Lobbyists seeking to influence Maryland officials donated about $2.6 million to the campaigns of those officials since the last statewide election in 2022 — a nearly 75% increase. Gov. Wes Moore

There’s a growing list of candidates vying to steal Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s seat ahead of the 2026 primary election.

Maryland is traditionally a top-down state politically. Until recently, the state’s political landscape has been dominated by senior Democrats, whose centrist, establishment politics continue to hold sway in the State House and in many local governments.

How special interests make their mark on Maryland politics and governing can be difficult to track. Companies, trade groups and nonprofits hire high-priced lobbyists to testify at public hearings and run ad campaigns — all in the effort to advocate for their positions on all sorts of critical issues up for debate in Annapolis.