Maryland
Maryland’s Joe Vogel would make history if elected to Congress
27-year-old gay lawmaker running for David Trone seat
Maryland state Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery County) on Monday said it is time for a new generation of leaders in Congress.
The Montgomery County Democrat last May declared his candidacy for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District after Congressman David Trone announced his run for retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)’s seat. Vogel, 27, would be the first Latino, the first gay man and the first Gen Zer elected to Congress from Maryland if he were to win in November.
“We need a new generation of leadership with new perspectives, new ideas and the courage to actually deliver for our communities if we want things to get better in this country,” Vogel told the Washington Blade during an interview at the Line Hotel in Adams Morgan.
Protecting democracy among priorities
Vogel was born in Uruguay and immigrated to Rockville with his family when he was three years old.
He volunteered for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Vogel, who is Jewish, in 2014 worked for Maryland state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-Montgomery County)’s campaign.
He was part of Hillary Clinton’s National Advance Team during her 2016 presidential campaign, and worked on former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s 2017 gubernatorial bid. Vogel later joined the March for Our Lives movement for gun control that began after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, 2018.
Vogel in 2020 worked for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)’s presidential campaign. The Montgomery County Democrat in 2022 became the first Gen Zer to win a seat in the Maryland General Assembly.
Vogel pointed out to the Blade that he has introduced 18 bills in this year’s legislative session.
One of them, a bill that would prohibit the state from giving foster children in their custody trash bags for them to transport their belongings, passed unanimously in the House on March 14. Other measures that Vogel has sponsored would, among other things, provide security grants to abortion clinics and increase investments in local newspapers.
“I have a record of being able to deliver results,” he said. “That’s what I’m running on.”
Vogel pointed out to the Blade that his platform includes:
- • Protecting democracy
- • Preventing “attacks on fundamental rights”
- • Fighting climate change
- • Stopping gun violence
Vogel also noted his support for the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal civil rights laws.
“At a moment of time when you have attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, against our rights, against our identities, I believe that there’s nothing more powerful than electing Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress,” he said.
Vogel added his election would send “a message to all the young LGBTQ+ people across the state that they belong, and that they have someone in the United States Congress who understands them and is going to fight for them every single day,” added Vogel.
Vogel’s great-grandparents fled Europe ahead of the Holocaust. Uruguay’s military dictatorship was in place from 1973-1985.
His multiple identities remain a cornerstone of his legislative priorities and of his campaign.
“When we talk about the attacks on LGBTQ+ people, I get that. I feel that,” said Vogel. “I understand that when we talk about the attacks on immigrant communities … not only do I understand that, personally, but I’m around so many immigrants that feel that pain of what we’ve seen over the last many years of the incessant attacks on immigrants and Latino people. When we see the rise in anti-Semitism, I feel that personally.”
HRC, Victory Fund have endorsed Vogel
The Democratic primary will take place on May 14.
April McClain Delaney, a former U.S. Department of Commerce official whose husband is former Congressman John Delaney, and state Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Montgomery County) are among Vogel’s primary opponents. Former state Del. Dan Cox, an anti-LGBTQ Republican who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, is also running for Trone’s seat.
Campaign finance reports indicate Vogel raised $379,755.91 between May 4, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023. McClain Delaney reported she received $536,557 in campaign contributions from Oct. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023.
The Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, Equality PAC and the Sierra Club are among the organizations that have endorsed Vogel’s campaign. U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Frederick County Council President Brad Young are among those who have also backed him. The Maryland State Education Association and the National Education Association this week endorsed Vogel.
Vogel dismissed suggestions that he does not have enough legislative experience to run for Congress and that he is too young.
“When you’re elected to Congress, you’re elected for a two-year term,” he said. “Look at what I’ve been able to accomplish in a two-year term. I’ve proven that I can hit the ground running, get results, deliver results.”
Vogel added the race to succeed Trone in Congress is “me versus the status quo.”
“We need a new generation of leadership with new perspectives, new ideas and the courage to actually deliver for our communities if we actually want things to get better in this country,” said Vogel.
Democratic opponent gave money to Jim DeMint
Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan last month announced he is running for U.S. Senate. Prince George’s County Executive Director Angela Alsobrooks is also hoping to succeed Cardin.
Vogel sharply criticized Cox.
“He is as bigoted as it gets,” Vogel told the Blade. “He is a far-right extremist who bussed people to D.C. on Jan. 6, who is as homophobic as it gets, and who is as transphobic as it gets.”
Vogel said Maryland voters in November “need to reject Dan Cox” and “we have to reject Larry Hogan.” (Vogel has endorsed Trone’s Senate campaign.)
“We have to elect pro-equality members of Congress this November, to finally secure the protections that we need for our community in Congress,” said Vogel.
Vogel also vowed to “do everything in my power to ensure that” former President Donald Trump does not win re-election in November.
“Three generations in my family: My great-grandparents, my grandparents, my parents experienced the loss of democracy,” Vogel told the Blade. “My great-grandparents escaped fascism. My grandparents and parents lived under a repressive military dictatorship in Uruguay, and I see the concern that my parents feel seeing the rise of Trump.”
“I refuse to be the fourth generation in my family who experienced the loss of democracy,” he added. “This November, the election fundamentally is going to decide the future of our democracy.”
Vogel on Sunday during a forum the Frederick County Democratic Party sponsored criticized McClain Delaney over her 2005 campaign donation to then-U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) after he said gay people should not be teachers.
“I can’t imagine making any sort of political contribution to any anti-LGBTQ+, anti-choice, pro-NRA member of the United States Senate, and let alone the maximum allowed contribution,” said Vogel. “There is a stark contrast there.”
‘My heart breaks for what we saw on’ Oct. 7
Vogel spoke with the Blade less than six months after Hamas launched a surprise attack against southern Israel.
“It was the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” he said. “What concerns me is that Hamas has made clear that they intend to carry out an attack like that again and again and again and again.”
“My heart breaks for what we saw on that day,” added Vogel.
Vogel is among those who attended a pro-Israel rally that took place on the National Mall last November. He has also met with relatives of hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip.
“Hearing the stories of parents whose kids are still in Gaza, the pain that I feel is tremendous,” said Vogel. “We have to bring those hostages home.”
Vogel told the Blade that Hamas can no longer control Gaza. He also said peace cannot be achieved with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in office.
“If we want to reach peace, a number of things have to happen: Hamas needs to go. We need a change in leadership in Israel and we need diplomatic negotiations to get a bilateral ceasefire, which is not what I think people are calling for when they call for an immediate ceasefire.”
Vogel last October posted to his X account pictures of anti-Semitic graffiti in his apartment building.
He told the Blade the graffiti was removed, but “it took a very long time.” Vogel has introduced a bill that would require the removal of graffiti in a specific period of time if it violates Maryland’s hate crimes law.
Book bans ‘have absolutely no place’
Vogel during the interview also criticized Moms for Liberty and their efforts to ban books in Maryland. He noted Jaime Brennan, the chair of the group’s Frederick County chapter, is running for the county’s Board of Education.
“Book bans in a free democratic society have absolutely no place,” said Vogel.
The Maryland House on March 15 by a 98-37 vote margin approved the Freedom to Read Act. The measure would create a “state policy that local school systems operate their school library media programs consistent with certain standards,” require “each local school system to develop a policy and procedures to review objections to materials in a school library media program” and ban “a county board of education from dismissing, demoting, suspending, disciplining, reassigning, transferring or otherwise retaliating against certain school library media program personnel for performing their job duties consistent with certain standards.”
The bill is now before the Senate Education, Energy and the Environment Committee.
Amber Laenen contributed to this story.
Maryland
Queer candidates, allies win Md. primary races
Evan Glass lost Montgomery County Executive race
Several LGBTQ candidates secured spots on Maryland’s November ballot following Tuesday’s primary elections, though a handful of history-making campaigns fell short.
Congresswoman April McClain Delaney, who is running for re-election in the 6th Congressional District, won in the Democratic primary with 43.65 percent of the vote. Her main opponent, former Congressman David Trone, lost with 37.33 percent of the vote.
When Trone was last in the U.S. House of Representatives, he was a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights, backing legislation such as the Equality Act. However, Delaney has also supported LGBTQ rights in her position, with the Human Rights Campaign endorsing her for standing up for the LGBTQ community and for “stands ready to fight against MAGA-led attacks.” Robin Ficker won the Republican primary with 42.61 percent of the vote.
In the 5th Congressional District, voters chose who will replace retiring U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer.
Hoyer was a major advocate for LGBTQ rights during his time in office and opposed the Trump-Vance administration’s transgender military ban. He helped pass the state’s marriage equality law in a referendum in 2012, alongside his daughter, who came out as lesbian in the same year.
Adrian Boafo won the Democratic primary for Hoyer’s seat with 31.97 percent of the vote. Boafo is a former state delegate for Prince George’s County. Boafo had received endorsements from both Hoyer and Gov. Wes Moore. The former state delegate will face Republican Chris Chaffee in November.
Queer candidate Evan Glass lost in the primary election for Montgomery County Executive to Will Jawando, an at-large member of the County Council, and Andrew Friedson, a councilmember for District 1 in Montgomery County.
Jawando is ahead as the final votes are counted.
Moore is running for a second term in office. He won the Democratic primary, alongside Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller with 87.79 percent of the vote. Moore and Miller will face off against Republicans Dan Cox and Rob Krop.
Cox ran against Moore in the 2022 gubernatorial race.
Josie Caballero, a candidate running for the at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council, lost with 9.24 percent of the vote. Caballero would have been the first trans woman elected to office in Maryland if she had won. Former Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich won the primary race with 14.62 percent of the votes.
For House District 4, voters can pick up to three candidates. In the Democratic primary, this included Andrew Duck, Jerry Donald, and Alleria Stanley. If elected in the general election as one of three House of Delegates members, Stanley would become the first trans person elected to the General Assembly.
In the Republican race, all three candidates will advance to the general election.
Gay and lesbian candidates running for re-election to the General Assembly overwhelmingly won their Democratic primary races.
State Del. Joe Vogel, who is running for re-election to Montgomery County’s District 17, was one of three candidates chosen by the Democrats and will be on the ballot in November. He received 28.41 percent of the vote, with Ryan Spiegel receiving 28.45 percent. No Republicans ran in the primary, so none will be on the November ballot.
Christopher Reed, who also ran for the House in District 17, is openly queer but received only 10.93 percent of the vote. All three candidates who will move on to the general election are incumbents in the seat.
Also moving past the primary election is state Del. Ashanti Martinez, who represents House District 22 in Prince George’s County. He is the sole incumbent to run for re-election in the race.
State Del. Gabriel Acevero, who represents House District 39 in Montgomery County, will move on to the general election, along with state Del. Anne Kaiser of District 14 in Montgomery County and state Del. Kris Fair of House District 3 in Frederick County.
State Del. Luke Clippinger of House District 46 in Baltimore City will move on to the general election as well, earning 33.69 percent of the vote. The race for House District 46 includes three Democratic candidates who will advance immediately, as well as one Republican who will advance.
State Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore County) won the Democratic primary unopposed. When she was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2010, Washington became Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ African American elected official. With no Republican opponent, she is expected to keep her seat in November.
Other LGBTQ candidates ran for local and state seats for the first time, with many hoping to make history in state politics.
Matt Menter, who was running in House District 41, will not advance to the general election. In a race with eight candidates, Menter failed to break into the top three. In the past, Menter served on Baltimore City’s LGBTQ Commission.
Spencer Dixon ran as a Democratic candidate House District 32 and will advance to the general election alongside incumbent Mike Rogers and J. Sandy Bartlett. Dixon is an openly gay man and has worked on Democratic political campaigns in Maryland in the past.
Jamar Day ran for an at-large seat on the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, but with 11.44 percent of the vote, he will not advance to the general election. If elected, he would have been the first openly queer member of the board, as he identified as pansexual.
Joe Toolan ran for the Anne Arundel County Council’s District 6 seat in the Democratic primary but fell short with 12.78 percent of the vote. Toolan previously served as the first chair of the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs.
Gavin Buckley, the candidate who won the Democratic primary for Anne Arundel County Council District 6, is the former mayor of Annapolis.
Byron Macfarlane won the Democratic primary for Howard County’s Register of Wills with 61.79 percent of the votes. Macfarlane has held this position since 2010, when he became the first openly gay person elected in Howard County.
Gabrielle Zwi, a nonbinary candidate, ran for an at-large seat on the Democratic Central Committee in Montgomery County. The top eight candidates will advance to the general election in this race, and so far, according to the Maryland Board of Elections, Zwi is among them.
Jamie McGonnigal is running for the Prince George’s County Board of Education for District 3, but the primary for his election was canceled. Therefore, he will be on the ballot for the general election. If elected, he would be the first openly gay man to serve on the board.
Maryland
Union leader files assault complaint against gay Md. delegate after fight at early-voting site
Del. Gabriel Acevero, Gino Renne accuse each other of starting confrontation
By ANTONIO PLANAS | After a physical confrontation outside an early-voting site Thursday, local union leader Gino Renne filed an assault complaint against Del. Gabriel Acevero, who said he plans to do the same.
Each accuses the other of starting the fight and throwing punches in an incident Thursday at about 6 p.m. at the Bohrer Park Activity Center in Gaithersburg, police said. The park, an early-voting site that day, attracted many candidates and their supporters.
Acevero, 35, is defending his seat representing District 39, which includes Montgomery Village and surrounding areas. The primary is on Tuesday.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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.
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