Maryland's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)

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Maryland's 2nd Congressional District
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 9, 2024
Primary: May 14, 2024 General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Maryland
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic DDHQ and The Hill: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Maryland's 2nd Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th Maryland elections, 2024 U.S. Congress elections, 2024 U.S. Senate elections, 2024 U.S. House elections, 2024 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

A Democratic Party primary took place on May 14, 2024, in Maryland's 2nd Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

John Olszewski Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 2.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 59.2%-40.6%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 59.4%-38.6%.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
February 9, 2024	May 14, 2024	November 5, 2024

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

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

This page focuses on Maryland's 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• Maryland's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Republican primary)
• Maryland's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 2

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Maryland District 2 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Olszewski Jr.	78.7	65,995
		Harry Bhandari	8.5	7,150
		Sia Kyriakakos	4.9	4,080
		Sharron Reed-Burns	4.1	3,472
		Jessica Sjoberg	2.0	1,692
		Clint Spellman Jr.	1.7	1,466

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 83,855
= 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

• Dutch Ruppersberger (D)
• Bryan Moore (D)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Sharron Reed-Burns

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Sharron Reed-Burns, and I was born in Baltimore County, MD. As a wife and mother of two, family is incredibly important to me. I hold integrity, honesty, accountability, and leadership in high regard, and strive to embody these values in my daily life. Being an advocate is a role I take seriously, always seeking to understand and meet individuals where they are, while finding common ground. I come from a lineage of hardworking individuals who have played a significant role in shaping who I am today. I am an easy-going person, but I also have a no-nonsense approach when it comes to matters that require it. Self-motivation and self-awareness are qualities I prioritize, especially in my interactions with others. I am passionate about networking and finding solutions to problems. When faced with challenges, I tackle them head-on, giving my utmost effort and time to ensure success. Overall, I am someone who values personal growth, connection, and making positive impact. I am excited to continue my journey, embracing new opportunities and experiences along the way."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Strong Values and Leadership: I hold integrity, honesty, accountability, and leadership in high regard. These values guide my actions and decision-making, making me reliable and trustworthy individual. My commitment to these principals set me apart as a leader in both personal and professional settings.

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Empathetic Advocate: I am not only an advocate for others but also strive to find common ground and understanding with those I interact with. My ability to empathize and connect with people from diverse backgrounds allows me to build meaningful relationships and find solutions that benefit everyone involved.

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Resilient Problem-Solver: When faced with challenges, I tackle them head-on with a no-nonsense approach. I am self-motivated, self-aware, and dedicated to personal growth which enables me to overcome obstacles and find innovative solutions. My problem-solving skills and determination makes me a valuable asset in any situation.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maryland District 2 in 2024.

Clint Spellman Jr.

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Born in Baltimore City Northwest(park Heights) area educated in Baltimore public schools. my goal was to become an insurance Agent because it was a Great profession and I loved interaction with the public. I have been a democratic 30 years and can see the Changes in our country I can no longer endure. Corruption in the House, The Senate even the office of the president, it seems my party has in the past have turned the other cheek to the Maga extremist, by thinking this is politics as usual and by no means its not, its a Dangerous threat to our Democracy. from the overturning of Roe V Wade to the Horrible tragedy's and lost of life of the now historic Jan 6th insurrection to the increase Automatic Weapons violence, that is caused by this maga congress to ignore and block legislation that hurts the American people physically ,mentally and financially. which means that we need extreme consequences to rid ourselves of an extreme maga congress. a congress which is currently blocking funding for the Francis Scott key bridge due to extreme conspiracy theories of the funding is part of getting funding for The Green New Deal."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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economy , to help the economy we have to help impoverish citizens to the means of education and Jobs Programs that provide them with a livable income and Certified blue collar profession. a wage increase in the Federal Minimum to 21.85 with a cost of living increase of 1.50 every two years for the next years. this increase will Create competition in the work force not inflation nor will it cause job loss, throughout the years other states and corporations have increased minimum wages way above the Federal minimum wage of 7.25 and their are no decrease in jobs or cause of inflation. this wage increase will minimize homelessness and poverty in the U.S

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Abortion. Reproduction Rights for women is an absolute right for women which should not ever been overturned, those on the supreme court born in 1950 to 1965 should know the horrors of what the world was like before roe vs wade. unqualified physicians, large increase of child abandonments, Deaths to young mothers attempting their own abortions .which is why organizations like Planned Parenthood were born providing millions of people in the us with contraception, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and life saving cancer screenings and SAFE LEGAL ABORTIONS. This is what helps young mothers and fathers from protection against and unwanted pregnancies' and family planning the start of a family.

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immigration, immigration is really the key to US future of thriving productive country if governed correctly. first we have to stop the demonizing of our Neighbors across the southern border. and we have to legislate a bill that is current with the times. which means a more humane processing systems to speed up the documentation of legal immigrants to rights of citizenships and humane process of deporting illegal immigrants. If the US and Mexico work together with a joint jurisdiction plan to educate illegals of the process and procedures to become legal to cross other borders. this would decrease the population of illegal crossings an unnecessary death and hardships of immigrants and the cost of tax dollars of increase of border security

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Maryland District 2 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Maryland

Election information in Maryland: May 14, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: May 14, 2024
• By mail: Received by April 23, 2024
• Online: April 23, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: May 14, 2024
• By mail: Received by May 7, 2024
• Online: May 10, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: May 14, 2024
• By mail: Received by May 14, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

May 2, 2024 to May 9, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST)

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Harry Bhandari	Democratic Party	$269,242	$269,242	$0	As of August 29, 2024
Sia Kyriakakos	Democratic Party	$23,028	$23,368	$-340	As of June 13, 2024
John Olszewski Jr.	Democratic Party	$1,570,997	$1,404,405	$166,592	As of December 31, 2024
Sharron Reed-Burns	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Jessica Sjoberg	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Clint Spellman Jr.	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

• District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
• Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
• State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

• District map
• Competitiveness
• Presidential elections
• State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Maryland.

Maryland U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	8	8	3	87	16	8	6	87.5%	5	100.0%
2022	8	8	1	65	16	8	7	93.8%	6	85.7%
2020	8	8	0	79	16	8	8	100.0%	8	100.0%
2018	8	8	1	55	16	7	7	87.5%	6	85.7%
2016	8	8	2	60	16	7	8	93.8%	5	83.3%
2014	8	8	0	35	16	6	6	75.0%	6	75.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Maryland in 2024. Information below was calculated on March 19, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Eighty-seven candidates ran for Maryland’s eight U.S. House districts, including 58 Democrats and 29 Republicans. That’s 10.88 candidates per district, more than in the previous three election cycles. There were 8.12 candidates per district in 2022, 9.87 candidates per district in 2020, and 6.87 in 2018.

The total number of candidates who ran for the U.S. House in 2024 is also higher than any other year this decade.

Three districts—the 2nd, the 3rd, and the 6th—were open, meaning no incumbents ran. That’s the most open districts in an election cycle this decade.

Rep. David Trone (D-6th) did not run for re-election in order to run for the U.S. Senate, while Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd) and John Sarbanes (D-3rd) retired from public office.

Thirty-one candidates—22 Democrats and nine Republicans—ran for the open 3rd Congressional District, the most candidates that ran for a district in 2024.

Fourteen primaries—eight Democratic and six Republican—were contested in 2024. Fifteen primaries were contested in 2022, 16 primaries were contested in 2020, and 14 were in 2018.

Five incumbents—four Democrats and one Republican—faced primary challengers in 2024. That's fewer than in 2022, when six incumbents faced challengers, in 2020 when eight incumbents faced challengers, and in 2018, when six did.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all eight districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+7. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 7 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Maryland's 2nd the 147th most Democratic district nationally.

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Maryland's 2nd based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
59.4%	38.6%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district. The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
57.4	40.2	R+17.2

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Maryland, 2020

Maryland presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 21 Democratic wins
• 10 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	D	D	D	R	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

See also: Party control of Maryland state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Maryland's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Maryland
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	2	7	9
Republican	0	1	1
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	8	10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Maryland's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in Maryland, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Wes Moore
Lieutenant Governor	Aruna Miller
Secretary of State	Susan Lee
Attorney General	Anthony G. Brown

State legislature

Maryland State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	34
	Republican Party	13
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		47

Maryland House of Delegates

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	102
	Republican Party	39
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		141

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

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

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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Maryland in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Maryland, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Maryland	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	$100.00	2/9/2024	Source
Maryland	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	1% of the eligible voters for the district	$100.00	8/5/2024	Source

See also

• Maryland's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Republican primary)
• Maryland's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024
• United States House elections in Maryland, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primaries)
• United States House elections in Maryland, 2024 (May 14 Republican primaries)
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
• U.S. House battlegrounds, 2024

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Maryland's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Angela Alsobrooks (D)

Chris Hollen (D)

Representatives

District 1

Andrew Harris (R)

District 2

John Olszewski (D)

District 3

Sarah Elfreth (D)

District 4

Glenn Ivey (D)

District 5

Steny Hoyer (D)

District 6

April McClain-Delaney (D)

District 7

Kweisi Mfume (D)

District 8

Jamie Raskin (D)

Democratic Party (9)

Republican Party (1)

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