Ferguson wins tough District 46 primary in south Baltimore City

Bill Ferguson beat Bobby LaPin in Maryland Senate District 46, surviving a Democratic primary challenge in the south and southeast Baltimore City seat he has represented since January 2011. Ferguson finished with 56.6 percent of the vote to LaPin’s 43.4 percent, with about 72 percent of ballots counted.

With all 55 precincts reporting, Ferguson finished at 56.6 percent and won by just under 1,000 votes. He claimed victory at an election party at the union hall owned by Baltimore City Fire Fighters Local 734.

The race was Ferguson’s first Democratic primary challenge in 12 years. Ferguson entered the contest as Senate president, a post he has held since January 2020, and as the youngest ever-elected Maryland state senator, according to a Baltimore Metropolitan Council profile that says he won his Senate seat in 2010.

LaPin, a community activist, Army veteran, former teacher and small-business owner who runs Boat Baltimore and Sail Local, drew support from voters who wanted a sharper challenge to Ferguson’s leadership style and his approach to how Baltimore’s neighborhoods are represented in the General Assembly.

Redistricting drove the clash. Ferguson initially opposed midterm redistricting in Maryland, then signaled in late May that he was open to changing that view as pressure mounted around the country. On May 23, he said he was open to post-primary discussions on redistricting, and two days later he said, “the rules have changed.”

The fight played out against a wider political backdrop that included Gov. Wes Moore’s redistricting commission, House Bill 488, and national Democratic pressure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Maryland in February to push redistricting, while Moore’s early May endorsement rollout left Ferguson out.

For south and southeastern Baltimore City, the result keeps Ferguson in place. Maryland’s 2022 legislative district lines remain the operative boundaries.