As a MAGA candidate divides his party, can Democrats turn Dundalk blue?

He has cast himself as Dundalk’s Donald Trump, once posting a meme of himself sporting the president’s blond hair.

He has called Baltimore County Council members who supported a pro-immigration bill “sissies.” He has promoted unfounded claims of fraud in Maryland elections. He has repeatedly disparaged transgender people, immigrants and Muslims.

Tim Fazenbaker is brash, confrontational and extremely online, with a Trump-inspired brand of politics that has endeared him to many MAGA voters in southeast Baltimore County. Soon, it could win him a seat on the County Council.

Fazenbaker, a 48-year-old former liquor store owner, is the Republican nominee for the newly drawn District 9, which includes Dundalk, Edgemere and part of Rosedale.

His tactics have offended many, including members of his own party.

Two sitting Republican state lawmakers sought peace orders against Fazenbaker in recent years for alleged threats and harassment, although neither petition was granted. In June, the county’s Republican Central Committee voted 24-0 to censure Fazenbaker for social media comments it deemed libelous toward one of its members. Fazenbaker dismissed the allegations as “high school rumors,” saying in an interview that party insiders have long targeted him for challenging the establishment.

The Dundalk area has voted reliably Republican for more than a decade. But this November, a controversial GOP nominee who has splintered his party will test whether character matters more to voters than ideology.

Divisions among Republicans over Fazenbaker have given Democrats hope of flipping an open council seat in one of Baltimore County’s conservative strongholds and gaining a supermajority on the expanded nine-member council. Doing so would enable them to act on emergency legislation, approve charter amendments and override county executive vetoes without Republican support.

Democratic nominee Arkia Wade offers a striking contrast to Fazenbaker. She is a political newcomer, known for her nonprofit work with older adults and her family’s legacy of serving Dundalk residents. She is a Muslim and a Black woman, running in a county that has never elected a Muslim or a Black woman to the council. She rarely posts on social media.

Donna Eve Radtke Sekora, who owns a bar and a tax business in Dundalk, is also on the ballot, as an independent.

In a sign of how the race has scrambled traditional political alliances, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Hale Sr. hosted a late-September fundraiser for Wade at his waterfront home on Millers Island, where she courted some of Hale’s conservative neighbors.

One of them was Tracey Hoehn, a lifelong Republican who described her politics as far-right but said she was leaning toward supporting Wade in November’s general election. Character, she said, was a major factor.

“I think Tim and I probably agree on the issues,” Hoehn said. “But he’s got a lot of personal challenges that are making it very hard for me to support him.”

An online provocateur

Fazenbaker has become a regular presence in Dundalk politics over the last decade, mounting several campaigns for office and building a large online following.

Often competing against better-funded candidates, he has used social media as what he calls “guerrilla warfare,” attacking local officials in his own party as ineffective, unresponsive and too cozy with Democrats.

“Singers use the stage as theatrics to express who they really want to be. I adapted that to politics,” Fazenbaker said. “My stage is social media.”

After losing elections for council in 2018, Congress in 2020 and state delegate in 2022, Fazenbaker broke through in this year’s council primary.

With incumbent Todd Crandell opting not to seek reelection, much of the Republican establishment backed J.D. Urbach. Fazenbaker responded by painting Urbach as a liberal, posting several photos of him posing with prominent Democrats.

In recent months, Fazenbaker’s supporters have directed anti-Muslim attacks at Wade on social media. Fazenbaker has declined to comment on or condemn them.

Many have felt that Fazenbaker’s combative style crosses a line. At least eight people in the last six years have sought civil peace orders against him, alleging conduct such as harassment, threats, slander, stalking or doxxing. Most of the petitions were denied, and court records show that Fazenbaker was never convicted of a crime.

State Del. Ric Metzgar requested a peace order during his 2022 primary race against Fazenbaker, alleging that Fazenbaker drove to his house and shouted obscenities at him through an open car window. Metzgar also accused Fazenbaker of threatening him online.

The three-term Republican lawmaker, a staunch conservative, has declined to endorse anyone in the 9th District council race.

“Let me say it this way: The tactics that he has used are not very becoming of a good political candidate,” Metzgar said in a phone call.

Fazenbaker’s supporters say he’s not just an internet troll but a voice for a community that often feels overlooked. He has long opposed housing development in historic Fort Howard. He lobbied to bring the defense technology firm Anduril to Sparrows Point. Recently, he spoke against a proposed 73% pay raise for council members, saying residents in his district were struggling to afford groceries and utilities.

A number of Republicans have lined up behind Fazenbaker. Council member Nino Mangione, who represents northern Baltimore County, endorsed Urbach in the primary but said the party’s priority now should be to prevent a Democratic supermajority on the council.

“Our job is to help each other win,” Mangione told a crowd this month at a Fazenbaker fundraiser. “Republicans have to turn out. We have to stick together.”

Del. Bob Long, who represents Dundalk in the state legislature alongside Metzgar, broke with his colleague by endorsing Fazenbaker.

“I know there are a lot of people that don’t like him, but I don’t follow other people,” Long said in a phone call. “He’s been very respectful to me and my family, and I think he’ll do a great job in Baltimore County.”

Woman of the Year

The new 9th District, which was created during the county’s 2025 council redistricting, is among the most conservative in the county. About 1 in 3 voters is a registered Republican. Although Democrats outnumber them, many are moderates. Independents in the district, who account for 1 in 4 voters, tend to skew right.

Wade is hoping to become the first Democrat elected to represent Dundalk on the council since 2010. In her pitch to voters, she has drawn heavily on her personal story.

Her grandfather was the renowned Turner Station physician William C. Wade, who provided care to Black families during segregation and has a street named after him in Dundalk. Inspired by his life of service, Wade left a corporate job to start a nonprofit that provides transportation and companionship to local seniors.

“I feel like I have his spirit in me,” Wade said of her grandfather. “I’m very passionate about people, and I love helping people.”

The 50-year-old also leads a Girl Scout troop in Turner Station and heads the board of the Baltimore County Arts Guild. Citing her community service, the county’s commission for women awarded her the title of “Woman of the Year” in 2023.

Wade is seeking elected office for the first time, with a platform focused on supporting older adults, improving infrastructure and promoting economic development. She said she also wants to restore a sense of kindness and caring among neighbors.

Wade has outraised Fazenbaker and garnered support from unexpected places.

Hale, who recently became a Republican to run for governor, donated $1,000 to Wade’s campaign. He said he endorsed the Democrat because she has shown a commitment to helping others.

With Wade standing by his side, Hale addressed a bipartisan group at his home in September and called Fazenbaker “a very, very poor representative for our neighborhood.”

“Character counts big time, regardless of the party,” Hale said.

A wildcard

Radtke Sekora, the independent candidate, has raised little money but might still play an important role in the race.

The longtime owner of Donna’s Tavern ran for the council four years ago as a Republican. She became unaffiliated soon after, saying she wanted to answer only to voters, not a political party. Still, she aligns ideologically with Republicans and said she voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections.

The 70-year-old’s candidacy offers an option for voters who are wary of Fazenbaker but reluctant to support a Democrat. In what is expected to be a low-turnout race, those voters may affect the outcome.

Radtke Sekora plans on voting for herself, of course. But among the other candidates — one a member of her former party, the other a Democrat — she has a clear preference.

“If I don’t win, I would rather see Arkia win,” she said.