Maryland’s only filed candidate for governor has tapped a former state delegate as his running mate.

John Myrick, a Republican candidate for governor, tapped former Del. Brenda Thiam to round out his ticket as lieutenant governor.

Myrick, who ran a brief and unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate in the 2024 Maryland Republican primary, was the first — and so far, only — candidate to officially file for office in February. Following that, Myrick said he established a panel of advisers to seek a running mate.

“Quite frankly, one name was at the top of that list from the very beginning,” said Myrick, who announced Thiam had filed the required paperwork at the Maryland State Board of Elections just prior to their public announcement.

Myrick has spent the first part of the year speaking to Republican groups. It is not clear how much money he has raised. His first report will not be filed with the state until next year.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller are expected to seek re-election in 2026 backed by a well-funded campaign machine.

Other Republicans, including Gov. Larry Hogan, have been mentioned as potential contenders in the Republican primary. Hogan, the first two-term Republican governor in Maryland since Theodore McKeldin, is a seasoned campaigner and adept fundraiser. His entry into the race could present challenges for other Republican primary candidates.

Myrick, a Prince George’s County resident, is a staunch critic of Moore especially on budget, tax and economic policies.

“Every Marylander wants lower taxes. Every Marylander wants safer streets,” Myrick told a crowd of about a dozen supporters gathered Wednesday on the grounds below the south side of the Maryland State House. “And we’re going to give that to them. In order to do that, it takes a bit of common sense, and more importantly, integrity and accountability.”

Myrick, in an interview after the announcement, said the cuts to federal jobs in Maryland and other adverse decisions by President Donald Trump are a direct reflection of Moore’s refusal to “work with” Trump.

“Pennsylvania hasn’t suffered like this. They have a Democrat governor,” Myrick said. “You know why they haven’t suffered on this? Because Gov. [Josh] Shapiro up there will work with this administration. He will maintain a cordial relationship with this administration, and he has.

“Our governor has publicly said he can’t. So what incentive does the federal government have to not savage Maryland? You know, I use that because I honestly feel that way,” Myrick said. “They’ve savaged Maryland over our top political personalities who refuse to work with them.”

It’s a punishment on Maryland he said would have also happened had Moore’s predecessor, Larry Hogan, been in office.

“I say that because of Larry Hogan’s animosity with Donald Trump, the animosity that they have between each other,” Myrick said.

Myrick, who will be 61 later this year, lives in Lanham with his wife Nancy Nevarez-Myrick. He is a federal consultant who previously served as a Harford County deputy sheriff and is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as well as a civilian intelligence officer, according to his campaign biography.

Myrick, in promoting his lieutenant governor, offered his stark contrasting comparison to Miller.

“I cannot govern the state by myself,” he said. “Unlike the current governor, I knew we needed a lieutenant governor who was the most qualified, best person for the job — not just somebody who can stand there and look cute. That’s what he’s got. That’s unacceptable.”

Miller, 60, served two terms in the House of Delegates representing Montgomery County. She holds a bachelors degree in civil engineering and has experience as an engineer, planner and transportation official in Montgomery County and Los Angeles County, California.

While in the House, Miller served four years on the Ways and Means Committee and four years on the Appropriations Committee. She worked on paid family leave, transportation, domestic violence and STEM education, among other issues.

A Maryland Democratic Party spokesperson blasted the “blatant sexism” of Myrick’s remarks about Miller.

“It’s why John Myrick is a failed Republican politician that finished fifth in the Senate primary last year,” the spokesperson said. “Lt. Gov. Miller is a transportation engineer, former legislator, and proven statewide leader with years of service to the people of Maryland and continues to fight for us as the state’s lieutenant governor. The remarks today show he doesn’t understand what governing actually means, or what kind of leadership Marylanders look for.”

Speaking to the gathered supporters Wednesday, Thiam (pronounced “cham”) said she planned to help “right this ship, to champion the values that are important to all of us.” Included in those, she said, were reducing taxes and “burdensome regulations” and a focus on the creation of nongovernment jobs.

“We’re going to make Maryland great again,” Thiam said. “I can guarantee you that.”

Thiam, a Washington County Republican, was the first Black woman Republican to serve in the House when she was appointed in October 2021 to fill Paul Corderman’s seat, when he was appointed to replace retiring Sen. Andrew Serafini. She lost her bid for election to the seat in 2022.

Thiam holds a master’s degree in education, focusing on special education, from the University of Maryland, College Park, a doctoral degree in special education leadership from Capella University and a post-graduate certificate in applied behavior analysis from Penn State University.

She has worked in special education for more than 20 years in both public and private Maryland schools as a teacher and, later, as an administrator managing teaching staff and budgets, as well as students with special needs.

“My favorite thing is fixing education and returning it to teaching the students, giving them the tools they need to be successful in their life and forgoing all the indoctrination that our current administration seems to think is important to us,” Thiam said. “All those strains of ideologies that we will not tolerate for our children.”

In an interview after the announcement, Thiam was asked to elaborate on the “strains of ideologies” that concern her in public education.

“Well, when you think about the conversations that are occurring, particularly in Frederick County, with what they’re going through, and having bathrooms for young people who may consider themselves of a different identity, but they can use the (different) bathroom,” Thiam said.

When asked if she was referring to students who identify as transgendered, she said “absolutely.”

Thiam also expressed concerns about “books that are questionable on our bookshelves for students to check out and read.” She said she did not believe those books were in libraries in Washington County “but in Frederick County, that does exist.”

In addition to her time in Annapolis, Thiam also ran an unsuccessful campaign last year for the 6th Congressional District seat.

Thiam stumbled out of the gate at Wednesday’s announcement, saying the “lieutenant governor is the president of the Senate. So, the fact that I have served in the House of Delegates, I’ve served in this fine institution. I know that I am prepared to get the work done.”

In Maryland, the lieutenant governor does not serve as Senate president, who is elected by senators from their own ranks. Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) has held the position for the last six years, and before him the position was held for more than three decades by Sen. Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.

The Maryland Constitution defines the role of lieutenant governor, who is the second-highest officer in state government, but whose duties are limited. Primarily, the lieutenant governor succeeds the governor in the event of a vacancy or fills in as acting governor if the governor is temporarily unable to fulfill the duties of the office. Other than that, the role is limited to duties delegated by the governor.

The lieutenant governor also chairs a half-dozen state panels, including the State House Trust, and serves as a member on four other panels.

Thiam later acknowledged the error when asked by a reporter, saying it was the result of late night research and a historical reference to the duties of the position.

Christopher Christian Cox was the only lieutenant governor to serve as Senate president. He was elected in 1864, at a time when governor and lieutenant governor were elected independently, and served one term before the position was abolished under the 1867 version of the Maryland Constitution, according to the Maryland State Archives.

The position was reestablished by voters in a 1970 constitutional amendment. The recreation of the office fulfilled a promise by Gov. Marvin Mandel, who was House Speaker in 1969 when the legislature elected him to fill the vacancy created when Gov. Spiro Agnew became vice president under Richard Nixon. At the time, there was no clear line of succession for the state’s chief executive officer.

Maryland Matters .

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