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Maryland
York County is 35 miles from Baltimore — and on another political planet
YORK, Pa. — Tanya Carter had lived in the Baltimore area her whole life, but a few years ago she started to feel stuck.
She was living in the rowhome in Oliver where she grew up, and her oldest daughter, Tobi, had just died. Carter was looking for a fresh start.
While searching for housing on Google, she stumbled across New Freedom, Pennsylvania, a small community in southern York County. She made the roughly 45-minute drive and within minutes fell in love. In 2022, she moved to an apartment where from her balcony she can see cows and horses.
“There was no trash. It was quiet. It was peaceful,” said Carter, 52, a communications supervisor in the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office. “I could breathe. My chest wasn’t aching anymore.”
From downtown Baltimore, York County is about 35 miles up Interstate 83, just north of the Mason-Dixon Line, where it borders Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties. The political landscape, to put it mildly, is a lot different — think Ford F-150s flying flags in support of former President Donald Trump.
Carter, a Democrat, noted that she’s from East Baltimore and can handle her own.
For generations, York County has been a place where Baltimore-area government employees, including police officers and firefighters, live and commute to work. The community generally offers a lower cost of living and more tranquil lifestyle. And the political makeup of Pennsylvania — it’s much more Republican than Maryland and in many places deep red — is a better fit for some.
These Maryland expats now have a front row seat to one of the most dramatic battlegrounds in the presidential election. Four years ago, President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by just 80,555 votes. And four years earlier, Trump topped Hillary Clinton by a scant 44,292 votes out of more than 6 million cast.
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have made multiple appearances in Pennsylvania, and their campaigns have robust ground games. And because Maryland is so reliably blue, local Democrats are making the trip up to York County to campaign in this deeply Republican area. Every vote, they believe, could make a difference.
“It’s the swingiest of swing states,” said Del. Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat from Montgomery County who has organized canvassing efforts in York County. “It’s the one we need to win.”
A Republican hotbed
In 2020, York County — that haven for Baltimoreans, population 464,640 — delivered Trump his largest margin of victory in all of Pennsylvania. The county is 87% white, 8% Black and 9.9% Hispanic or Latino, according to the most recent population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Every countywide elected official is a Republican — except for York County Commissioner Doug Hoke. That’s because one of those three positions must go to a member of the minority political party under the law.
“It is a Republican county. It has been for a long time. And hopefully, it doesn’t change,” said Darryl Albright, vice chair of the East Manchester Township Board of Supervisors and a retired local police chief.
The city of York, the county seat, served as the fourth capital of the United States — not, despite a dubious claim, the first — and it’s where the Second Continental Congress in 1777 adopted the Articles of Confederation.
Besides government buildings, the city is home to a number of boutiques, restaurants and craft breweries.
But York has faced persistent challenges including tax-exempt properties, concentrated poverty and crime, though homicides from 2022 to 2023 dropped more than 65%. Some people who live in the county fear visiting the city and fret after every shooting that it has become a smaller version of Baltimore.
Some of York County’s best-known cultural exports are Utz, Snyder’s of Hanover and the York Peppermint Pattie. Natives include the artist Jeff Koons and the multi-platinum-selling rock band Live, which in 1994 released the album “Throwing Copper” that contains the song “Lightning Crashes.”
York Barbell was founded in 1932, and its headquarters off I-83 features the Weightlifting Hall of Fame as well as an oversized rotating model lunging into an overhead press. The county has a proud heritage of manufacturing. Local industries banded together to share workers and underutilized machinery to secure large defense contracts during World War II in an effort known as the York Plan.
These days, locals line up to collect free spring water from a pipe on the side of Seven Valleys Road. People celebrate when new chain restaurants open, and there’s a shoe-shaped house off U.S. Route 30 that serves as an Airbnb.
York County has also landed in the national spotlight for cultural war issues.
Two decades ago, a school board adopted a policy to mention intelligent design in biology class to make students aware of “gaps/problems” in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The ACLU of Pennsylvania and other groups sued, and a federal judge ruled that intelligent design is not science. The school district was ordered to pay $1 million in legal fees.
Last year, the Hanover Borough Police chief visited a store that gives tarot readings to educate the owner about an 1861 law that criminalizes fortune telling, leading to another federal lawsuit. And earlier this year, a different school district drew fire for cutting windows into the gender-inclusive bathrooms at a middle school, citing student safety concerns.
The state’s mixed politics mean it has a closely watched U.S. Senate matchup and down-ballot fights including for Pennsylvania attorney general — a race that features Dave Sunday, the Republican York County district attorney, and Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat who once served as a state representative and the director of economic development for York.
Baltimore commuters
Most people who travel for work stay in York County. But more than 25,000 people commute to Maryland, including 11,507 to Baltimore County and 4,854 to Baltimore, according to 2020 data from the York County Planning Commission and York County Economic Alliance.
In particular, York County is home to more than 1,400 people who work for Baltimore or Baltimore County. That includes 362 employees of the Baltimore Police Department and 243 employees of the Baltimore City Fire Department, according to data obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request.
The figures are not complete. For instance, they do not include people who work for either school system.
Jim Rommel used to be one of those commuters.
Rommel, 61, of Penn Township, worked for the Baltimore County Police Department for 35 years, retiring in 2019 as a corporal. He’s now a security officer for the Hanover Public School District.
He was born and raised in Baltimore County. But Rommel said he was policing in the same community where he lived and witnessed it “going downhill.” So, he said, it was “time to move.”
A lot of his colleagues, he said, were buying houses in Harford County. But he was attracted to the Hanover area after visiting a coworker there and realizing that he could buy a home for $40,000-$50,000 less.
He bought his home in 1996. The area was quiet. And the schools, he said, also had a good reputation.
On his commute back home, Rommel said, he could decompress.
“You’re not facing the same stuff you just left,” Rommel said. “You’re not rolling into your driveway to hear your neighbors going crazy next door, or crime going on down the street.”
Rommel said he plans to vote for Trump for the third election in a row, citing issues including the economy, illegal immigration and what he views as the federal government’s inadequate response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene.
Another Maryland transplant, Mike Loban, has been volunteering to help elect Harris, saying he is frightened about the prospect of a second Trump presidency.
Loban grew up on Frederick Avenue in Southwest Baltimore and retired in 2017 from Baltimore City Public Schools after 43 years. He had worked with students who could not attend school because of medical, physical or emotional conditions.
In the early 2000s, he moved to Hopewell Township, about 30 minutes south of York. Politically, he said he thought, “this is not friendly territory.”
Loban, 75, now of Springfield Township, about 20 minutes south of York, said that while many Democrats in local races don’t have strong prospects, any increase in their turnout can help influence statewide and national elections.
“From a political point of view, my culture shock is done,” Loban said. “I’ve adapted to the realities, and I try to focus on ‘What little bit can I do?’”
As a competitive state with a narrow Democratic registration advantage that’s continued to diminish, Pennsylvania is “truly up for grabs,” said Berwood Yost, director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll.
“What happens in a county like York — while it doesn’t seem like it’s all that important because it’s a forgone conclusion Trump will win — what is important is ‘Is the margin 30 points? Or 25 points?’” Yost said. “That could make a difference.”
The Maryland canvass crew
That’s why several Democratic and progressive organizations from across Maryland have focused their energy on Pennsylvania.
“Thankfully, most of the Maryland elections, they may be close, but they are expected to go Democratic,” said Dori Cantor Paster, leader of Silver Spring Progressive Action, a group of activists based in Montgomery County that works to tip tight elections. “We have the luxury of being able to work in neighboring states.”
On a recent Sunday morning, more than a dozen volunteers with another group from Maryland, Allies for Democracy, convened across from the Graul’s Market in the Hereford Shopping Center before making the drive up to York County.
Their aim was to hit the doors of known or likely supporters of Harris and make sure that they had a plan to vote.
At the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 229 hall, they grabbed a manila folder that contained their turf and downloaded it on an app that provided them with specific addresses as well as voter information including name, age and party affiliation.
Del. Mike Rogers, a Democrat from Anne Arundel County, also was at the union hall with his wife, Tonya, and others to do their own canvassing.
Rogers said he campaigned in 2020 for the Biden-Harris ticket in York County, where he discovered that fellow Democrats were surprised to see another member of their party. They committed to voting.
“It was that prompting,” Rogers said. “It was that personal connection at the door, which I believe, makes a difference.”
York County, he said, is also home to part of a swing district: Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District. The Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating in the race to toss-up.
Democrat Janelle Stelson, a former local TV anchor, is taking on Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a staunch Trump ally and former chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
Geography also helps lure political volunteers.
People can campaign in York County and return home to Maryland at a reasonable time, Rogers said, adding that he wasn’t looking to travel to Pittsburgh.
Two volunteers with Allies for Democracy, Liz Entwisle and Malissa Ruffner, knocked on doors in West Manchester Township, a community of more than 19,000 outside York.
Entwisle, 72, a retired environmental attorney who lives in Baltimore County, is one of the original co-organizers of Allies for Democracy, while Ruffner, 69, a genealogist who lives in Northeast Baltimore, was canvassing for the first time.
Ruffner said she previously wrote letters and postcards but that time had passed in the campaign. So she decided to heed the words of former first lady Michelle Obama and “do something.”
With cellphones in hand to update their progress on the app, Entwisle and Ruffner walked the quiet subdivision of Colonial-style homes.
For the most part, neighbors warmly greeted them. “You don’t have to come in, sweetie,” one woman said after answering the door. “I’m straight Democrat.”
Carter, the communications supervisor in the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office, doesn’t need a reminder to vote.
On Election Day, Carter said, she’s planning to meet up with five people who also moved from Baltimore to York County to cast their ballots.
Gov. Wes Moore has requested a federal disaster declaration to help farmers recover from their losses after temperatures dipped into the 20s in April, devastating some of Maryland’s agriculture industry.
Temperatures dipped into the low to mid 20s for several hours, causing widespread damage to crops, wine grapes, berries, peaches and apples in some parts of the state.
“We had 6, 7 hours I believe here under 32 and that’s just a lot of stress on those small fruits and buds,” said Ben Butler, the farm manager of Butler’s Orchard in Germantown back in April.
Moore asked for the U.S. agriculture secretary to declare a federal disaster using Maryland Farm Service Agency data to back up the request. According to the agency, there were historic losses, including 94% of the apple crop, 99% of the peach crop and 98% of the barley in several jurisdictions.
The Maryland Wineries Association says 36% of grape acreage sustained total losses, with a $24.4 million projected deficit in wine sales for the 2026 vintage.
“For the majority of the varieties, the yield, the 2026 crop yield, will essentially be zero,” said Robert Butz, the owner of Windridge Vineyards.
The hours-long deep freeze in April left grapes at Windridge Vineyards in Germantown dead on the vine.
News4 visited Windridge Vineyards just a few days after the disaster. Butz said not only were there grape losses, some of the vines were damaged as well. He called the devastation “catastrophic.”
It’s challenging, but he said he’s pleased with the support being given to local farmers and the disaster declaration request.
“This announcement by the governor is further evidence of that, right,” Butz said. “Marylanders care about their farmers. That’s great.It’s incredibly gratifying for those who do this work.”
Moore is asking the agriculture secretary for a quick decision so emergency loans and relief programs are made available right away so farmers can prepare for the next growing season.
Maryland
Anne Arundel County Executive Democratic candidates make their case ahead of Maryland primary
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — Five candidates are running to replace Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, with four Democrats competing for their party’s nomination ahead of the Maryland primary.
Republican Dave Crawford is the only candidate on the GOP side, meaning he automatically advances from the primary. Democratic voters, however, face a choice between four candidates: county council members Allison Pickard and Pete Smith, Pittman administration Special Assistant James Kitchin, and city and regional planner Kyle Nembhard.
Pickard is serving her second term as councilwoman for the Second District.
Anne Arundel County executive democratic candidates make their case ahead of Maryland primary
Anne Arundel County executive race heats up ahead of Maryland primary
“I’m excited to move forward into the executive branch where we really get to execute and implement, uh, all of the policies that we’ve put forth,” Pickard said.
Smith has served on the county council for 14 years on and off.
“You will see that there is a crystal clear option in this race, uh, when you look at our resume when you judge me on my report card, you will see that I’ve been doing my homework for this county for the last 14 years,” Smith said.
Kitchin has served as special assistant in the Pittman administration for the past 7 years.
“I have the most relevant experience and I am the most ready on day one to come in and create a smooth transition from the Pittman administration into the next 4 years,” Kitchin said.
Nembhard has worked as a city and regional planner in the transportation field since 2002.
“I am literally an average citizen, like the majority of, of folks in Anne Arundel County, actually all the folks in Anne Arundel County. Um, who just like them, feel like their voices aren’t heard,” Nembhard said.
Where the candidates agree — and differ
All 4 Democratic candidates share similar positions on many of the county’s major issues, including housing affordability, public safety, mental health services, and education funding. Their approaches, however, differ.
On housing, Pickard emphasizes supply and transit-oriented development.
“I’ve been wholly focused on redevelopment and transit oriented development, which is exciting about creating cool spaces, uh, around our Mark station. Or our light rail stations so that maybe we’ll attract those younger folks who want to have walkable communities and really neat spaces — and be closer to where they work,” Pickard said.
All 4 candidates support increasing public safety staffing. Smith pointed to specific numbers to illustrate the strain on current personnel.
“In fact, on the police side of the house we’re about 809 positions. The reality is 1200 is where we should be at with this current population here in Anne Arundel County. We got about 850 to 900, uh, fire department personnel, uh, who are answering well over 100,000 calls every single year. That’s significant,” Smith said.
All 4 candidates also support funding mental health services and violence interruption programs. Both Nembhard and Smith expressed a personal connection to the issue and called for more community policing. Nembhard described the impact of officers who knew their neighborhoods.
“Where I grew up we were fortunate, I don’t know if that was by design or by chance, but like me and my friends, we knew the folks who, you know, walked the beat in our neighborhood. So, that intimate knowledge, that integration can make the difference between a good student who’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time getting shot,” Nembhard said.
On education, all 4 candidates support maintaining funding growth for county schools. Kitchin is the only candidate in the race endorsed by the teachers union.
“Like I’m a pro-education candidate, um, come from a pro-education family, and that didn’t change because I got their endorsement,” Kitchin said.
Public financing
Anne Arundel County has a public financing system for campaigns. Kitchin is the only candidate in this race using it.
“I’m not taking any corporate money, any PAC money, no developer money. I’m also not taking any union money,” Kitchin said.
All 4 candidates support the public financing system and said they would like to see more political candidates use it in the future.
Why vote for me?
With so much common ground among the candidates, voters may find it difficult to choose. Each candidate made their case.
Kitchin pointed to his experience inside the current administration.
“I have the most relevant experience and I am the most ready on day one to come in and create a smooth transition from the Pittman administration into the next 4 years,” Kitchin said.
Nembhard framed his candidacy around his connection to everyday residents.
“I don’t see voters. I see my neighbors, I see friends, I see family, the same people that I’m in the trenches all the time, all day, going to county council meetings and speaking up on their behalf and fighting to be heard, you know, like just, just to be heard, to have a seat at the table,” Nembhard said.
Pickard highlighted the support she has built across the county.
“I’m really proud of the coalition I’ve built, and I feel like it’s a real testament to my track record of getting results for our community,” Pickard said.
Smith pointed to his long record of service.
“You will see that there is a crystal clear option in this race, uh, when you look at our resume when you judge me on my report card, you will see that I’ve been doing my homework for this county for the last 14 years,” Smith said.
Early voting begins June 11. The Maryland primary is June 23. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Crawford in the November general election.
JAMES KITCHIN
Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate James Kitchin
Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: James Kitchin
Key Campaign Message:
Kitchin positions himself as the candidate of government reform and transparency, emphasizing his unique use of the county’s new public financing system. As the only candidate refusing corporate, developer, PAC, and union money, he frames his campaign around eliminating special interest influence in county government.
Core Qualifications:
- Executive Experience: Seven-plus years in the Pittman administration, including roles in budget, legislative affairs, and communications
- Education Background: Former teacher and current spouse of a 4th-grade teacher
- “Ready on Day One”: Claims unique preparation for executive role through administrative experience
Policy Priorities:
- Housing: Rejects “supply-side” approach, insists on building specifically affordable units rather than hoping market-rate construction reduces costs
- Education: Strongly supports record $72.8 million education increase; endorsed by Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County
- Environment: Proposes “no net loss of forest” program and opposes one-size-fits-all bulk regulations
- Immigration: Strongest advocate for expanding Family Protection Initiative
Notable Positions:
- Only candidate using public financing system
- Most detailed critique of supply-side housing theory
- Emphasizes upstream public safety investments over enforcement-only approach
- Supports using rainy day fund to address potential federal cuts
KYLE NEMBHARD
Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Kyle Nembhard
Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Kyle Nembhard
Key Campaign Message:
Nembhard presents himself as the “average citizen” candidate bringing fresh perspective and community empowerment to county government. He emphasizes transparency, community engagement, and reducing barriers between government and residents.
Core Qualifications:
- Professional Background: City and regional planner with development experience
- Community Advocacy: Extensive volunteer work and community organizing
- Outsider Status: Only candidate without prior elected office experience
Policy Priorities:
- Housing: Supports increased supply but emphasizes affordable units near transit corridors to reduce car dependency
- Education: Advocates for maximum 20 students per classroom; child of union member though not endorsed by teachers
- Transportation: Strong focus on transit-oriented development and reducing car dependency
- Public Safety: Emphasizes community integration of law enforcement, drawing from personal positive police relationships
Notable Positions:
- Late entry candidate who couldn’t access public financing due to timing
- Most detailed focus on transit and transportation solutions
- Unique emphasis on empowering communities through government transparency
- Economic argument for protecting immigrant workers
PETE SMITH
Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Pete Smith
Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Pete Smith
Key Campaign Message:
Smith emphasizes his proven track record and deep institutional knowledge, positioning himself as the candidate who has “done the homework” through 14 years of council service and 28 years of military experience.
Core Qualifications:
- Legislative Experience: 14 years on county council (with breaks), including budget committee work
- Military Service: 28 years as Marine, including overseas deployments
- Institutional Knowledge: Claims deepest understanding of county operations and needs
Policy Priorities:
- Public Safety: Most specific staffing targets – wants 1,200 police officers (currently ~809) and 1,200-1,300 firefighters (currently 850-900)
- Housing: Supports county “driving the train” rather than leaving to market; backs cottage home bill creating $200k homes
- Economic Development: Strong emphasis on P3 partnerships and reducing federal dependency
- Education: Detailed history supporting education funding since 2012, including Blueprint implementation
Notable Positions:
- Most specific public safety staffing numbers
- Created stormwater remediation fund
- Personal story about police officer saving his life
- Opposes 287G immigration enforcement based on experience and human dignity
ALLISON PICKARD
Full interview with Anne Arundel County Executive candidate Allison Pickard
Meet the candidates for Anne Arundel County Executive: Allison Pickard
Key Campaign Message:
Pickard presents herself as the “successful legislator” who gets things done through coalition building and bipartisan cooperation. She emphasizes governing as a “team sport” and her proven ability to pass significant legislation.
Core Qualifications:
- Legislative Track Record: Two terms on county council with major bill passage
- Education Experience: Former Board of Education member during significant reforms
- Coalition Building: Emphasizes bringing together labor and private sector supporters
Policy Priorities:
- Housing: Strong “supply-side” advocate supporting zoning changes, transit-oriented development, and smaller lot sizes to increase overall housing stock
- Environment: Proudest of creating Resilience Authority and securing federal partnerships
- Education: Former Board of Education member supporting teacher pay increases and continued funding growth
- Federal Relations: Strongest emphasis on leveraging federal partnerships and funding
Notable Positions:
- Most detailed legislative accomplishments (Resilience Authority, education reforms)
- Strongest advocate for market-based housing solutions
- Helped create public financing system but chose traditional fundraising route
- Most experience with federal grant acquisition and partnerships
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Refreshing and dry weekend weather in Maryland
Plunging humidity levels and dry weather will be around through the rest of the workweek. Highs Thursday and Friday will top out in the upper 70s with a mixture of clouds and sunshine.
This-coming weekend is looking much drier and better for all outdoor plans across the Mid-Atlantic, compared to Memorial Day Weekend. The First Alert Forecast is mostly dry and seasonable on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Plan on a mix of sun and clouds each day. Saturday and Sunday begin with temperatures in the 50s, followed by afternoons spent in the 70s. Humidity remains low, too.
The chance of rain increases a bit during the beginning of next workweek. The next chance of wetter wet arrives on Monday. The WJZ First Alert Weather Team will be fine-tuning the return of rain in the forecast… keeping you updated on WJZ, streaming on CBS News Baltimore and on-the-go in the CBS News App.
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