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Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D) and several other elected officials from Prince George’s County endorsed Del. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore City) for comptroller on Monday.
Hoyer was joined by state Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D), Prince George’s County Council Vice President Deni Taveras (D), former state Sen. Bea Tignor (D), former Maryland Secretary of Aging Gloria G. Lawlah (D) and former County Councilman Floyd Wilson in endorsing Lierman, according to a Monday press release.
“I have known Brooke for most of her life, and I am so proud of the smart, passionate public servant she has become,” Hoyer said in his written endorsement. “She will be committed to the continued advancement of Prince George’s County and I am excited for her to make history as the first woman Comptroller of Maryland.”
Taveras said Lierman would be a “high-performing comptroller that will deliver a quality service on behalf of all Marylanders” if elected. Lierman has pledged to use the comptroller’s seat on Maryland’s powerful Board of Public works to curb the state’s racial wealth gap and help women and minority-owned businesses recover from the pandemic.
Wilson called Lierman an “effective advocate for all Marylanders,” and said Prince George’s county would “thrive” if she is elected.
Lierman is currently on a statewide campaign tour, and has racked up endorsements from many of her legislative allies, including Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), when she announced her candidacy last December.
The endorsements come as Lierman faces competition from within Prince George’s County: Timothy J. Adams (D), Bowie’s first Black mayor and a wealthy government contractor, announced his own comptroller bid in March.
Adams highlighted his business acumen and emphasized government transparency in announcing his candidacy. If elected, he would be the state’s first Black comptroller, and the first person with paraplegia to ever hold a statewide office in Maryland.
Whether additional Democratic contenders enter the race for comptroller remains to be seen. The seat is open for the first time in more than a decade with Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot (D), who handily won reelection multiple times, is pursuing a gubernatorial bid.
Harford County executive Barry Glassman (R) is currently the lone Republican pursuing the open comptroller’s seat.
