HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Voters will head to the polls later this month to narrow down the candidate pool for many officers at the local level in Howard County, and the state and federal levels in Maryland.

Maryland holds closed primary elections in which registered voters can cast ballots for their party’s primary. Registered unaffiliated voters will not be able to vote in primary elections, but can vote in any nonpartisan primary election in their jurisdiction, such as a primary election to select candidates for the board of education.

Any registered voter can vote in the primary. Residents who are not registered to vote can learn more about registering to vote here.

Statewide, National Races

Maryland voters will elect candidates for governor, as Democratic incumbent Wes Moore faces a challenger in Eric Felber.

Both parties’ candidates for attorney general are running unopposed. The candidates in both parties’ primaries for comptroller are running unopposed

The incumbents in all of Maryland’s eight Congressional districts face challengers in their respective primaries. Only the 7th District has a primary in which a candidate is running unopposed.

County Races

At the county levels, voters will decide races that include:

• County executive
• County Council or Commissioners members
• State’s attorney
• Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Register of wills
• Judges of the Circuit and Orphans’ courts
• Sheriff
• Members of the Democratic or Republican central committees

Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, which are still being returned. Check back to see your favorite candidate’s responses.

In Howard County, the following candidates are running for office:

County Executive

• Vanessa Atterbeary, Democrat
• Bob Cockey, Democrat
• Deb Jung, Democrat
• Liz Walsh, Democrat

County Council

• Kevin Chin, Democrat, District 1
• James David Handley, Democrat, District 1
• Jean Xu Democratic, Democrat, District 1
• Arinze Malcolm Ifekauche, Democrat, District 2
• Jessica I. Nichols, Democrat, District 2
• Regina R. McLendon, Democrat, District 2
• Amir S. Naviwala, Democrat, District 3
• Christiana Rigby, Democrat, District 3
• Linfeng Chen, Democrat, District 4
• Regina Clay, Democrat, District 4
• Janssen Evelyn, Democrat, District 4
• Shamieka Preston, Democrat, District 4
• Cat Carter, Democrat, District 5
• Felita Phillips, Democrat, District 5
• Ryan P. O’Connor, Democrat, District 5

Howard County State’s Attorney

• Rich Gibson, Democrat (unopposed)

Howard County Sheriff

• Marcus Harris, Democrat (unopposed)

Howard County Board of Education

• Mark E. Covington
• Linda Frascarella
• Lanlan Xu

To view a full list of candidates in Howard County at the local level, click here. To see who is running for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, Congressional seats, Senatorial seats, House of Delegates and judges, click here.

How to vote

Early voting runs June 11 through June 18 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

To have a ballot delivered by mail or fax, the deadline to request one falls on June 16. To receive a mail-in ballot via the internet, the deadline to request one is June 19. To pick up a ballot in person, the deadline is June 23.

Residents must vote at their assigned polling place. Voters can check their assigned polling place at this link.

Marylanders can update their address or register to vote at any early voting center in their county or at their assigned polling place on Primary Election Day. Residents must bring their MVA-issued license, permit, ID card or change of address card. The ID can also be a paycheck, bank statement or utility bill. A government document with the voter’s name and new address will also suffice.

Mail-In Ballot Drop Box Locations:

Early Voting Center Locations:

Maryland will have several chances for severe weather Wednesday through Friday, with intense heat and humidity Thursday and Friday

The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has issued First Alert Weather Days Wednesday through Friday for the potential of strong to severe storms each day, along with the heat. 

Heat builds, chance for severe weather across Maryland 

Two waves of showers and thunderstorms will impact Maryland Wednesday. The first round of rain continues to push through the Baltimore metro and surrounding suburbs. This batch of rain is not associated with any severe weather, but will cause slower-than-normal travel on the roads. The first round of rain should begin to taper across the region between 10 a.m. and noon. 

There will be a break late morning through early afternoon, where the sky will be variably cloudy. Expect some peeks of sunshine and temperatures to climb well into the 80s. 

The building heat along with very muggy air will help fuel a line of strong to locally severe storms across central and eastern Maryland from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. A few damaging wind gusts, blinding downpours, small hail, and lightning and thunder are likely with these storms. 

Thursday and Friday will be the hottest days of the week. Most communities will warm into the mid-90s during the afternoon. A few spots northwest of Baltimore could soar into the upper 90s. Unlike previous heat this season, we’re expecting plenty of humidity this time around. It’ll feel like it’s between 100° to 103° Thursday and Friday afternoons. Please make sure you, your family, and pets are taking breaks from the heat and staying properly hydrated. 

Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible again Thursday and Friday. If the storms do manage to develop Thursday, they appear to arrive a bit later in the evening, so the afternoon rush hour should just be dry, hot, and humid. Storms Thursday evening have the capability of producing damaging winds. 

The risk of severe weather is greatest on Friday – damaging winds, hail and vivid lightning with a few of the storms. Have at least one way to get severe weather alerts. 

Summer heat and sunshine this weekend

While still warm this weekend, humidity will drop and afternoons won’t be as oppressive. 

Saturday appears to be the driest day. A rogue couple showers or storms cannot be ruled out on Sunday. The weekend will feature much more dry time, overall. Temperatures peak in the upper 80s and lower 90s both weekend afternoons. 

The forecast is favorable for Baltimore’s Pride Parade and Festival this weekend. The chance of wet weather climbs again heading into next workweek.

SALISBURY, Md. (WBFF) — A previously private dispute between Wicomico County’s two highest-ranking elected officials has reached a breaking point, sparking a potential public records battle over whether the sheriff ordered the county executive to stop sending his deputies sexually explicit images.

Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano and Sheriff Mike Lewis are at odds over the existence of a document that sources allege is a demand for Giordano to cease sending semi-nude, nude or pornographic photographs of herself to sheriff’s deputies.

While Giordano flatly denied that such a document exists, describing the allegations as a “horrific rumor” and a product of political malice, Sheriff Lewis confirmed the letter’s existence in an interview last week. However, he said he would not release it to the public without a court order.

The conflicting accounts have prompted Spotlight on Maryland to file a formal demand for records under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA). The county has thus far withheld key documents, citing exemptions for personal privacy and records being “investigatory.”

Conflicting narratives

The controversy stems from allegations that Giordano, both during her 2022 campaign and early into her tenure as county executive, sent nude or semi-nude photos to deputies in the sheriff’s office. Sources familiar with the matter allege that in October 2024, Lewis issued a letter to the county executive demanding an end to the behavior.

When asked about the situation last week, Giordano dismissed the claims as “false narratives.”

There was never a letter sent to stop,” Giordano said. “So, basically what happened was, there was a horrific rumor that went around, and that’s just what happens in a campaign, and so, we’ve moved on from it.”

Giordano said she and Lewis had discussed the matter and worked through it.

“We have a campaign coming up, so I think we have handled it quite well, and Sheriff Lewis and I have had those conversations,” Giordano said. “He seems to be, ‘I don’t really know where this came from, I don’t know why this happened,’ and that sort of thing, so we’ve worked together on that and sort of got over it together.”

Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office logo outside of its headquarters on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)

Asked whether deputies who claim to have received the images were false or lying, Giordano said she knew of no deputies who had made such a claim.

“I don’t believe that there are any deputies who have claimed to have received any of them, at least not that I know of,” she said. “I know of none that have claimed to have received anything.”

It’s not something that happened,” Giordano added. “Again, just the sad side of politics, and it’s just a shame that people I think go out of their way to hurt people and try to create these false narratives and false rumors.”

However, when pressed hours after Spotlight’s interview with Giordano in Salisbury, Sheriff Lewis contradicted the county executive’s account. While declining to discuss the specific contents of the correspondence, the sheriff confirmed, “The letter does exist.”

Lewis declined to release the document voluntarily, saying, “I’m not going to give you a copy of that letter unless I’m ordered to by the court. And when I’m ordered by the court, you will get a copy of that letter.”

Meanwhile, the county’s legal response to Spotlight’s public records request proves the existence of the letter.

After the county initially failed to acknowledge a January request for communications involving terms such as “nudes” and “pornographic,” an attorney for Sinclair, Inc., the parent company of Spotlight on Maryland, issued a formal demand for documents.

The county attorney has withheld the contested records, arguing their release would constitute an “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano told Spotlight on Maryland on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at Salisbury University that she has not received a letter telling her to stop sending alleged nude photos to sheriff’s deputies. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)

When pressed, Giordano said she was aware of the records request in January but disputed that a cease-and-desist letter existed.

“I never received a cease-and-desist letter,” she said. “I would go on the record and say that the reason that the document didn’t get released is because it doesn’t exist because I never received a cease-and-desist letter from them.”

While the document in question allegedly did not contain the headline of “cease or desist,” sources claim the letter did tell the Wicomico County executive to stop.

Giordano also said she understood the sheriff’s office had consulted with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and followed the guidance it received. The legal response from the sheriff’s office came from the Wicomico County attorney, not the attorney general.

Attorneys for Spotlight on Maryland sent a final demand letter to the sheriff’s office on Monday, signaling that a lawsuit will be filed if the records are not produced within two days.

Under the MPIA, while agencies may cite exemptions, those decisions are subject to legal challenge when the public interest in transparency regarding elected officials outweighs individual privacy claims.

A tense working relationship

The public dispute threatens a fragile peace between the county executive and the county sheriff.

Long-time Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at his office outside of Salisbury, Md., that a “letter does exist” when asked about a document asking County Executive Julie Giordano to stop sending photos to his deputies. (Steve Pierce/Spotlight on Maryland)

Lewis acknowledged that the relationship has historically been strained but claimed they have worked to put the “bad chapter” behind them, and he noted the sheriff’s office has secured funding and benefits for the deputies.

I have not always had a good relationship with my county executive,” Lewis said. “For the last year and a half, I think we both have worked very hard to get along for the betterment of Wicomico County.”

Lewis pointed to recent benefits for his deputies, including pay raises, disability benefits, retirement changes and vehicles, as examples of the current working relationship between his office and the county executive.

“Right now, I have a great working relationship, working relationship, with this county executive, and I don’t want to revisit the bad chapter,” Lewis said. “I obviously believe in truth, and if you guys obviously choose to explore other means to get a copy of that letter — that does exist — that’s on you guys.”

Do you have any tips or information related to this story? Send news tips togmcollins@sbgtv.comor contact Spotlight on Maryland’s hotline at (410) 467-4670.

Follow Gary Collins on X and Instagram. Spotlight on Maryland is a collaboration between FOX45 News, WJLA in Washington, D.C., and The Baltimore Sun.