 580,000 by mail. Unlike past cycles, voters have shifted toward in-person early voting over mail-in ballots, which analysts attribute to convenience and distrust of postal delivery timelines. The race includes open contests for every statewide executive office plus U.S. Senate and congressional seats that could shift the balance of power in Washington.

Statewide, unaffiliated voters lead turnout, followed by registered Democrats and Republicans, though the partisan gap is narrow and varies by county. Early in-person voting ends Nov. 1, with all ballots due by 7:30 p.m. on Election Night.

Democrat Angie Nixon, who upset Alex Vindman in Florida's Senate primary by nearly 12 points, is now challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody in a race most analysts consider a longshot for Democrats. Florida has 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and polls show Moody leading, though margins vary. Nixon faces a severe funding gap, having raised under $1 million to Moody's more than $11 million as of late July, limiting her ability to counter attack ads tying her to the Democratic Socialists of America.

National Democrats have been slow to invest in the race, but Senators Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders are campaigning with Nixon this week, with Sanders contributing $250,000. Nixon is running on universal health care, child care, and affordable housing, and is working to mobilize Black voters and women while courting GOP-leaning communities. She has embraced an unapologetically progressive, grassroots-driven campaign, drawing comparisons to gubernatorial nominee David Jolly's more moderate crossover strategy, with both races seen as tests of competing Democratic approaches ahead of 2028. Analysts say Trump's unpopularity and cost-of-living concerns give her an opening, but she would need exceptionally high Democratic turnout combined with Republican voters staying home to overcome the state's structural disadvantages.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who is retiring when his Senate term ends, will join the University of Southern California as an endowed chair in practical politics and co-director of its Center for the Political Future, the university announced. He will co-lead the center alongside Republican strategist Mike Murphy, splitting his time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., teaching courses at both USC campuses.

Peters, a former college business and finance instructor before entering Congress in 2008, called the move "a capstone" of his public service career and said he wants to help expand the center's presence in Washington while bridging academia and policymaking. USC Dornsife Dean James Bullock cited Peters's record of bipartisan legislative work. Peters announced his Senate retirement in January 2025, leaving an open Michigan seat contested in the November 3 general election between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.