One-hundred thirty-eight Maryland delegates and political officials have come to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention this week, looking to build on the surging energy in the party generated by the candidacies of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen are among the group’s most prominent political figures. Other Marylanders are making their debuts as delegates to the DNC.
Moore (D), who is expected to address the full convention this week, told reporters on a virtual press call Sunday that he’s going to be busy this week talking to veterans, young voters and other groups.
“I think the thing that I want people to know is that this is the campaign that's actually bringing joy into this race,” Moore said. “This is the campaign that's bringing unity into this race, and this is the campaign that actually believes in partnership to be able to produce the kind of results that people are hoping for.”
All Maryland delegates are pledged to Harris, the Democrats’ nominee who will be ceremonially nominated this week at the convention and whose campaign has galvanized the party since President Joe Biden withdrew on July 21.
“We're going to be energized, excited,” Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Ken Ulman told Capital News Service. “We're going to come out of Chicago. It's going to be Labor Day, and boom - we’ve got a two month sprint. So I think it's easier now to keep the momentum than in most campaigns.”
The Maryland contingent at the convention is expected to include the following people: 63 pledged district-level delegates, eight alternate delegates, 21 at-large delegates, seven members of the Maryland congressional delegation, 12 Democratic National Committee members and 11 other party leaders and elected officials.
The group originally expected all seven Democratic U.S. House members, but Rep. David Trone (D) is traveling overseas and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger will also not be in attendance, according to their offices.
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th), who sustained a mild stroke on Aug. 11, still will be in attendance, according to Margaret Mulkerrin, his deputy chief of staff.
Ulman said he was looking forward to the convention, which convenes Monday and will culminate Thursday with Harris’ acceptance speech.
“Excited, motivated, uplifted,” Ulman said when asked what he hopes that Maryland voters get from the convention. “It's going to be refreshing after seeing a party that just tears people down,” he continued, referring to the Republican Party.
Ulman, 50, will be serving as chair for the Maryland Democrats for the first time. Ulman is the former Howard County executive and worked for former Gov. Parris N. Glendening. When Moore came into office in 2023, he asked Ulman to serve as chair of the party.
“For me, this is actually a full-circle moment, going to Chicago for the convention,” Ulman said.
Two years into his political career, at 22, Ulman worked the 1996 Democratic National Convention, also held in Chicago.
Heading into the week, Ulman said he is not worried about the campaign peaking early.
“I’m focused on making sure we sustain the momentum,” he said. “It's actually a wonderful thing that this came together when it did, because, as Walz said, ‘you can do anything for 90 days.’”
The chairman said that the Maryland party has a ground game that has already been “unleashed” and will continue after the convention to keep the momentum in the state. The party is opening field offices across the state and organizers are knocking on doors, including in the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, where Ulman said Democrats typically don’t canvas.
According to Ulman, Marylanders will turn out to the polls in November not just for the presidential ticket, but also for congressional races and a ballot measure to amend the Maryland Constitution to protect abortion.
An additional issue on the minds of Maryland’s delegates to the DNC is the economy.
“Maryland isn't the only state that's dealing with this issue of housing,” said Adrian Boafo, who was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2023. “Folks who want more wages, folks who want better health care. A lot of the things I just mentioned are all federal policy. It's why you see people excited about mobilizing around the vice president and Governor Walz in this moment. But I think the economy is on top, the top of mind for everybody right now.”
Boafo, elected as a delegate from Maryland’s 5th congressional district, is attending his first convention. The Prince George's County resident intended to go to the 2020 convention with Hoyer, who he worked for as campaign manager at the time, but the gathering was mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other delegates from District 5 are Andrew Pruski, Edward Lewis, David Salazar, Tiffany Carlock, Zi'na Humphries, Courtney Finklea Green, Ashley Sharp and Cindy Yoe.
Another newcomer to the convention is Sheree Sample-Hughes. After serving as a member of the Electoral College last election cycle, Sample-Hughes is representing Maryland’s 1st congressional district.
Sample-Hughes said that the Harris-Walz campaign must prioritize solutions to problems. She said she expects Democrats to demonstrate a “unified front” at this year's convention.
“[Voters] want health care addressed at a national level and state level and local level,” Sample-Hughes said. “They want economic stability, those types of things. … My point is that a unified front is necessary as we move through this election and re-energize the base, but at the same time, let people see that the United States is one that we should, and continue to be proud of.”
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