Yesterday marked the national holiday commemorating Juneteenth and today marks another day of hearings by the January 6 Commission looking into the deadly insurrection carried out  at the U.S. Capitol last year. It certainly is a momentous time in our country. The work of the Commission is a reminder of how important it is to shine a light on Trump’s actions and the attempts by white nationalists and their backers to overturn our democracy. 

Juneteenth celebrations and events provide a way to keep telling the truth about our country’s history. We hope you had a chance to honor this significant day in some way. Read our statement on Juneteenth if you haven’t yet. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, so here at Progressive Maryland, we’re reflecting  on the ways in which these two events are converging, and the need to keep speaking truth to power in order to be free. We know that preserving our democracy, confronting our past, and making sure the truth prevails can help us build a better Maryland. 

Elections play a central role in this struggle for a better state and a better world. Let’s make sure that everyone participates in the Primary election and that progressives prevail at the ballot box. We need to ensure that candidates who believe in our democracy and who will work to advance racial justice get elected! Our individual votes and voices can open up a New Era in Maryland politics. We only have 28 days left to gather and harness the power of the grassroots. Sign up to join our growing election team!

On the state level, we will choose a new Governor, a new Comptroller, a new Attorney General, and who we send to the Maryland General Assembly. We’ll also decide who will represent us on the local level in County offices, on School Boards, and in Central Committees, as well as Judges and some city officials. Check out Progressive Maryland’s endorsed candidates. 

The Memo will appear here after the email version has been sent.

The Congressional circus is back for one more sprint and they are hot on Trump’s trail, but also working on guns and maybe a downsized Build Back Less Bad bill, maybe… it all needs to be packed into this week, before the two-week July 4 recess…

On this Juneteenth 2022, I’m asking you to understand history, celebrate progress, and uplift the importance of intersectionality in the work toward freedom and justice. A statement by Christianne Marguerite, Director of Communications at Progressive Maryland. 

The Progressive Maryland Returning Citizens Task Force (previously known as the Reentry Work Group) held a grant program kickoff event to celebrate grant recipients!

It’s a busy time of year! Graduations, end of school, weddings, vacations, visitors, swim meets, softball tournaments, gardening, community festivals, outings, and more. Not to mention work, juggling family needs, and trying to keep up with and process the news of the day. One big event this summer that deserves our full  attention no matter where we live or what our schedules may be: the Primary Election in July. The simple act of voting not only keeps our democracy going, it  gives us a chance to express our support for candidates who want to make positive progressive change. Every vote matters! Four years ago, the outcome in the County Executive race in the Montgomery County Primary was decided by 80 votes (out of about 130,000 votes cast). 

Our individual votes matter and this year we are working to collectively gather our voices and votes to make a difference for progressive candidates. Find out how to make change happen -- together -- in the Memo. Read on.

Possible good news, for a change, in Congress -- some modest tightening of access to guns may pass.

Meanwhile, in Maryland, prepping for more of this pandemic plus the next one (?); a Hogan veto increases election results uncertainty and (for sure) opens up more time for Big Lies to grow; Dem Guv hopefuls feel pressure on education futures; state's higher ed schools show variety in recovery from COVID pause.

The Memo will be posted here Monday after the email version is sent

In a final veto dump on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, Gov. Hogan erases laws for better transit, more transparent and easy voting and protecting tenants against eviction. What's not to like? We have the reaction to that and more in state action, plus the prospect of a week when both US House and Senate will be in at work and dodging questions about, you know, guns and dead elementary school students. Read on ...

PM Weekly Memo for May 23 2022: Stand Strong For A Strong Democracy, Rep. Raskin’s message to us.

We can’t think of a better way to have marked the one year Anniversary of our New Era PAC and election program than by being with more than 300 Marylanders (on zoom and Facebook in real time and viewing later) with more than a dozen impressive progressive PM backed candidates and our own remarkable Champion for Democracy Rep. Jamie Raskin! 

He told us he was thrilled to be working with Progressive Maryland and all of us. We were thrilled to be with him and to hear his inspiring message last Saturday. He expressed what we’ve all been thinking  for some time,“we’re in the fight of our lives” given the attacks from the extreme right or as Congressman Raskin characterized them the “rule or ruin faction.”  He detailed the violent crimes and the harm that was done on January 6, 2021 by the insurrectionists and their enablers in the GOP. He described how razor close our country came to experiencing a coup. 

We prevailed at the end of that terrible and traumatic day but the assaults on our democracy and freedoms continue. Even in a blue state like ours there are Trump loving Republicans on the ballot this year. And an anti-choice group is organizing to put a  statewide ballot measure on the November ballot to  repeal the abortion legislation passed this year (and upheld after Hogan’s veto) in the Maryland General Assembly. We can’t take the outcome of the 2022 elections for granted so here at Progressive Maryland we’ll be very focused for the next two months on organizing extensive voter outreach, voter education and voter turnout efforts for the Primary contests. We’ll be involved in the general election, too! Voter participation is absolutely essential to keeping and growing our democracy. A strong democracy is what will help us, in the words of Rep. Raskin, “advance the interests, needs and agenda of the people.”

Thank you Rep. Raskin for sharing your time and remarks with us last Saturday. Thanks to PM Board Member Cat Paul who introduced the Congressman, to our affiliates and donors who supported the event, and to everyone who tuned in. It was great to see  the PM slate of candidates who joined us from the field where they were door knocking, attending events, and campaigning with volunteers! 

Now it’s time for all of us to jump in!  Please help  power our election work this spring and summer! We have two months left to shape the outcome of a number of County and state legislative elections. Sign up to knock on doors, drop campaign literature,  make calls to voters or help us recruit more volunteers. We have shifts available most weeknights and on weekends. See the memo for ways to get involved or reach out to one of our organizers.