With the upcoming July 19 primary,  Maryland Matters has reported on the top 20 competitive House primary races to watch. From the article,

In races where there are multiple candidates competing for three seats, even if three seasoned incumbents are on the ballot, anything can happen. And often it does. The same is true in two-seat subdistricts.

The retirement of a venerable incumbent or two can also scramble the dynamic in any district — and can leave delegates who are seeking another term feeling jittery. A team of incumbents running together can be formidable. But incumbency is never a guarantee of success, especially if a sitting lawmaker faces a competitive challenger for the first time in a long time.

Below is a snippet from several of those races. An overview of the 20 House primaries can be found in the article.

District 3 (Frederick County) Democratic Primary

With the newly redistricted maps, District 3 has been merged into a three-seat Frederick-based district. The previous legislative map had split the district between a two-seat subdistrict centered in the city of Frederick and a one-seat subdistrict to the south. Delegate Ken Kerr, who represented the subdistrict to the south, is the only incumbent running for reelection. Delegate Karen Lewis Young is running for State Senate and Delegate Carol Krimm is retiring from the General Assembly. Six other candidates have filed to run in the new three member district in addition to Kerr. More details can be found in the Maryland Matters article.

District 5 (Carroll County) Republican Primary

Delegate April Rose is the only District 5 incumbent seeking reelection in the House. Delegate Susan Krebs will be retiring from the General Assembly and Delegate Haven Shoemaker, the House minority whip, is running for Carroll County state’s attorney. Delegate Rose is running on a ticket alongside sitting Senator Justin Ready and House candidate Chris Tomlinson, “a state procurement official, conservative Republican activist and former political columnist,” according to Maryland Matters.

Also on the ballot are three Republican Carroll County commissioners: Eric Bouchat, Dennis Frazier, and Steve Wantz. Three additional candidates are also running.

District 7A (Baltimore County) Republican Primary

Under the old legislative map, District 7 elected three candidates district-wide from both Baltimore and Harford County. Now the district is divided into 7A covering Baltimore County, which will elect two delegates, and 7B covering Harford County, which will elect one delegate.

Incumbent Delegate Kathy Szeliga is running for reelection on a ticket with Ryan Nawrocki, “a small business owner, political operative and former Ehrlich administration official,” according to Maryland Matters. Incumbent Delegate Joseph C. Boteler III, who was drawn into District 7A with the latest round of redistricting, is also running for reelection. Steve Redmer, a firefighter, is also running for a 7A House seat.

District 7B (Harford County) Republican Primary

Incumbents Delegate Lauren Arikan and Delegate Rick Impallaria are both running for the one Harford County seat in District 7B.

Also running are Russ English Jr., who finished far out of the money in the 12-candidate Republican primary in District 7 four years ago; Nicholas Gladden, who tried to unseat U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) in 2020; and Rocky Wagonhurst, a former TV news personality and executive who has become a media consultant and philanthropist. –Maryland Matters

District 10 (Baltimore County) Democratic Primary

Delegates Ben Brooks and Jay Jalisi are both running for the district’s open Senate seat, leaving Speaker Adrienne Jones as the only incumbent seeking reelection in the district. Speaker Jones and departing Senator Delores Kelley have both endorsed candidates N. Scott Phillips, a management consultant, and Jennifer A. White, a nonprofit executive.

Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee member Ruben Amaya is seeking to be the first Latino to represent Baltimore County in the General Assembly. He is “endorsed by the Teachers Association of Baltimore County and is also getting grass-roots help from Progressive Maryland and the Working Families Party,” according to Maryland Matters. Six additional candidates have filed to run for the two open House seats.

District 11B (Baltimore County) Democratic Primary

District 11 was another district that was fractured with the new legislative maps and split into two subdistricts. District 11A will get one representative, where “Democrat Cheryl Pasteur, a retired teacher and school administrator with ties to House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, is running unopposed,” and District 11B will elect two representatives, according to Maryland Matters.

Incumbent Delegates Lisa Belcastro, Jon Cardin, and Dana Stein are all competing for the two seats in District 11B. District 11 Senator Shelly L. Hettleman is remaining neutral and has not endorsed a candidate.

District 13 (Howard County) Democratic Primary

Senator Guy Guzzone and Delegates Vanessa Atterbeary and Jen Terrasa are the incumbents running for reelection, with Delegate Shane Pendergrass retiring from the General Assembly. The incumbents seeking reelection are running on a ticket with candidate Pamela Lanman Guzzone, Senator Guzzone’s ex-wife.

The alternatives are teacher and community activist Amy R. Brooks and Becca Niburg, an attorney who formerly worked for the federal government. –Maryland Matters

District 23 (Prince George’s County) Democratic Primary

Delegate Marvin E. Holmes Jr. is the only incumbent seeking reelection in the district.  Under the new legislative maps, the Bowie-centered district is no longer chopped into two subdistricts and ten Democrats are competing for the three district seats.

Holmes, Jocelyn Collins, the government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., and Kym Taylor, a former aide to Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s), are slated with the district’s senator, Ron Watson (D), who is in a three-way primary battle of his own.

Also potentially formidable: Bowie’s mayor pro tem, Adrian Boafo and Remi Duyile, a retired banker, who is founder and CEO of the Legacy Premier Foundation, a financial literacy, entrepreneurship and leadership develop company. Duyile is likely to run strong among the district’s growing population of African immigrants. –Maryland Matters

District 24 (Prince George’s County) Democratic Primary

Incumbent Delegates Jazz Lewis and Andrea Fletcher Harrison are seeking reelection and running on a ticket with long-standing Senator Joanne C. Benson and House candidate Christopher Stevenson, “a member of the Democratic Central Committee who has worked for numerous local politicians,” according to Maryland Matters. Five additional candidates have also filed to run for one of the three House seats.

District 29C (St. Mary’s and Calvert counties) Republican Primary

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Todd Morgan and Timothy Gowen, an adjutant general for the Maryland National Guard, are candidates seeking to replace the subdistrict seat currently held by Delegate Jerry Clark, who is retiring. This race will probably come down to voters’ preferences on style and experience rather than any ideological gulf, according to Maryland Matters.

District 43A (Baltimore City) Democratic Primary

The new legislative map splits District 43 into two House subdistricts — District 43B, which will elect one delegate from the Towson area, and District 43A, which will elect two delegates from Baltimore City. Delegate Regina T. Boyce is the only House incumbent seeking reelection in 43A. Five additional candidates have filed to run for the two seats.

District 43 Senator Mary Washington is backing candidate Logan Endow, “an economist, health policy expert and community activist who almost won a city council primary two years ago,” according to Maryland Matters. Candidate Elizabeth Embry, an assistant attorney general, has garnered support from both Delegate Maggie McIntosh and former United States Senator Barbara Mikulski.

District 46 (Baltimore City) Democratic Primary

Delegate Robbyn Lewis and House Judiciary Committee Chair Luke Clippinger are the only incumbents from District 46 seeking reelection. Delegate Brooke Lierman is running for state comptroller. Four additional candidates have filed to run for one of the three seats.

District 47B (Prince George’s County) Democratic Primary

Incumbent Delegate Wanika Fisher will not be running for reelection in this single-member subdistrict and instead is running for county council this year. Delegate Fisher’s top aide, Marlin Jenkins, a labor attorney and lieutenant colonel in the Maryland Army National Guard, is running to replace her.

Also running is term-limited County Councilmember Deni Taveras and Jorge Sactic, president of the Langley Park Small Business Owners’ Association.

For more information, please visit Maryland Matters.