Jackson, Fisher Face Off In Prince George's, More Campaign News In Political Notes

By William J. Ford, Maryland Matters

October 14, 2025

Tara Jackson, the one-time acting Prince George’s County Executive who was sworn in less than four months ago as interim Prince George’s County state’s attorney, will seek the position permanently.

Jackson announced her intentions to run for county executive last month on social media. An official launch is still being planned, but according to her campaign website, a fundraiser will be held Nov. 5 hosted by Floyd Holt and Barry Stanton, two former longtime county administrators — the job Jackson held before becoming acting county executive last year when Angela Alsobrooks left the office to be sworn in as U.S. senator.

When then-State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D) won the county executive’s job in a special election this summer, Jackson was picked by the county’s circuit court judges to become acting state’s attorney. She began her legal career in the office as an assistant state’s attorney.

“From the courtroom to county leadership, I’ve led with fairness, integrity, and results. Prince George’s County deserves a State’s Attorney who has already proven she can deliver,” she said of her campaign.

But she won’t be campaigning alone. Prince George’s County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D) is also planning to run for state’s attorney and will have two events this month.

The first one will feature public endorsements Wednesday from two union locals — United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 and Local 1994. Fisher will be with Local 400 at the Giant Food store in Largo at 10 a.m. and then two hours later with Local 1994 at the New Carrollton Branch Library.

Prince George’s County Councilmember Wanika Fisher. (Photo courtesy of Prince George’s County)
Fisher will host her official campaign launch Oct. 21 at Newton White Mansion in Mitchellville, centered on four topics: social justice, criminal justice, public safety and advocacy. Fisher, who previously served in the General Assembly, is scheduled to be joined by state Sen. Nick Charles, House Majority Whip Jazz Lewis and Del. Adrian Boafo, all Prince George’s County Democrats. Former U.S. Rep. Al Wynn is also scheduled to attend, according to the campaign announcement.

“My career in politics has spanned over 20 years. I started advocating for safer sidewalks at age 12 and have been involved with local politics ever since,” Fisher said in a statement. “I have served as an
Assistant State’s Attorney, a Delegate, and a Council Member. I am ready to continue bringing my experience and passion for justice to Prince George’s County as the next State’s Attorney.”

The primary election will be held on June 23, 2026, with early voting available from June 11 to June 18. Early voting for the general election runs from Oct. 22-29, 2026, and Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026.

That may seem like a long way off, but not to the candidates who are already lining up for federal, state, and local seats next year.

Congressional races getting crowded already

Shavonne Hedgepeth announced Monday that she will challenge two-term Rep. Glenn Ivey in the Democratic primary for the Prince George’s County-based 4th District seat.

Hedgepeth, who works in capital planning for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, has not held office before but is stressing her civic and volunteer work in her campaign announcement. Her campaign focuses on reliably Democratic issues — economic and food security, school funding and protecting immigrant communities, among others — and said that while she “may not know every lever of government yet, … I know how to ask the right questions, build coalitions, and hold decision-makers accountable.”

In Ivey, she faces a two-term incumbent with extensive experience in federal and local government, including time as a Capitol Hill staffer and two terms as Prince George’s County state’s attorney. He reported having $295,990 in the bank as of June 30, the most recent report to the Federal Election Commission.

But Hedgpeth is not the only challenger. Jakeya Johnson, the executive director of Reproductive Justice Maryland, has also announced a primary challenge to Ivey. She has filed with the FEC, but has not reported any fundraising activity yet.

Johnson has not filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections — Hedgepeth has — but has until February to do so. Republican George McDermott has also filed for the seat.

But the 4th District is among the least crowded so far, at least according to the elections board’s list of 2026 candidates.

The only incumbents to file for reelection so far are Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-3rd) and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-7th). But Elfreth already has a Democratic and a Republican filed for her seat and Mfume has a Republican challenger in his heavily Democratic district, but could face a bigger threat from Baltimore City Councilmember Mark Conway, who filed recently paperwork with the FEC.

Seven people — two Democrats, two Republicans, two unaffiliated candidates and a Green Party candidate — have already filed with the state to run for the seat held by first-term Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-6th). She has not yet filed for reelection.

And in the 5th District, five candidates have lined up — four Democrats and an unaffiliated candidate — to either take on longtime Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, or run for his open seat should he choose not to seek a 22nd term in Congress. Guessing whether Hoyer, who will be 87 next summer, will run again is the parlor game of the moment for the politically obsessed in Maryland.

Get out your scorecards

Other campaign announcements that have come over the transom in recent weeks, in brief:

Former St. Michael’s Town Commissioner George M. Walish announced a Democratic bid to unseat Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st), the only Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, in the Eastern Shore-based district. Walish announced Sept. 10 so has not yet filed a campaign report with the FEC, unlike the other Democrat in the race, Daniel Schwartz, who reported having $45,222 on hand in June. Harris reported having more than $325,000 in the bank.

Amar Mukunda, a veteran, son of immigrants and gun-control advocate, has filed as a Democrat for a House of Delegates seat in the already crowded District 39 race. The district incumbents — Sen. Nancy King and Dels. Lesley Lopez, Greg Wims and Gabriel Acevero — have all filed for reelection, but King, Lopez and Wims have not included the fiery Acevero on their slate, the Baltimore Banner reported last week. They have added Robert Wu instead.

The three Republican incumbents in the Upper Shore legislative District 36 — Dels. Steve Arentz, Jay Jacobs, and Jeff Ghrist have filed for reelection as a slate. According to their announcement, they have the support of district Sen. Stephen S. Hershey, who is currently weighing the possibility of a Republican run for governor in 2026.

Two-term Wicomico County Councilmember Josh Hastings has filed as a Democrat for the legislative District 38B seat currently held by Del. Barry Beauchamp, a Republican appointed to the seat last year. Beauchamp has filed for reelection.