Maryland
Heather Mizeur: Andy Harris a ‘traitor’ for attending pre-Jan. 6 meeting
Former delegate challenging Republican congressman in 1st Congressional District
Heather Mizeur on Wednesday called U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) a “traitor” after the Jan. 6 committee disclosed he attended a meeting with former President Donald Trump that focused on how he could stay in office after losing the 2020 presidential election.
“I was completely flabbergasted,” Mizeur told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview. “It should surprise us, and yet what we know from Andy Harris it wasn’t so surprising after all.”
“This proved that he wasn’t just one of 147 that voted against democracy on Jan. 6, he was one of 10 in the room with the Trump administration in the White House plotting the overthrow of the peaceful transfer of power,” she added, referring to the Dec. 21, 2020, meeting at the White House that Harris and other Republican members of Congress attended. “He’s a traitor to our nation. Andy Harris has betrayed his oath of office, and I believe he’s unfit to serve.”
Mizeur was at an early voting center in Edgewood in Harford County on Tuesday when the committee disclosed Harris participated in the White House meeting with Trump. Mizeur later in the day held an event in Bel Air.
“It was the number one thing everyone wanted to talk about,” she said. “It has just ignited a renewed passion for getting rid of this horrible, lousy congressman that has not just failed at doing his job.”
Harris’ spokesperson on Thursday did not respond to the Blade’s request for comment.
Victory Fund, LPAC have endorsed Mizeur
Mizeur served on the Takoma Park City Council before she served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2007-2015. Mizeur ran for governor in 2014.
Mizeur, who now lives on the Eastern Shore with her wife, announced her campaign against Harris in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District less than a month after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Mizeur would be the first openly lesbian member of Congress from Maryland if she defeats Harris in November.
“I’m the patriot and the woman who’s going to hold him accountable and defeat him in November,” Mizeur told the Blade.
Harris has represented the 1st Congressional District — which currently encompasses the entire Eastern Shore and portions of Baltimore, Carroll and Harford Counties — since 2011. Mizeur is running against David Harden in the Democratic primary that will take place on July 19.
The Cook Political Report currently ranks the district as R +11.
Campaign finance reports indicate Mizeur raised $1,954,881.08 from Jan. 1, 2021, through June 29 compared to the $1,493,411.83 that Harris raised during the same period. Campaign finance reports indicate Harris’ as of June 29 had $1,849,850.56 on hand, compared to Mizeur’s $1,103,317.43.
Salisbury Mayor Jake Day, Havre de Grace Mayor Bill Martin, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, state Del. Lisa Belcastro (D-Baltimore County), House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are among the elected officials who have endorsed Mizeur. The Victory Fund, LPAC, Emily’s List, the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, SEIU and other groups have also backed her campaign.
“Money is energy, and people are putting their energy behind this race,” said Mizeur. “There’s a grassroots urgency to this campaign and excitement. People are equal parts excited to fire Andy Harris and to hire Heather Mizeur.”
Roe decision ‘sent shockwaves everywhere’
Mizeur spoke with the Blade less than a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
She said the decision “sent shockwaves everywhere.”
“It didn’t matter that they telegraphed that it was potentially happening,” said Mizeur. “It still felt differently when it landed. None of us anticipated there would really be a day where the court would turn over 50 years of settled law and precedent that many of those justices themselves said that they would uphold when they were being questioned in their confirmation hearings.”
Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurring opinion said the Supreme Court should also reconsider the decisions in the Obergefell and Lawrence cases that extended marriage equality to same-sex couples and the right to private, consensual sex. Mizeur said the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe “has huge implications for the LGBTQ community as well.”
“We’re next in line for those rights to potentially be overturned,” she said.
“Now in Maryland, we’re okay because we have abortion rights enshrined in law here and we’ve passed marriage equality and it was affirmed in a citizen referendum here,” added Mizeur.
Mizeur said she supports the codification of abortion rights in federal law.
“I absolutely refuse to sit back and allow coat hanger and back alley abortions to threaten women’s lives again,” she said. “This is serious stuff, and democracy dies with complacency. And I think that’s what had been happening for a really long time. This has all just been a giant wake up call. For those who believed it didn’t matter whether or not they were involved in the process, that they absolutely have to consistently be engaged involved, voicing their concerns, and voting their values at the ballot box.”
President Joe Biden has said he supports calls to end the filibuster to codify federal abortion rights. Mizeur told the Blade that she too backs such a move.
“It is such a challenge because of the makeup of the Senate right now,” she said. “All we can do is to continue to grab our pitchforks and take to the streets and commit and continue to demand this, but I absolutely am somebody is in support of that.”
Mizeur also spoke about her support of the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights law.
“I would like to think that it has even more energy and momentum behind it now,” she told the Blade. “Because similar to how we’re sitting here, dealing with a post-Roe world, we have to be worried about the LGBTQ community what it means to potentially be in a post Obergefell world and get in front of that and in law protections, not just for marriage equality, but for all the other issues that are encompassed in the Equality Act.”
Maryland
Queer candidates, allies on the ballot in Md. primary
Evan Glass running to become Montgomery County Executive
Maryland voters will see LGBTQ candidates on ballots across the state when they head to the polls for the June 23 primary election.
Evan Glass, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, is the current frontrunner in the Montgomery County Executive race.
He made history in 2018 as the first openly gay Jewish man on the County Council. Glass is currently nearing the end of his second term as a councilmember.
During his time on the council, he passed the ICE Out Act and the Pay Equity Act. He has also been outspoken about his disapproval of AI data centers and is endorsed by the Sierra Club.
“Our community is under attack and we need local leaders who will continue fighting back against Donald Trump while embracing our beautiful diversity,” Glass said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
Josie Caballero, who is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council, would become the first transgender woman elected to office in Maryland if successful.
Alleria Stanley, who is running for the House of Delegates in District 4, could also make history. Stanley, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, would become the first trans person elected to the Maryland General Assembly if successful. She currently serves as vice president of the Transgender American Veterans Association.
Several congressional races are also drawing attention ahead of the primary.
In Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, former Congressman David Trone is challenging U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney. Trone has previously supported LGBTQ rights legislation, including the Equality Act, during his time in Congress.
Meanwhile, voters in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District will help determine who succeeds retiring U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer. State Del. Adrian Boafo (D-Prince George’s County), former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, former U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, and Quincy Bareebe are among the Democrats running for Hoyer’s seat.
During his congressional career, Hoyer supported LGBTQ rights legislation and opposed the Trump-Vance administration’s trans military ban.
His daughter, Stefany Hoyer Hemmer, in 2012 came out as a lesbian in an exclusive interview with the Blade. Maryland voters the same year approved the state’s marriage equality law in a referendum.
“I’m pleased that Stefany is adding her voice to those across Maryland and the country calling for marriage equality,” Steny Hoyer told the Blade, referring to his daughter’s decision to come out and to champion the marriage equality law. “This is about ensuring all families receive equal treatment under the law. As more people speak out, the more momentum this effort gains to give every family the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Gay, lesbian incumbents running for re-election
A number of openly gay and lesbian members of the Maryland General Assembly are seeking re-election this year.
State Del. Joe Vogel, who represents Montgomery County’s District 17, is seeking another term in office. Vogel made national headlines during his 2024 congressional campaign and has received support from LGBTQ advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign.
State Del. Gabriel Acevero, who represents District 39 in Montgomery County, is also seeking re-election. When he was first elected in 2018, Acevero became the first openly gay Afro-Latino elected to the General Assembly.
State Del. Anne Kaiser (D-Montgomery County), who represents District 14, is running for another term. Kaiser, who is a lesbian, was recently appointed vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee and has served in the legislature since 2003.
State Del. Kris Fair is seeking re-election in District 3 in Frederick County. Fair has been active in civil rights advocacy and has worked with organizations including Marylanders for Marriage Equality, the campaign in support of the state’s marriage equality law.
State Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s County), who represents District 22, is also running for re-election. Martinez has focused on issues including affordable housing, healthcare access, and support for small businesses during his time in office.
State Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore County) is seeking another term for District 43. When she was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010, Washington became Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ African American elected official.
State Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) is also running for re-election for Legislative District 46. Clippinger has served in the House of Delegates since 2010 and has supported legislation including marriage equality and efforts to ban the use of LGBTQ panic defenses.
Byron MacFarlane seeking re-election in Howard County
Several other LGBTQ candidates are running for local and state offices across Maryland.
Jamar Day is running for an at-large seat on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. According to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Day identifies as pansexual and would become the first openly gay member of the board if elected. He previously worked as a teacher and dean of students in Baltimore and Washington.
Jamie McGonnigal is running for the Prince George’s County Board of Education representing District 3. McGonnigal currently serves as president of the Hyattsville Elementary School PTA and founded the advocacy organization TalkAboutEquality.org.
Matt Menter is seeking election to represent District 41 in the House of Delegates. Menter has worked on issues related to homelessness and addiction recovery and has served on Baltimore City’s LGBTQ Commission.
Joe Toolan is running for Anne Arundel County Council’s District 6 seat. Toolan previously served as the first chair of the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs and currently works with the environmental advocacy organization GreenLatinos.
Spencer Dixon is seeking a seat in the House of Delegates representing District 32 in Anne Arundel County. Dixon currently serves on the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board and has worked on Democratic political campaigns in Maryland.
Byron Macfarlane is running for re-election as Howard County’s register of wills. When he was first elected in 2010, Macfarlane became the first openly gay person elected in Howard County.
Maryland
‘Girlfriends’ wanted for murder in Silver Spring, Md.
Montgomery County police say two charged with killing mother of one of them
The Montgomery County, Md., Department of Police announced on June 4 that it is seeking the public’s help in locating two women, who they identify as a couple, who are charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing the mother of one of them.
In a statement police identified the two women as Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson of Clarksburg, Md., and her girlfriend Samantha Raebel of Phoenix, Ariz. The statement says the two are charged with the murder of Hilde Henderson, 67, the mother of Vanessa.
According to the statement, officers with the department’s 3rd District found Hilde Henderson deceased on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at her home at the Charter House apartments in the 1300 block of Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring after being called to check on the resident’s welfare.
“Henderson was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where an autopsy was conducted,” the statement says. “The cause of death was ruled a homicide.”
It adds, “Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Henderson’s daughter, Vanessa Tjongarero-Henderson and Vanessa’s girlfriend, Raeble, as the suspects.” It says detectives obtained an arrest warrant against the two women, charging both with first-degree murder.
“Anyone with information regarding the location of these suspects or this crime is asked to call 911 or to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, Md. website at crimesolversmcmd.org,” the statement says, or to call the tip line at 1-866-411-8477.
“Tips with information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward from $250 up to $10,000,” it says, adding that tips may remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County police didn’t immediately respond to a request from the Washington Blade for information not disclosed in the police statement, including the physical-medical cause of death for Hilde Henderson and whether detectives have determined a motive for the murder.
Maryland
Baltimore Heritage wants Md. LGBTQ historical sites added to National Registry
Mary Elizabeth Garrett’s Mount Vernon home among historical sites
Baltimore Heritage is continuing its mission to preserve Maryland’s LGBTQ history.
The group, using documentation, is attempting to get statewide LGBTQ historical sites listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Kentucky was the first state to make this effort, using a similar study to Maryland, which outlined a comprehensive list of LGBTQ heritage sites.
Baltimore Heritage, a local non-profit, 15 years ago began its efforts to promote LGBTQ heritage within the local community, mainly with walking tours to sites important to LGBTQ history. Preservation Maryland in 2018 received a grant, and Susan Ferentinos spent two years compiling a comprehensive list of LGBTQ historical sites, later published in 2022.
Suffragist Mary Elizabeth Garrett’s Mount Vernon home is one of the examples of the LGBTQ historical sites.
Although Garrett never labeled herself, she was involved in same-sex relationships, was a leader in the feminist movement, and played a large role in advancing education for women.
Although the effort has been ongoing, Baltimore Heritage Executive Director Johns Hopkins explained that Baltimore Heritage and its partners’ goal is to add Maryland to the public conversation on LGBTQ history.
“Bringing a little bit of a spotlight to some of the sites that are important, locally and nationally, would be meeting a goal of trying to have a broader, more in-depth public discussion around LGBTQ history, so we all know where we’re coming from,” said Hopkins.
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