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Lorie Friend

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Lorie Friend
Image of Lorie Friend

Republican Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

May 14, 2024

Education

Associate

Allegany College of Maryland, 1995

Personal
Birthplace
Baltimore, Md.
Religion
Christian
Profession
Nurse
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal Facebook

Lorie Friend (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maryland. She lost in the Republican primary on May 14, 2024.

Friend completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lorie Friend was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Friend earned an associate degree from the Allegany College of Maryland in 1995. Her career experience includes working as a registered nurse, nurse clinician III, secretary, and administrative assistant. Friend has been affiliated with Garrett County Republican Woman, Crossroads Church Oakland Maryland, and Moose Organization.[1][2]

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Maryland, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Maryland on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Angela Alsobrooks
Angela Alsobrooks (D)
 
54.6
 
1,650,912
Image of Larry Hogan
Larry Hogan (R)
 
42.8
 
1,294,344
Image of Mike Scott
Mike Scott (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.3
 
69,396
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Patrick Burke (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
879
Image of Billy Bridges
Billy Bridges (Unaffiliated) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
70
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Robin Rowe (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
17
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Christy Helmondollar (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
3
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Irwin Gibbs (Unaffiliated) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
2
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
5,755

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,021,378
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Angela Alsobrooks
Angela Alsobrooks
 
53.4
 
357,052
Image of David Trone
David Trone
 
42.8
 
286,381
Image of Joseph Perez
Joseph Perez
 
0.7
 
4,688
Image of Michael Cobb Sr.
Michael Cobb Sr.
 
0.7
 
4,524
Image of Brian Frydenborg
Brian Frydenborg Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
3,635
Image of Scottie Griffin
Scottie Griffin
 
0.5
 
3,579
Image of Marcellus Crews
Marcellus Crews Candidate Connection
 
0.5
 
3,379
Image of Andrew Wildman
Andrew Wildman
 
0.3
 
2,198
Image of Robert Houton
Robert Houton Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
1,946
Image of Steven Seuferer
Steven Seuferer Candidate Connection
 
0.2
 
1,664

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 669,046
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.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Larry Hogan
Larry Hogan
 
64.2
 
183,661
Image of Robin Ficker
Robin Ficker
 
27.8
 
79,517
Image of Chris Chaffee
Chris Chaffee
 
3.2
 
9,134
Image of Lorie Friend
Lorie Friend Candidate Connection
 
2.1
 
5,867
Image of John Myrick
John Myrick Candidate Connection
 
1.7
 
4,987
Image of Moe Barakat
Moe Barakat Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
2,203
Image of Laban Seyoum
Laban Seyoum
 
0.3
 
782

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 286,151
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Friend in this election.

2022

See also: United States Senate election in Maryland, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Maryland

Incumbent Chris Van Hollen defeated Chris Chaffee, Scottie Griffin, and Andrew Wildman in the general election for U.S. Senate Maryland on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen (D)
 
65.8
 
1,316,897
Image of Chris Chaffee
Chris Chaffee (R)
 
34.1
 
682,293
Image of Scottie Griffin
Scottie Griffin (D) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
334
Image of Andrew Wildman
Andrew Wildman (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
89
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
2,723

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,002,336
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

Incumbent Chris Van Hollen defeated Michelle Smith in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on July 19, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
 
80.8
 
535,014
Image of Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith Candidate Connection
 
19.2
 
127,089

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 662,103
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Maryland on July 19, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Chris Chaffee
Chris Chaffee
 
20.8
 
50,514
Image of Lorie Friend
Lorie Friend Candidate Connection
 
14.7
 
35,714
Image of John Thormann
John Thormann
 
13.7
 
33,290
Image of Joseph Perez
Joseph Perez Candidate Connection
 
10.8
 
26,359
Image of George Davis
George Davis
 
8.7
 
21,095
Image of James Tarantin
James Tarantin
 
8.4
 
20,514
Image of Reba Hawkins
Reba Hawkins
 
7.4
 
18,057
Image of Jon McGreevey
Jon McGreevey
 
5.8
 
14,128
Image of Todd Puglisi
Todd Puglisi
 
5.6
 
13,550
Image of Nnabu Eze
Nnabu Eze
 
4.1
 
9,917

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 243,138
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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Lorie Friend completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Friend's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am Lorie R. Friend, RN, and I am running to represent Maryland in the United States Senate. Born and raised in Maryland, I have lived and worked in Baltimore, made my families’ home in Oakland, Maryland and have extended family throughout Central and Eastern Maryland. I know and love Western Maryland, our great cities and towns, the Chesapeake Bay, and Eastern Shore. I will truly represent "all" of Maryland.

For over 25 years I have been a pre-opt/post-opt nurse at my local hospital. It is my job to listen to my patients, care for them, and advocate for them when necessary in a complex and challenging institutional setting. During the pandemic, I heard Marylander's frustration and fears, and saw the need for someone to stand up for us. I will passionately represent Maryland.

I support medical freedom, decisions by patients and their doctors....not mandates. I oppose deficit spending and unsound monetary policy that causes inflation. I support parent's rights in schools, freedom of speech, prosecution of violent offenders, funding law enforcement, the second amendment, term limits, state election rights, securing our borders, making our necessities here in America, helping our farmers and securing our food supply, and energy independence. Respectfully with your support, by voting, sharing my message, volunteering, and donations, this campaign will reach my fellow Marylanders. We need common sense in America; we need to heal our nation.

  • Economic Prosperity and Security: reduce inflation, produce necessities in America, and energy independence.
  • Civil Liberties: defend freedom of speech, fight for medical freedom against mandates, and safeguard parents’ rights.
  • National Security and Safety: stop illegal immigration, prosecute violent offenders, preserve the 2nd Amendment.
Medical Mandates: the failings of the COVID pandemic public policy is of great concern for me and the people of Maryland. As a pre/post-opt nurse at hospital for over 25 years, I have witnessed firsthand the loss and heartbreak caused by the C0VID lockdowns and medical mandates. Our people were stripped of their rights and freedom to make informed decisions regarding vaccination. I am “not” anti-vax; however, forced mandates on everyone is not necessarily for the good of each individual. The proverbial one size fits all approach is bad medicine; there are always extenuating circumstances. People have lost their lives, lost their jobs, lost their businesses, and suffered severe and potentially fatal side effects by the mandated vaccines. The vaccines have failed to work as promised, and as yet, we do not know the long term effects on the American people.

We medical professionals, doctors and nurses, held our posts during the early stage of the pandemic, putting ourselves in harms’ way daily, in order to continue to care for our patients. And then, like so many others, we were ordered by corrupted government officials to take the vaccinations or be terminated. The decision to take, or not to take, a particular medical treatment is a decision to be made by the individual patient and their doctors, period. We the people are no longer a free nation when the government squashes our medical liberty by mandate. I will be a strong voice for the liberty of all Marylanders.
My Mother. I was very close to my Mother, Eleanor. My Maternal Grandmother's last name was Valente; they were a big Italian family from New England. I learned about the importance of family from my Mother and Grandmother. Mom was very resourceful and hard working. As well as raising three children, she worked to help support the family. Mom, like her Mother, was a great old school Italian cook and gardener, skills she passed on to me. As a nurse, I always strive to care for my patients as I would want my family treated. As your Senator, I will do the same for all Marylanders.
Oh my, that is a hard one to narrow down. While I certainly consider the lessons of the past and the thoughts of those that have come before us, ultimately I make decisions based on the evidence and my own thoughts on a particular matter. I am hesitant to limit myself to one book, essay, or film. I will say this, the seeds of my inspiration to serve Marylanders and the America people by running for office started by taking to heart the words of some of our great leaders, ... for example John F. Kennedy, Martin L. King, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and Theodore Roosevelt.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." -- J.F.K

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." -- M.L.K. Jr.

“Trust, but verify” – Ronald Reagan

"Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in life of an individual and nations alike." -- Teddy Roosevelt
At the core, the important characteristics and principles of being an elected official are as follows and are of relatively equal importance.

First, really listening and hearing the concerns, problems, and needs of constituents. Second, effectively advocating for constituents. Third, to faithfully pursue and defend the public policy on which the elected official campaigned and was elected. Fourth, to seek common ground for the good of all American's. Fifth, to negotiate in good faith. Sixth, to keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things. Seventh, to keep a cool head under duress and be willing to make difficult decisions. Eighth, to adapt to changes and new situations. Lastly, being a strong and courageous voice for ones' constituents and all Americans, and not to be intimidated or silenced by threats or divisive tactics by those that oppose one's principles.

If I were to choose one guiding principle it would be, "use common sense and say what you mean, mean what you say, and live up to your words."
I am a nurse, not a career politician. As a professional hospital nurse, I have completed extensive medical training and have over 25 years of experience. Throughout the pandemic, I held my post at hospital; I still do. Being a good nurse requires me to constantly adapt to changing situations (new symptoms, policies, staff, and administrators); and to learn new, sometimes difficult, science and procedures. Every shift my job is to be alert, access the facts, and advocate for my patients. As a nurse, one must listen closely to what people say and read between the lines to find what someone is truly communicating. I have learned to be cool and calm under duress, even when the stakes are high, to make hard calls and challenge authority when something is wrong, to negotiate effectively is a complex institutional setting. These qualities have uniquely prepared me to faithfully and successfully represent all Marylanders in the United States Senate.
At the core, the responsibilities of being a U.S. Senator are as follows and are of relatively equal importance.
First, really listening and hearing the concerns, problems, and needs of constituents. Second, effectively advocating for constituents. Third, make ones public policy positions abundantly clear, and faithfully pursue and defend the public policy on which one campaigned and was elected. Lastly, being a strong and courageous voice for Marylanders and Americans, and not to be intimidated or silenced by the threats and decisive tactics of the radical left oppose my principles.
I would like my legacy to be that I helped heal Maryland and America by making us more prosperous, our families safer, and having greater liberty as a result of my hard work serving as a U.S. Senator for the State of Maryland.
The 1973-1974 Oil Crisis under President Carter. I was 6-7 years old at the time. I remember my Dad talking about needing gasoline for our car and tractor, but it was not our day to get gas. I recall laying in the back of our little yellow Toyota station wagon, in the summer heat, waiting in line to get gas, and wondering if they would run out before it was our turn. As a young child, being in line for so long seemed as though it took forever.
From my earliest memories, I loved nature and being outdoors; I loved the mountains of Western Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay, and our beaches. Like most young girls, I loved animals, especially dogs and horses. I became a horseback riding trail guide for Double G Ranch in McHenry Maryland for three consecutive summers. It was wonderful and fulfilling work. It enabled me to be around horses, and learn the satisfaction of hard work by cleaning the barns and grooming the horses. I was also able to meet many people who came to Garrett County to visit from all across our State and the Country.
The Bible. I was raised in a traditional Christian family, attend church, and have read and studied the entire bible. I learned the importance of the traditional values of honesty, family loyalty, hard work, faith, and community service. These qualities have served me well in life and enabled me to help others in need.
Wonder Woman,... she holds the lasso of truth.
I love music! ... Music of all kinds, including Classic Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz, Big Band, Church, Hip Hop, New Age,... music has been a comfort and joy for me throughout my whole life.

During my first campaign, the song ‘The Unknown,’ by Athlete was stuck in my head. It was my personal campaign song. In fact, I listen to it every time I hit the road. The lyrics go: "Let your world be wide open and your fears be blown apart, May your voice be louder than bombs, somewhere in silence find one to trust...Lift your head up, untie the knots, my little sunshine, hope is never light years away. Let your senses be ignited, by streams of neon singing in the dark, connected to the planet, a million neighbors, a sea of stars. Leaders, lovers, come and go, outside forces, you can't control, I see you smiling, at the UNKNOWN.

I am not such an unknown now, … and am contemplating a new personal campaign song.

Maybe “Fight Song" by Rachel Platten. I like the theme of her lyrics, … “I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.”
I am a cancer survivor. In my early thirties, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I underwent surgery, radiation treatment, and chemo therapy. Thankfully, I have been in remission ever since. My three children were young at the time, and it was a real struggle for me to raise my children, continue to work, and battle the cancer. I look back on it and feel as the saying goes, ... "therefore, but for the grace of God go I."

Recently we lost our oldest rescue dog, a Pitbull, Luna. Prior to Luna, I rescued two Grey Hound race track dogs, and presently we have two young pit bull mix rescue dogs, Wags and Beez. Luna was taken by lymphoma two months from the diagnosis, … it was a very difficult process. I miss her terribly. Wags was especially close to Luna and periodically goes to her grave site on the property and sits there. While I have not made this a primary campaign issue, I plan to pursue better support for animal shelters and prevention of animal abuse.
While the future is impossible to predict, we as a nation, we are currently faced with a shocking number of grave challenges that impact our immediate and long term future.

First, we have a very serious problem with inflation, inflation, and more inflation. Our extreme deficit spending, and loose money supply policies are causing high inflation and threaten our economy, the dollar's position as the worlds reserve currency, our standard of living, and ultimately our defense.
Second, failed and oppressive leadership and bad public policies regarding the COVID pandemic caused tremendous harm to us as a people, and I fear threaten to do so again.
Third, freedom of speech is a fundamental cornerstone of our democratic republic. The Federal Government's censorship of political speech through big tech is nothing short of an existential threat to our nation.
Fourth, while legal immigration is beneficial for America, the current open border policy is dangerous and detrimental to our national security.
Fifth, we continue to have supply shortages of necessities, including the very real potential for extreme shortages of food, medicine, and energy.
Sixth, we see a dramatic rise in crime, especially violent crime in our cities; and a proverbial flood of fentanyl that is killing our people, especially the young.
Seventh, our Federal, State, and Local Governments are wrongfully suppressing the right of parents regarding the education of their children; and many of our education institutions are being used to indoctrinate young people with radical hard left ideology.
Eighth, the radical left of the democratic party has politically weaponized law enforcement.
Ninth, our nation has become polarized such that many of our citizens have forgotten that we are all Americans first and are in this together as a people.

We as Americans must confront these challenges now.
I do support term limits in principle. The more difficult question is how many terms should be permitted. As a nation we need to balance the need for experience in leadership roles with the need to limit too much power in the hands of a few senior politicians. My thought is 3-6 terms for the House of Representatives and 2-3 terms for Senators. While I am not a lawyer, it is my understanding that establishing term limits may require a Constitutional convention; I would support this.
Generally speaking, the U.S. Senate as an institution is unique in several significant ways. Given that the election of two senators from each state is not based on population, the Senate is one of the cornerstones of our State based federalist system intended to check the balance the power in favor of individual States, regardless of population, against that of the Federal Government. The U.S. Senate is empowered under our Constitution with an "advise and consent" role regarding Presidential appointments to the Judiciary, of ambassadors, and to ratify international treaties. The Senate tends to be a more deliberative institution such that Senators spend a considerable portion of their time serving on particular committees and negotiating compromise.
Generally, I believe that depends on the individual and their particular experiences. Specifically, this question is a bit vague in that it is not clear as to who's benefit, ... our nation or the individual candidate/senator? Certainly our nation benefits from having Senators serve who come from diverse backgrounds, not just career politicians.
For myself, I went through the challenging learning curve of setting up and running my first campaign for U.S. Senate in 2022, a primary race with ten candidates in which I came in second. It is fair to say that there is an experiential advantage on some levels to have gone through the campaign process once before. At the same time, now knowing the demands and personal sacrifice of a political campaign, it actually made the decision to commit to run again somewhat more daunting.
I support the filibuster rule because it gives some protection to the minority party's rights and concerns for their constituents from complete control by the majority party. My position on this issue is based on principle. It will not change regardless of which party is in the majority.
Make no mistake, I am my own person and make independent decisions based on the evidence. I am not one to necessarily model myself after others. That being said, there are several Senators whose tenacity I do admire. Among the current sitting Senators are Rand Paul of KY, Tim Scott of SC, and Josh Hawley of MO. Among Senators of the past, John McCain comes to mind. I admired his heroic military service, and I recall him being a bit of a maverick that was willing to think and speak out independently for the benefit of his constituents and the American people.
There is one particular political joke I like to tell when speaking publicly such that I don’t want to ruin the moment in the event the reader is present at an event with me, it involves political puppies (anyone who know me knows I am guilty of being a dog lover).

I like this next joke as it sheds some light my personality; it goes like this: Is the glass of water half empty or half full? The optimists say half full. The pessimists say half empty. The realists say, "it is a glass of water,... care for a drink. " What can I say, ... I am a common sense nurse and a good hostess.
I am a nurse by profession, not a lawyer, although I did seriously considered taking up law when I was young, but the call to nursing was stronger for me. Accordingly, the law has always been of passionate interested for me. The evaluation of a judicial nominee's qualifications, level of experience, and history of meritorious service are of primary importance in the confirmation process. In addition, I would have concerns if a particular judicial nominee has a history of decisions the advocated for extreme judicial activism. If the people of America want to change laws, the appropriate means is through the legislatures; or if the American people want to change the constitution, the constitutional convention process is the appropriate method.

At a minimum, a judicial nominee should be able to give a definition of a woman.

We are all Americans before we are politicians of a particular party. I will first work to build a professional relationship with my colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to effectively advocate for the needs of all Marylanders. I will seek in good faith to find common ground that benefits Marylanders and all Americans.

Unfortunately, our nation has become increasingly fractured and polarized, a fact that is reflected in the present Congress. The Democratic Party is driven in large part by a radical left wing agenda and corrupted by their large donors such that extremist tactics and divisive rhetoric is used to intimidate anyone who opposes them. Much of the Republican leadership appears to be hesitant to stand up for us. I am not afraid; I will not be intimidated or silenced. Mine will be a strong, common sense, voice for all Maryland's and Americans.
We are all Americans. Finding the common good and common ground together is certainly desirable and necessary for policymaking. However, one should not compromise certain bed rock principles of our Republic as embodied in our constitution and common cultural history, … for example personal liberty, hard work, honesty, family, freedom of speech, and public service.
In the past, U.S. Senate Investigations have brought to light malfeasance, punished wrongdoers, and resulted in legislation intended to prevent similar conduct. For example, the Senate has investigated banking practices, organized crime, the KKK, wars, and campaign activities, including presidential misconduct.
Moving forward, some of the current issues that strike me as potentially warranting investigation are the political weaponization of our law enforcement, the source of COVID and the corrupt mandate policies, an accounting of how the money sent to Ukraine was spent, and the Biden family influence peddling scandal.
In my first campaign, I pursued and received endorsements from my regional republican political representatives, including Maryland State Delegate Wendell Beitzel (now retired), Maryland State Senator George Edwards (now retired), and now our Maryland State Senator Mike McKay (then a Maryland State Delegate for Western Maryland.

Upon reflection, I find myself now somewhat skeptical and hesitant of the endorsement process. While it may attract some support, it may also alienate others. Rather than look at who may, or may not, have endorsed me, … I would rather voters meet me, research my political positions, and decide independently on whether to vote for me.
The individuals’ qualifications, level of experience, and a history of meritorious service are my primary criteria. In addition, if a particular candidate had, for example, a history of playing fast and loose with the law, especially the constitution, for political gain, or a particularly extreme political agenda, it would give me pause.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Friend’s campaign website stated the following:

“

Economy Prosperity: Inflation, National Debt, Monetary Policy, and Our Supply Chain
We have a very serious problem with inflation, inflation, and more inflation. Our extreme deficit spending, and loose money supply policies are the primary cause of high inflation and threaten our economy, the dollar's position as the worlds reserve currency, our standard of living, and ultimately our defense. We must become fiscally sound again before it is too late.

We need to become energy independent again. Expensive energy drives inflation higher and dependence on foreign nations makes us vulnerable.

We continue to have supply shortages of necessities, including the very real potential for extreme shortages of food, medicine, manufactured goods, energy, ... etc. We need to make our necessities here.

National Security and Domestic Safety: Our Border, Foreign Policy, and Crime
We must secure our borders. While legal immigration can be beneficial for America, the current open border policy is dangerous and detrimental to our national security. Our border is open to our foreign adversaries. terrorists, and criminal cartels.

Our foreign policy is a hot mess. We must support our allies in the Middle East, specifically Israel. We need to account for the billions of dollars being sent to Ukraine and get our allies in Europe to pony up their fair share. We need to sanction and hold Iran to account for fomenting terrorism.

At home, we see a dramatic rise in crime, especially violent crime in our cities; and a proverbial flood of fentanyl that is killing our people, especially the young. We must prosecute violent offenders here and stand up to China for facilitating the flow of fentanyl.

Civil Liberty: free speech, medical freedom, parent's rights, 2nd Amendment and election laws.
Freedom of speech, under the First Amendment, is a fundamental cornerstone of our democratic republic The Federal Government's censorship of political speech through big tech is nothing short of an existential threat to our nation. We must preserve it.

Medical freedom, the right of patients to make medical decisions with their own doctors free from governmental mandates is threatened. The failed and oppressive leadership and bad public policies regarding the COVID pandemic caused tremendous harm to us as a people, and I fear it will happen again. I will oppose future medical mandates.

The rights of parents regarding the education of their children are wrongfully being suppressed by Federal, State, and Local Governments. Many of our education institutions are being used to indoctrinate young people with radical hard left ideology. This must stop.

The radical left of the democratic party has politically weaponized law enforcement against anyone that threatens their political power. We need voter ID and in person voting to secure the sanctity of our elections. While term limits are ultimately a constitutional issue, I do support them.

The 2nd Amendment preserves our natural right to self defense, I will defend it.[3]

”
—Lorie Friend’s campaign website (2024)[4]

2022

Candidate Connection

Lorie Friend completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Friend's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am Lorie R. Friend, RN, and I am running to represent Maryland in the United States Senate. Born and raised in Maryland, I have lived and worked in Baltimore, made my family home in Oakland Maryland and have extended family throughout central and eastern Maryland. I know and love western Maryland, our great cities and towns, the Bay, and eastern shores. I will truly represent "all" of Maryland. 
    For over 25 years I have been a pre/post opt nurse at my local hospital.  It is my job to listen to my patients, care for them and advocate for them when necessary in a complex and challenging institution. During the pandemic, I heard Marylander's frustration and fears, and saw the need for someone to stand up for us.  I will passionately represent Maryland.

    I support medical freedom, decisions by patients and their doctors....not mandates.  I oppose deficit spending and their monetary policy that cause inflation. I support parent's rights in schools, freedom of speech, prosecution of violent offenders, funding law enforcement, the second amendment, term limits, state election rights, securing our borders, making our necessities here in America, helping our farmers and securing our food supply, and energy independence.
Respectfully with your support, by voting, sharing my message, and donations, this campaign can reach Marylanders. We need a common sense America, we need to heal our nation.
  • Securing Medical Freedoms., ... No more medical mandates
  • Reducing inflation
  • Protecting our civil liberties, including freedom of speech.
Medical Mandates: the failings of COVID pandemic public policy is of great concern for me and the people of Maryland. As a pre/post opt nurse at hospital for over 25 years, I have witnessed first hand the loss and heartbreak caused by the C0VID lockdowns and mandates of this nation. Our people were stripped of their rights and freedom to make informed decisions regarding vaccination. I am not anti-vax; however, the forced mandates on everyone is not necessarily for the good of each individual. The proverbial one size fits all approach is not good medicine; there are always extenuating circumstances. People have lost their lives, lost their jobs , and suffered severe and potentially fatal side affects by the mandated vaccines. The vaccines have failed to work as promised, and as yet, we do not know the long term effects on the American people.

We medical professionals, doctors and nurses, held our posts during the early stage of the pandemic, putting ourselves in harms way daily, in order to continue to care for our patients. And then, like so many others, we were ordered by corrupted government officials to take a vaccination or be terminated. The decision to take, or not to take, a particular medical treatment is a decision to be made by the individual patient and their doctors, period. We the people are no longer a free nation when the government squashes our medical liberty by mandate. I will be a strong voice for the liberty of all Marylanders.
My Mother. I was very close to my Mother, Eleanor. My Maternal Grandmother's name was Valente' they were a big Italian family from New England. I learned about the importance of family from my Mother and Grandmother. Mom was very resourceful and hard working. As well as raising three children, she worked to help support the family. Mom, like her Mother, was a great old school Italian cook and gardener, skills she passed on to me. As a nurse, I always strive to care for my patients as I would want my family treated. As your Senator, I will do the same for all Marylanders.
Oh my, that is a hard one to narrow down. While I certainly consider the lessons of the past and the thoughts of those that have come before us, ultimately I make decisions based on the evidence and my own thoughts on a particular matter. I am hesitant to limit myself to one book, essay, or film. I will say this, the seeds of my inspiration to serve Marylanders and the America people by running for office stated by taking to heart the words of some of our great leaders, ... for example John F. Kennedy, Martin L. King, Jr., and Theodore Roosevelt.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." -- J.F.K

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." -- M.L.K. Jr.

"Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in life of an individual and nations alike." -- Teddy Roosevelt






At the core, the the important characteristics and principles of being an elected official are as follows and are of relatively equal importance.

First, really listening and hearing the concerns, problems, and needs of constituents. Second, effectively advocating for constituents. Third, to faithfully pursue and defend the public policy on which the elected official campaigned and was elected. Fourth, to seek common ground for the good of all American's. Fifth, to negotiate in good faith. Sixth, to keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things. Seventh, to keep a cool head under duress and be willing to make difficult decisions. Eighth, to adapt to changes and new situations. Lastly, being a strong and courageous voice for ones' constituents and all Americans, and not to be intimidated or silenced by threats or divisive tactics of those that oppose one's principles.

If I were to chose one guiding principle it would be, "use common sense and say what you mean, mean what you say, and live up to your words."
I am a nurse, not a career politician. As a professional hospital nurse, I have completed extensive medical training and over 25 years of experience. Throughout the pandemic, I held my post at hospital; I still do. Being a good nurse requires me to constantly adapt to changing situations (new symptoms, policies, staff, and administrators); and to learn new, sometimes difficult, science and procedures. Every shift it is my job to be alert, access the facts, and advocate for my patients. As a nurse, one must listen closely to what people say and read between the lines to find what someone is truly communicating. I have learned to be cool an calm under duress, even when the stakes are high, to make hard calls and challenge authority when something is wrong, to negotiate effectively is a complex institutional setting. These qualities have uniquely prepared me to faithfully and successfully represent all Marylanders in the United States Senate.
At the core, the responsibilities of being a U.S. Senator are as follows and are of relatively equal importance.

First, really listening and hearing the concerns, problems, and needs of my constituents. Second, effectively advocating for my constituents. Third, I have made my public policy positions abundantly clear, as such my responsibility is to faithfully pursue and defend the public policy on which I campaigned and was elected. Lastly, being a strong and courageous voice for Marylanders and Americans, and not to be intimidated or silenced by the threats and decisive tactics of the radical left that oppose my principles.
I would like my legacy to be that I helped heal Maryland and America by making us safer, freer, and more prosperous from my hard work serving as a U.S. Senator for the State of Maryland.
The 1973-1974 Oil Crisis under President Carter. I was 6-7 years old. I remember my Dad talking about needing gasoline for our car and mower, but it was not our day to get gas. I recall laying in the back of our little yellow Toyota station wagon, in the summer heat, waiting in line to get gas, and wondering if they would run out before it was our turn. As a young child, being in line for so long seemed as though it took forever.
From my earliest memories, I loved nature and being outdoors; I loved the mountains of western Maryland, the Bay, and our beaches. Like most young girls, I loved animals, especially dogs and horses. I became a horseback riding trail guide for Double G Ranch in McHenry Maryland for 3 consecutive summers. It was wonderful and fulfilling work. It enabled me to be around horses, and learn the satisfaction of hard work by cleaning the barns and grooming the horses. I was also able to meet many people who came to Garrett County to visit from all across our State.
The Bible. I was raised in a traditional Christian family, attend church, and have read and studied the entire bible. I learned the importance of the traditional values of honesty, family loyalty, hard work, faith, and community service. These qualities have served me well in life and enabled me to help others in need. I am grateful
Wonder Woman,... she had the lasso of truth.
I love music! ... Music of all kinds, including Classic Rock, Pop, Country, Jazz, Big Band, Church, Hip Hop, New Age,... music has been a comfort and joy for me throughout my whole life.

Recently the song The Unknown, by Athlete has been stuck in my head since I started my campaign. Its my campaign song for me. In fact, I listen to it every time I hit the road. The lyrics go: "Let your world be wide open and your fears be blown apart, May your voice be louder than bombs, somewhere in silence find one to trust...Lift your head up, untie the knots, my little sunshine, hope is never light years away. Let your senses be ignited, by streams of neon singing in the dark, connected to the planet, a million neighbors, a sea of stars. Leaders, lovers, come and go, outside forces, you can't control, I see you smiling, at the UNKNOWN.
I am a cancer survivor. In my early thirties, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I underwent surgery, radiation treatment, and chemo therapy. Thankfully, I have been in remission ever since. My three children were young at the time, and it was a real struggle for me to raise my children, continue to work, and battle the cancer. I look back on it and feel as the saying goes, ... "therefore, but for the grace of God go I."
While the future is impossible to predict, we as a nation, we are currently faced with a shocking number of grave challenges that impact our immediate and long term future. First, we have a very serious problem with inflation, inflation, and more inflation. Our extreme deficit spending and the resulting increase in our monetary supply threatens our economy, the dollar's position as the worlds reserve currency, our standard of living, and ultimately our defense. Second, the failed and oppressive public policies regarding the COVID pandemic continue to cause tremendous harm to our people. Third, freedom of speech is a fundamental cornerstone of our democratic republic. The Federal Government's censorship of political speech through big tech is nothing short of an existential threat to our nation. Fourth, while legal immigration is beneficial for America, the current open border policy is dangerous and detrimental to our national security. Fifth, we are having more and more supply shortages of necessities, including the very real potential for shortages of food and and energy. Sixth, we see a dramatic rise in crime, especially violent crime in our cities; and a proverbial flood of fentanyl that is killing our people, especially the young. Seventh, our Federal, State, and Local Governments are wrongfully suppressing the right of parents regarding the education of their children. We as Americans must confront these challenges now.
I support term limits on principle. The more difficult question is how many terms should be permitted. As a nation we need to balance the need for experience in leadership roles with the need to limit to much power in the hands of a few senior politicians. My thought is 3-5 terms for the House of Representatives and 2-3 terms for Senators.
Generally speaking, the U.S. Senate as an institution is unique in several significant ways. Given that the election of two senators from each state is not based on population, the Senate is one of the cornerstones of our State based federalist system intended to check the balance the power in favor of States against that of the Federal Government. The U.S. Senate is empowered under our Constitution with an "advise and consent" role regarding Presidential appointments to the Judiciary, of ambassadors, and to ratify international treaties. The Senate tends to be a more deliberative institution such that Senators spend a considerable portion of their time serving on particular committees and negotiating compromise.
Generally, I believe that depends on the individual and their particular experiences. Specifically, this question is a bit vague in that it is not clear as to who's benefit, ... the individual candidate/senator or our nation? Certainly our nation benefits from having Senators serve who come from diverse backgrounds, not just career politicians. For myself, having to work through the challenging learning curve of setting up and running a campaign for the first time, I suspect the campaign process may be a bit easier on some levels, if one has done it before.
I support the filibuster because it gives some protection to the minority party's rights and concerns for their constituents from compete control by the majority party. My position on this issue is based on principle. It will not change regardless of which party is in the majority.
Qualifications, level of experience, and a history of meritorious service are my primary criteria.
My preference among the "A" committees would be the Appropriations Committee or Finance Committee because of the impact on the government spending process in order to reign in our inflation crises. Serving on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee would be a good fit for me as a nurse. Of the "B" committees, my preference is the Budget committee, and of the "C" committees my preference is the Joint Committee on Taxation, again because of the impact on the spending process in order to control inflation.

Make no mistake, I am my own person and make independent decisions based on the evidence. I am not one to necessarily model myself after others. That being said, there are several Senators whose tenacity I do admire. Among the current sitting Senators are Rand Paul of KY, Tim Scott of SC, and Josh Hawley of MO . Among Senators of the past, John McCain comes to mind. I admired his heroic military service, and I recall him being a bit of a maverick that was willing to think and speak out independently for the benefit of his constituents and the American people.
Is the glass of water half empty or half full? The optimists say half full. The pessimists say half empty. The realists say, "it is a glass of water,... care for a drink. " What can I say, ... I am a common sense nurse and a good hostess.
I am a nurse by profession, not a lawyer, although I did seriously considered taking up law when I was young, but the call to nursing was stronger for me. Accordingly, the law has always been of passionate interested for me. The evaluation of a judicial nominee's qualifications, level of experience, and history of meritorious service are of primary importance in the confirmation process. In addition, I would have concerns if a particular judicial nominee has a history of decisions the advocated for extreme judicial activism. If the people of America want to change laws, the appropriate means is through the legislatures; or if the American people want to change the constitution, the constitutional convention process is the appropriate method.
We are all Americans. I will first work to build a professional relationship with my colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to effectively advocate for the needs of all Marylanders. I will seek in good faith to find common ground that benefits all Americans.

Unfortunately, our nation has become increasingly fractured, a fact that is reflected in the present Congress. The Democratic Party is driven by a radical left wing agenda and uses extremist tactics and divisive rhetoric to intimidate anyone who opposes them. Much of the Republican leadership appears to be hesitant to stand up for us. I am not afraid; I will not be intimidated or silenced. Mine will be a strong, common sense, voice for all Maryland's and Americans.
We are all Americans. Finding the common good and common ground together is certainly desirable and necessary for policymaking.

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Campaign website

Friend's campaign website stated the following:

“

POLICIES

Censorship

  • Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are necessary in order to persevere our Democratic Republic. We must end the political censorship by the Radicle left and their cronies of big Tech.

Government Spending

  • We must balance and regulate the Federal budget spending.

Crime

  • Our Police and first responders should be supported and well funded.
  • Prosecutors should prosecute violent offenders

Environment

  • I am a conservative. We need clean, safe water and air for our families and our future generations to come. I believe we should preserve our natural wildlife ares. We need to balance that with our need to use the natural resources with which we are blessed. While I support the use of cleaner, safer, and substantial energy source, we need to make them efficient, affordable and accessible.

First Amendment

  • Defend our Liberty under the First Amendment. The First Amendment was FIRST for the very reason of protecting our liberties. Without the freedom to exercise religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the freedom to peacefully assemble, and the freedom to petition the Government for redress of grievances, our Democratic Republic and our library is doomed.

Second Amendment

  • We have a right to defend ourselves, our loved ones, and our nation. The Second Amendment, our right to bear arms, protects those very right.

Immigration

  • Secure the boarder from “illegal” immigrants.
  • We should have reasonable “legal” immigration protocol and methods.
  • Support and fund the ICE

Energy

  • The U.S needs to be energy independent again!
  • We should reduce the Gas Tax.

Medical Freedoms

  • Medical treatment choices are between a patient and their Doctors.
  • NO medical mandates.
  • NO vaccine mandates.
  • NO vaccine cards/passports.
  • NO mandatory lockdowns.
  • Masks should be permitted, but not mandated.
  • Our focus should be on therapeutic treatment options.
  • COVID vaccines DID NOT work as promised.
  • COVID vaccines DID NOT stop infections or transmission.
  • Our Government should further investigate the source of the COVID pandemic, both in China and the involvement of U.S Government officials (including DR. Fauci)


KEY ISSUES

PANDEMIC POLICIES

  • NO Mandatory Vaccines!
  • No vaccine cards/passports.
  • Medical treatment choices are between a patient and their doctor.
  • Focus on treatment/therapeutic options!
  • Masks should be permitted, not mandatory.
  • Investigate source of pandemic, both Chinese and U.S. government officials.

ECONOMY

  • While I am not an economics expert, there are several issues that are abundantly clear.
  • Inflation is in effect a stealth tax, caused primarily by the government printing money, both paper and digital currencies, and then spending that money.

ELECTION LAW

  • States should continue to run elections, not the Federal Government
  • States should be free to require reasonable identification (Voter ID)

FEDERAL BUDGET

  • We must balance the Federal Government budget

EDUCATION

  • Parents should be free to be involved in their children’s education.
  • States should be free to have school choice.
  • CRT is racist and not be taught in public[3]
 ”
—Lorie Friend's campaign website (2022)[5]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Lorie Friend campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. Senate MarylandLost primary$1,417 $5,128
2022U.S. Senate MarylandLost primary$10,339 $9,540
Grand total$11,756 $14,668
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 28, 2022
    2. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 16, 2023
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    4. ↑ Lorie Friend’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed April 19, 2024
    5. ↑ Lorie R. Friend, “Policies,” accessed June 19, 2022


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