Hutzell: By the numbers, a Maryland primary election index

Maryland’s 2026 primary is just about over.

Early voting ends Thursday. Because Democrats tend to embrace mail-in voting — and this is likely to be an extraordinarily Democratic year — most of the contests are all but settled.

We won’t know all the results until, oh, I’d guess four days after Election Day polls close June 23, at the earliest.

There are numbers now, however, that can give us some clues. Consider these while you wait.

Running a campaign is expensive, some more than others. It’s no surprise that Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign fund is fatter than everyone else’s in Maryland.

But candidates for county executive in Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have raised and spent more than other statewide officeholders and the Maryland Republican Party’s campaign committee.

• Republicans on the ballot for governor — 9. Carl A. Brunner Jr. of Westminster, L.D. Burkindine of Centreville, Dan Cox of Frederick, Ed Hale of Rosedale, Douglas Larcomb of Frederick, John A. Myrick of Bowie, Michael Oakes of Westminster, Nancy Jane Taylor of Hagerstown and Shannon Wright of Baltimore.
• Democrats — 2. Moore and Eric S. Felber of Bethesda
• Candidates who died after filing — 1. Perennial candidate Ralph Jaffee of Baltimore died in February.
• Counties with an elected executive — 7
• County executive candidates in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties — 29
• Democrats running for executive in those counties — 25
• Republicans — 11
• Independents — 2

Everyone wants to know: How much is (fill in the blank for someone you don’t agree with) pouring into the campaign of (fill in the blank for a candidate you don’t like)?

Limits on individual campaign donations, particularly the 2015 reforms barring use of LLCs used by developers, make it harder for special interests to influence elections.

But anyone with an agenda and money still gets a bigger say than the average donor. Sift through a candidate’s campaign filings and look for $6,000 donations.

That’s the maximum individual contribution to a single candidate in a four-year election cycle. A candidate with a lot of those either has really rich supporters or special interests have taken an interest.

No one beats former Congressman David Trone for making max contributions.

At least 23 $6,000 donations to state and local candidates are attached to his name, his family members’ names and his businesses through common addresses.

It doesn’t touch the millions he’s personally spending to try to win back his old seat from U.S. Rep. April McClain-Delaney in the 6th District, but it’s still a lot.

Trone says he supports candidates who share his progressive values, and emphasizes that family members aren’t acting as straw men to get around the limits.

“David grew up on a farm with no indoor plumbing, but he worked hard his entire life to build a very successful business, and he believes that with that success comes an obligation to give back to his community,” spokeswoman Gaby Krevat wrote in an email.

• Trone’s spending on his campaign so far — $25 million
• McClain-Delaney’s personal spending — $7.4 million
• Her fundraising total — $1 million
• Combined fundraising as reported by news media for the open seat in the 5th District — $8 million

No one beats Moore and his campaign for governor for taking max donations. He reported 45 $6,000 donations in just the first five months of this year.

But Alan Friedson, the Democrat running for Montgomery County executive, gives the governor a run.

Of his $2.2 million haul, 28% came in the form of $6,000 donations.

Another explanation is that money follows money and everyone wants to back a winner.

• Fundraising by Democrat Allison Pickard in the race for Anne Arundel executive — $748,804.55
• Estimated total $6,000 donations from development, lobbying and union interests — $90,000
• Estimated $6,000 contributions to Aisha Braveboy, Democrat for Prince George’s County executive, from businesses, lobbyists, unions and law firms — $96,000

School board races tend to be among the most local of elections, with several boards divided among at-large and district seats. The races are nonpartisan.

• Boards statewide with seats up for election — 24
• Board that won’t elect new members until 2028 — Anne Arundel
• Candidates seeking school board seats statewide — 172
• Counties with 16 candidates, the largest number — Charles and Harford
• Counties with seats that drew no candidates — Garrett and Wicomico

A lot of the money flowing into campaigns comes from Maryland, but not a majority.

More is coming from outside. The governor’s presidential ambitions are driving some of it, but not all.

• Maryland jurisdictions that elect orphans’ court judges — 22
• Judges voters will choose this year — 63
• Oldest candidate for orphans’ court — 91
• Candidates for orphans’ court statewide — 99
• Orphans’ court candidates removed from the bench for misconduct — 1

All five of the biggest counties now have public campaign financing, and whether a candidate accepts it or uses private financing has become an issue in some races.

Supporters argue it discourages pay-for-play corruption; critics say it is a waste of taxpayer money.

• Circuit Courts in Maryland: 8
• Appointed judges running for retention in Prince George’s County: 9
• Counties with contested elections for judge: Anne Arundel and Montgomery
• Number of times Rockville attorney Marilyn Pierre has run for judge in Montgomery County: 5
• Number of sitting judges on the ballot who lost their last retention election. 1

How many campaign signs can you count outside a polling place?

Every early voting station in Maryland has been landscaped with signs for this candidate or that. If you drive by and read them fast, it’s a stream-of-consciousness quiz on who’s running for what.

Counting them? That’s harder.

At Truxtun Park in Annapolis on Friday, I walked the line of signs along Hilltop Lane twice.

My total? 192.

Is that accurate? Give it a try.

They all have to come down within days of the polls closing.

See you when the most important numbers are counted — votes.

The chart showing publicly funded candidates finance totals incorrectly identify Pat Young. He is running for county executive in Baltimore County.