Current events in the United States seem to many Americans almost overwhelming. The 2024 elections put Donald Trump back in the White House and while down ballot races didn’t give either the U.S. House or Senate a clear majority, it siimply stalled all work – especially in the US House – to the point where nothing was proposed or passed. Horrible actions were taken by the Administration, literally dismanteling much of the Federal goverment, including critical agencies and cabinet-level departments. In October, 2025 we experienced the longest government shutdown in our history – lasting 43 days. The undercurrent for almost everything was files from the Department of Justice on Jeffery Epstien who maintained an international ring of sex trafficing of women and girls, and in this country, including the names of prominent corporate leaders, heads of uiniversities, members of Congress and even the president himself. Partial files were relased but much still remains undisclosed. Additionally, his drastic immigration and deportation policies have serious depleted the country’s worforce and the economy is in pretty serious shape.
The carryovers from the previous Trump administration (2016-2020), the president’s loss in the 2020 election (which he denies happened to this day), and his reelection in 2024 has created a period in our country’s history which have changed us as a country and the effects of which will be felt for generations. Many challenges to his actions are only now reaching federal courts that are overruling them.
All this created a huge opening for the Democrats all across the country, and many areas that were previously considered solidly Republican strongholds, became very much in play. However, as people are enraged about the economy, and so many things about our strong federal goverment that were eliminated that we clearly never saw happening, began changing the political landscape almost immediately. Republicans have resigned positions at all levels of government, and early predictions are for a complete change in majority, possibly in both houses of our Congress. Additionally the president is exhibiting signs of serious dementia and appears to be very unwell, but the Republicans in power refuse to take any action to remove him from office and the devastation – both to US and our foreign policy – continues.
The work completed by Maryland NOW PAC during the 2018-2022 election cycle demonstrated the impact that a volunteer-driven political action committee can have when it remains focused on its mission. Although Maryland NOW PAC has never used “viability” as a criterion for endorsements, many of the candidates we supported performed strongly in their elections, confirming that values-based endorsements can help elevate candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.
As we entered the 2022-2026 election cycle, PAC members set ambitious goals to strengthen our endorsement process, expand our reach, and improve our ability to identify candidates who would advance Maryland NOW’s core issues. We wanted to move beyond reacting to individual races and instead build a comprehensive statewide program capable of engaging candidates in every corner of Maryland.
Although Maryland is often viewed as a reliably Democratic state, Maryland NOW PAC recognized that many of the most important policy debates affecting women and families occur at the local level and within primary elections. The organization expanded its electoral work to encourage stronger leadership on issues including reproductive freedom, economic justice, civil rights, constitutional equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and ending violence against women.
Our analysis of legislative activity in the Maryland General Assembly helped identify where progress was being made and where it was stalling. We recognized that advancing policies affecting women, families, reproductive freedom, economic justice, civil rights, and equality required more than supporting incumbents. It required building relationships with emerging leaders, encouraging new candidates to run for office, and creating opportunities for voters to better understand where candidates stood on issues important to Maryland NOW.
To accomplish this, Maryland NOW PAC launched its most extensive candidate questionnaire program to date. Separate questionnaires were developed for legislative candidates, county council candidates, school board candidates, state’s attorney candidates, sheriffs, and other local offices. The questionnaires were designed not only to gather information but also to place candidates on the record regarding issues central to Maryland NOW’s mission.
The PAC modernized its endorsement process by utilizing SurveyMonkey to distribute, track, organize, and evaluate questionnaires. Automated reminders increased response rates, while tagging and sorting functions allowed volunteers to efficiently review submissions by office, county, region, and endorsement status. The system also made it possible to share groups of questionnaires among endorsement committee members for collaborative review and discussion.
What began as a targeted outreach effort quickly grew into a truly statewide program. Candidates from across Maryland requested questionnaires after learning about Maryland NOW PAC’s endorsement process through social media, news coverage, campaign networks, and word of mouth. As a result, the PAC engaged candidates in urban, suburban, and rural communities across Maryland, including many counties where Maryland NOW had not previously maintained an active endorsement program.
The scope of Maryland NOW PAC’s endorsement program grew dramatically during the 2022-2026 election cycle. In 2022, the PAC endorsed 58 candidates, including candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, the General Assembly, county government, and local party offices. Building on that foundation, Maryland NOW PAC expanded its outreach and candidate evaluation efforts across the state.
By the 2026 election cycle, Maryland NOW PAC had endorsed 144 candidates for offices at every level of government. These endorsements included 76 candidates for the Maryland General Assembly, 45 candidates for county council, 19 candidates for school board, three sheriff candidates, and one candidate for state’s attorney. Of those endorsed candidates, 126 were women and 18 were men.
The growth of the program did not come at the expense of rigor. Maryland NOW PAC’s endorsement process remained grounded in candidate questionnaires, policy positions, records of public service, and demonstrated support for the organization’s core issues. While the overwhelming majority of endorsed candidates were women, endorsements were not determined by gender alone. In a number of races, male candidates earned endorsements over female opponents because they demonstrated stronger alignment with Maryland NOW’s values and priorities. Likewise, endorsements were not automatically granted to incumbents or previously endorsed candidates. Each election cycle required candidates to earn endorsement through the current evaluation process.
This broader approach was rooted in Maryland NOW PAC’s belief that meaningful change requires engagement in every county and at every level of government. By expanding its endorsement program beyond traditional legislative races, the PAC strengthened its ability to identify, support, and promote candidates who share Maryland NOW’s commitment to equality, reproductive freedom, economic justice, civil rights, and opportunity for all Marylanders.
The 2022-2026 cycle marked an important step in the continued growth and professionalization of Maryland NOW PAC’s electoral work. The lessons learned, systems developed, and relationships established during this period created a stronger foundation for future election cycles and expanded the organization’s ability to advocate effectively for women and girls across Maryland.
The questionnaires developed and distributed during this election cycle are available here as part of the historical record of Maryland NOW PAC’s endorsement process.
