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Maryland Attorney General election, 2018 (June 26 Republican primary)

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2022
2014
Maryland Attorney General
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 27, 2018
Primary: June 26, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Brian Frosh (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Maryland
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Maryland
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Comptroller

A Republican Party primary election took place on June 26, 2018, in Maryland to determine which candidate would run as the party's nominee in the state's November 6, 2018, attorney general election.


For more information about attorney general elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the attorney general of Maryland was Brian Frosh (D), who was first elected in 2014.
  • In 2018, Maryland was under divided government. It had held this status since Gov. Larry Hogan (R) took office in 2015. Maryland was under divided triplex control.
  • The Democratic candidate won Maryland in each of the presidential elections between 2000 and 2016. The widest margin of victory was Hillary Clinton's 26 percent margin in 2016 while the narrowest was John Kerry's 13 percent margin in 2004.
  • Candidates and election results

    Craig Wolf advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Maryland on June 26, 2018.

    Republican primary election
    Republican primary for Attorney General of Maryland

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/CraigWolfAttGen_R__fixed.jpg
    Craig Wolf
     
    100.0
     
    175,429

    Total votes: 175,429
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Context of the 2018 election

    Past elections

    2014

    See also: Maryland attorney general election, 2014

    Jeffrey Pritzker was unopposed in the 2014 Republican primary election.[1]

    Voter information

    How the primary works

    A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Maryland utilizes a closed primary system. Although parties may hold open primaries, parties generally permit only registered party members to vote in their primaries.[2]

    For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

    Poll times

    In Maryland, all polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3]

    Registration requirements

    Check your voter registration status here.

    According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, to register to vote in Maryland, one must be a United States citizen and Maryland resident who is at least 16 years old. Although a 16-year-old can register to vote, he or she cannot vote in an election unless he or she will be 18 at the time of the next general election (i.e., 17-year-olds are permitted to vote in primary elections, so long as they'll be 18 by the time of the corresponding general election).[4]

    Maryland allows same-day voter registration during the early voting period and on Election Day.[4]

    Voters may register online, by mail, or in person at one of the following locations:[4]

    • Local board of elections
    • The State Board of Elections
    • Local Department of Health office
    • Maryland Department of Human Services local offices
    • Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) offices
    • Local Area Agency on Aging offices
    • MTA Paratransit Certification Office
    • All public institutions of higher education
    • Recruitment offices of the U.S. Armed Forces
    • Marriage license offices
    • Offices for students with disabilities at all Maryland colleges and universities

    Automatic registration

    Maryland automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Motor Vehicle Administration.

    Online registration

    See also: Online voter registration

    Maryland has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

    Same-day registration

    Maryland allows same-day voter registration.

    Residency requirements

    Maryland law requires 21 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

    Verification of citizenship

    See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

    Mayland does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

    Verifying your registration

    The voter lookup page, run by the Maryland Board of Elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

    Voter ID requirements

    Maryland does not require voters to present identification while voting, in most cases.[5]

    A voter will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances:

    • The voter registered by mail and did not provide proper identification;
    • The voter’s identity is challenged; or
    • The voter registers to vote during early voting or changes his or her address during early voting.

    The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Maryland Attorney General's voting information page to ensure you have the most current information.

    • A Maryland Driver's License or other Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) issued identification
    • A student ID card that contains a photo
    • An employee ID card that contains a photo
    • A passport or other government issued ID,

    OR, if you do not have those forms of ID:

    a utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck that shows your name and address and is less than 3 months old. If you are showing ID because you are voting for the first time, your name and address on the document must match the information on the voter registration roll.[6]

    Early voting

    Maryland permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

    Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

    As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.

    Absentee voting

    All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Maryland. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[7]

    To vote absentee, an application must be received by election officials at least seven days prior to the election. A returned absentee ballot must then be postmarked on or before Election Day if submitted by mail. Ballots can also be returned in person until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.[7]


    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Maryland heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    • Democrats controlled both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly. They had a 91-50 majority in the state House and a 33-14 majority in the state Senate.

    Trifecta status

    • Maryland was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Larry Hogan (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.

    2018 elections

    See also: Maryland elections, 2018

    Maryland held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Maryland
     MarylandU.S.
    Total population:5,994,983316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):9,7073,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:57.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:29.5%12.6%
    Asian:6%5.1%
    Native American:0.3%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:3%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:9%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:89.4%86.7%
    College graduation rate:37.9%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$74,551$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:10.7%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maryland.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    As of July 2016, Maryland's three largest cities were Baltimore (pop. est. 611,648), Columbia (pop. est. 103,439), and Germantown (pop. est. 90,494).[8][9]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Maryland from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Maryland every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Maryland 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 60.3% Republican Party Donald Trump 33.9% 26.4%
    2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 62.0% Republican Party Mitt Romney 35.9% 26.1%
    2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 61.9% Republican Party John McCain 36.5% 25.4%
    2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 55.9% Republican Party George W. Bush 42.9% 13.0%
    2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 56.6% Republican Party George W. Bush 40.2% 16.4%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Maryland from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Maryland 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Democratic Party Chris Van Hollen 60.9% Republican Party Kathy Szeliga 35.7% 25.2%
    2012 Democratic Party Ben Cardin 56.0% Republican Party Dan Bongino 26.3% 29.7%
    2010 Democratic Party Barbara Mikulski 62.2% Republican Party Eric Wargotz 35.8% 26.4%
    2006 Democratic Party Ben Cardin 54.2% Republican Party Michael Steele 44.2% 10.0%
    2004 Democratic Party Barbara Mikulski 64.8% Republican Party E. J. Pipkin 33.8% 31.0%
    2000 Democratic Party Paul Sarbanes 63.2% Republican Party Paul Rappaport 36.7% 26.5%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Maryland.

    Election results (Governor), Maryland 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Larry Hogan 51.0% Democratic Party Anthony G. Brown 47.2% 3.8%
    2010 Democratic Party Martin O'Malley 49.5% Republican Party Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 41.8% 6.7%
    2006 Democratic Party Martin O'Malley 52.7% Republican Party Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 46.2% 6.5%
    2002 Republican Party Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 51.6% Democratic Party Kathleen Kennedy Townsend 47.7% 3.9%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Maryland in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Maryland 2000-2016
    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 1 12.5% Democratic Party 7 87.5% D+7
    2014 Republican Party 1 12.5% Democratic Party 7 87.5% D+7
    2012 Republican Party 1 12.5% Democratic Party 7 87.5% D+7
    2010 Republican Party 2 25% Democratic Party 6 75% D+4
    2008 Republican Party 1 12.5% Democratic Party 7 87.5% D+7
    2006 Republican Party 2 25% Democratic Party 6 75% D+4
    2004 Republican Party 2 25% Democratic Party 6 75% R+1
    2002 Republican Party 2 25% Democratic Party 6 75% R+1
    2000 Republican Party 4 50.0% Democratic Party 4 50.0% Even

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Maryland Party Control: 1992-2024
    Twenty-one years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D


    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    There are no Pivot Counties in Maryland. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Maryland with 60.3 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 33.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1789 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic 52 percent of the time and Republican 21 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Maryland voted Democratic all five times.[10]


    See also

    Maryland government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes