Brown seeks reelection as Maryland attorney general

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is seeking a second term in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

The Democrat faces Republican James B. Rutledge III.

Brown, the first Black American elected attorney general of Maryland, was sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2023, according to the Democratic Attorneys General Association. In his questionnaire responses, Brown listed gun safety, civil rights and environmental policy among his priorities.

The policy positions below are drawn from Brown's responses to a BallotReady candidate questionnaire, published on his campaign website. They represent the candidate's own statements, not the Bethesda Beacon's views.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Maryland attorney general
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Harvard College (1984); juris doctor, Harvard University (1992)
Hometown: Grew up in Huntington, New York
Military service: Retired colonel, U.S. Army Reserve; served three decades as an aviator and Judge Advocate General, including active duty as an Army aviator between his undergraduate and law school education

Experience and public service

Brown has held elected office at the state legislative, congressional and statewide level, according to BallotReady profile data. He served as a delegate for District 25 in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1999 to 2007, then as Maryland's lieutenant governor from 2007 to 2015. He represented Maryland's 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023 before becoming attorney general.

His legal career includes a clerkship at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces from 1992 to 1994 and a position as senior associate attorney at WilmerHale from 1994 to 1999. He also served as counsel at Gibbs and Haller.

As attorney general, Brown said he created the Office of Equity, Policy, and Engagement and established a Civil Rights Division. He said he expanded the authority of the Independent Investigations Division to prosecute police-involved fatalities and launched the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative to address mass incarceration and racial disparities.

On the issues

Guns: Brown said he will use the attorney general's platform to promote safe storage policies, create and expand gun violence intervention programs and increase communication with local offices when someone fails a background check. He said he aims to continue what he called Maryland's record of having some of the strongest gun laws in the country.

Climate and energy: Brown called climate change "one of the gravest national security threats we face," according to his questionnaire response. He said the state needs to invest in renewable energy, cut greenhouse emissions and build 21st-century infrastructure that prioritizes green public transportation.

Abortion and reproductive rights: Brown said Maryland and its next attorney general must protect abortion and reproductive health care rights, which he described as under attack.

Economy and racial equity: Brown said he will work to increase economic mobility and reduce the wealth gap for Black Marylanders by addressing redlining, discriminatory lending practices and student loan debt, which he called an extreme driver of the racial wealth gap.

Drug policy: Brown said it is time for Maryland to catch up with many other states that have already taken steps to reverse the failed "War on Drugs," while opening critical revenue streams for underserved communities, education programs and health care services.