Results from the Maryland Primaries: Few Opportunities for Women to Join Maryland's Currently All-Male Congressional Delegation

CAWP Staff

LAST UPDATED: 7.23.22 1:40pm ET (Final Results)

One primary was held on Tuesday in Maryland. Full context about women in the 2022 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, is available via the Center for American Women and Politics’ (CAWP) Election Watch.

Among the most notable results thus far for women:

  • The sole woman candidate for governor – former Maryland Secretary of Commerce Kelly Schulz (R) – was unsuccessful, meaning that Maryland will continue to be one of 19 states that has never had a woman governor.
  • All women candidates for the U.S. Senate were unsuccessful. 
  • Three (1D, 2R) women candidates have won nominations to challenge U.S. House incumbents in contests that strongly favor their opponents. 
  • State Delegate Brooke Lierman (D) won the Democratic nomination for comptroller. If elected, she would be the first woman to serve as comptroller in Maryland.
  • Gordana Schifanelli (R) won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox. Former State Delegate Aruna Miller (D) won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore. If elected, Miller would be the first Asian American woman elected to statewide elective executive office in Maryland.

 

U.S. Senate

Three (1D, 2R) women ran as challengers to incumbent U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D), including 1 (1D) woman who challenged Van Hollen in the Democratic primary. All 3 (1D, 2R) women were unsuccessful.

One (1D) woman has ever served in the U.S. Senate from Maryland: Barbara Mikulski (1987-2017).

U.S. House

There are currently no women in Maryland’s eight-member delegation to the U.S. House. Eight (5D, 3R) women have served in the U.S. House from Maryland. 

In 2022, 16 (7D, 9R) women filed as candidates for U.S. House seats in Maryland.

Based on primary election results, women are 3 of 16 (18.8%) major-party nominees for U.S. House in Maryland, including 1 of 8 (12.5%) Democrats and 2 of 8 (25%) Republicans. Thirteen (6D, 7R) women candidates for the U.S. House were unsuccessful.

  • 3 (1D, 2R) women have already won nominations to challenge incumbents in November. 
    • Former State Delegate Heather Mizeur (D) won the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Representative Andy Harris (R) in MD-01, a contest currently rated as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report.
    • Nicolee Ambrose (R) won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Representative Dutch Ruppersberger in MD-02, a contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report.
    • Yuripzy Morgan (R) won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Representative John Sarbanes (D) in MD-03, a contest currently rated as “Solid Democrat” by Cook Political Report. If elected, she would be the first Latina elected to Congress from Maryland. 

Statewide Elective Executive Office

Women currently hold 0 of 4 (0%) statewide elective executive offices in Maryland, including governor. Just 1 (1D) woman has ever served in statewide elective executive office in Maryland. No woman has ever served as governor of Maryland.

All statewide elective executive offices are up for election in Maryland this year.

Twelve (10D, 2R) women filed as candidates for four statewide elective executive offices up for election in Maryland in 2022, including 1 (1R) woman who filed as a candidate for governor. Candidates for lieutenant governor are selected by gubernatorial nominees and run on the same ticket as their gubernatorial running mates in the primary election.

Based on primary election results, women are 3 of 8 (37.5%) major-party nominees already selected for statewide elective executive offices in Maryland, including 2 of 4 (50%) Democrats and 1 of 4 (25%) Republicans. Nine (8D, 1R) women statewide elective executive candidates were unsuccessful, including the only woman candidate for governor.

  • 3 (2D, 1R) women won nominations in open-seat statewide executive contests.
    • State Delegate Brooke Lierman (D) won the Democratic nomination for comptroller. If elected, she would be the first woman to serve as comptroller in Maryland.
    • Gordana Schifanelli (R) won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox.
    • Former State Delegate Aruna Miller (D) won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Wes Moore. If elected, Miller would be the first Asian American woman elected to statewide elective executive office in Maryland.

Of the 3 (2D, 1R) women nominees already selected for statewide elective executive office in Maryland, 1 (1D) woman - Miller (lieutenant governor) - is Asian American and 2 (1D, 1R) women - Lierman (comptroller) and Schifanelli (lieutenant governor) - are white.

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For primary results summaries from other states and full results, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, see CAWP’s Election Watch.

CAWP Staff