Bryan Sears

Bryan P. Sears

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Bryan Sears covers the governor and General Assembly, state politics and transportation for Maryland Matters. He has covered the Maryland State House for the last two decades at the Baltimore Sun Media Group, Patch.com and most recently, The Daily Record. Sears has won multiple state and national awards for police and crime reporting, local and state government coverage and investigative reporting that resulted in a guilty plea by a government official for stealing from his own campaign account. He’s a frequent radio and television contributor.

Moore cruises to renomination as Republicans duke it out
Maryland

Cox tops Hale in GOP primary, heads to rematch with Moore for governor

Jun 23, 2026
Bryan P. Sears Will Hammann
Dan Cox, the 2022 Republican nominee for governor who was soundly beaten in that race, appears headed for a rematch with Gov. Wes Moore (D) after unofficial returns Tuesday showed Cox with a comfortable lead over GOP challenger Ed Hale...
Don’t bet on it: State eyes action against election ‘trading’ on prediction markets
Maryland

Don’t bet on it: State eyes action against election ‘trading’ on prediction markets

Jun 23, 2026
Will Hammann Bryan P. Sears
Maryland residents wagering on the outcome of elections using online prediction markets could find themselves on the wrong side of election law and potentially face criminal prosecution, state officials say. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent this...
After opposing redistricting, state Senate president faces toughest primary yet
Maryland

After opposing redistricting, state Senate president faces toughest primary yet

Jun 20, 2026
Bryan P. Sears Christine Condon
With less than a week remaining until Election Day, Bobby LaPin’s pitch is simple. “I’m a Bernie Sanders. He’s a Chuck Schumer,” LaPin says to a pair of voters sipping drinks in Baltimore’s Cross Street Market on a balmy Wednesday...
House sets target dates for special session
Maryland

House sets target dates for special session

Jun 19, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Members of the House of Delegates are being asked to consider two windows for a special session that could consider two possible amendments to the Maryland Constitution. House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, in a June 16 letter to House members, asked...
Penman to return to Harford Council more than year after wrongful removal
Maryland

Penman to return to Harford Council more than year after wrongful removal

Jun 12, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A judge Friday ordered Aaron Penman reinstated to the Harford County Council seat he was ousted from more than a year ago. Harford County Circuit Court Judge W. Michel Pierson issued the order in favor of Penman, a Republican, and...
State election officials ask judge to block access to sensitive voter records
Maryland

State election officials ask judge to block access to sensitive voter records

Jun 11, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
State election officials await a decision by a federal judge that could determine — at least initially — whether voter records containing personal and identifying information will have to be turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. District...
Elections panel approves guidelines to ‘address the canvassing issue’
Maryland

Elections panel approves guidelines to ‘address the canvassing issue’

Jun 10, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Maryland’s five-member state election board unanimously approved a set of public guidelines Tuesday laying out how thousands of mail-in ballots will be tabulated for the primary election. The guidelines were needed to address the “canvassing issue” created when more than...
Duplicate replacement ballot raises new questions
Maryland

Duplicate replacement ballot raises new questions

Jun 09, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A duplicate ballot arriving at one Maryland home is raising new questions about a batch of replacement mail-in ballots sent to more than 400,000 voters. The replacement mail-in ballots were rushed to voters last month after it was discovered that...
Transportation officials hold firm on $5.2 billion price tag to replace Key Bridge
Maryland

Transportation officials hold firm on $5.2 billion price tag to replace Key Bridge

Jun 03, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
State transportation officials are holding firm on a projected cost of $5.2 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, despite reports of some estimates nearly twice that amount. Maryland will part ways later this year with the current contractor...
Imhoff will not challenge Penman’s request to be reseated on the Harford Council
Maryland

Imhoff will not challenge Penman’s request to be reseated on the Harford Council

Jun 02, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
A member of the Harford County Council says she will not challenge her removal so that her predecessor can return to his position. Alison Imhoff, 39, said in a court filing Tuesday, that she will not challenge the reinstatement of...
Hale calls for color-coded mulligan on mail-in ballot mixup
Maryland

Hale calls for color-coded mulligan on mail-in ballot mix-up

Jun 02, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
One Republican candidate for governor is calling on the Maryland State Board of elections to send out yet another round of mail-in ballots, saying the first attempt to fix more than 400,000 ballots just led to more confusion. Monday’s comments...
Gas tax in Maryland to increase slightly on July 1
Maryland

Gas tax in Maryland to increase slightly on July 1

Jun 01, 2026
Bryan P. Sears
Maryland motorists will face an increase in the state gas tax rate starting next month, but whether they notice the change is another thing entirely. New tax rates released Monday by the Office of the Comptroller set the new tax...