When Maryland Democratic Party Chair Ken Ulman announced his plans to resign by June 13, all eyes shifted to Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.
Gov. Wes Moore and Ulman say Pittman is the next man for the job. Moore intends to nominate Pittman later this month, all but guaranteeing he will fill out the remainder of Ulman’s term, which ends next year.
Pittman faces an array of challenges. Every statewide elected official — Moore, all 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly, the entire eight-member U.S. House delegation, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Comptroller Brooke Lierman — will be on the ballot in 2026.
In an interview with the Capital Gazette, he said he’s up for the challenges that come with becoming the lead fundraiser and campaign spokesperson for the state’s Democrats.
“My goal is, of course, to win elections and elect great people — the party has been really good at that,” Pittman said. “I’d like to strengthen and deepen the party as a permanent institution. Part of that is expanding the small donor base of the party.”
Central committee members from each county will vote June 21 in Prince George’s County at a meeting of all Democratic State Central Committees. No other candidates have emerged so far.
Balance
Pittman hopes to help his friend Wes Moore win reelection in 2026. While Pittman, a two-term county executive, is lending some of his campaign success to the gubernatorial race, some question whether he can do so without his day job interfering.
Dan Nataf, political science professor at Anne Arundel County Community College, questions how effectively Pittman can help Democratic leadership while juggling the partisan nature of politics and the bipartisan nature of governing.
He says the timing is “unusual.”
“It’s something I think he could do well if he were not county executive,” Nataf said. “I don’t know how easily the two roles mesh together.”
Budgeting time was also a concern of Nataf’s.
“It’s certainly a full-time job to be county executive and doesn’t leave a lot of time to dabble in other things,” Nataf said. “I could see that it would be unexpected and maybe good for the party to have him, but from the governance point of view, in my mind it’s a distraction.”
Pittman dismissed concerns. He compared balancing the two roles to any politician on the campaign trail. Similarly, Pittman said he’ll handle the workload the same way he did in 2022 when he sought reelection.
This time, Pittman would be working on behalf of multiple candidates. He said he’d be involved in campaigns across the state, whether he was state party chair or not.
“The work of being on the campaign trail for reelection [along with] governing does take some time,” Pittman said. “But it’s normal toward the end of a term to be doing political work like this.”
Solace out of the spotlight
Pittman said removing himself from the candidate spotlight — where he admitted being uncomfortable during his first campaign — and instead working on behalf of state Democrats is a sweet spot for him.
“I have spent most of my life as an advocate for causes and it was always a little different to be advocating for my own candidacy,” Pittman said. “Working on behalf of the Democratic Party is a more comfortable space for me.”
In his early career as a community organizer, Pittman built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards and attracted investment to blighted communities in Illinois and Iowa.
He was an advocate for environmental control standards to protect waterways as director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, before going on to create the Retired Racehorse Project, which transitions racehorses into second careers.
Pittman will be partially responsible for raising money to fund the general election campaign of his successor. The Democratic Party does not raise funds for primary elections, Pittman said.
So far, next year’s Anne Arundel County executive race is between Democrats, County Council member Allison Pickard and Pittman’s special assistant James Kitchin. Pittman is term-limited from running again and no Republican has filed to run.
Pittman endorsed Kitchin, among others, but said as chair he would not favor any candidate.
“Whoever comes out on top, the party will be there to help in the general election,” Pittman said.
Anne Arundel impact
If Pittman starts splitting his energy between the 2.2 million registered Democrats in the state and the more than 600,000 residents in Anne Arundel County, what does “The Best Place – For All” have to gain?
Del. Dylan Behler, a Democrat representing the county in District 30A, says Pittman’s experience winning the top seat and governing in a purple county will be an asset to state Democrats.
“[Democrats] constantly talk about everything we want to do, but when we come into power we don’t end up doing those things and become complacent,” Behler said. “The sooner we become a party that delivers when we’re in power, the better off we’ll be.”
Behler worked as Pittman’s driver during his first campaign in 2018. He said that once elected, Pittman focused on results rather than becoming more moderate or concerning himself with political outcomes — contributing to his reelection win by a larger margin.
“The state will benefit from him, specifically on the Anne Arundel side of things,” Behler said. “He’ll recognize how important it is to invest in races in the county. But it’s more about having somebody that comes from a county as diverse politically, ethnically and income-wise that will really allow him to speak to more Marylanders.”
What’s next?
Ulman, a former Howard County executive, has been state party chair since November 2023. Historically, the position has been a short-term one.
When asked what his next position might be — maybe a role as secretary of a state agency if Moore is reelected, or a run for Congress — Pittman demurred.
“You know me, I love to write,” Pittman said, referring to his weekly newsletter. “Maybe at the end of all this I’ll do a tell-all book but I love to serve as well. I honestly don’t have a plan for beyond this election.”
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