Maryland voters head to the polls for primary day
Voters in Maryland are heading to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the 2022 state primary election. As crime rates within the state and in cities throughout the country are rising, law and order has become a key issue for some voters.
"Crime is definitely a concern," Baltimore teacher Angela Chambers told CBS News political correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns. "We as a community, and I mean people, I mean politicians from the base all the way up have to unite together to decide what are we going to do."
Candidates for governor include former attorney general Doug Gansler, who says he wants to add 1,000 police officers statewide if elected to address crime in the state.
Former non-profit executive Wes Moore, who was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, is also running in the primary election. He says he will work to get guns off of the Maryland streets.
"This is a major issue for people," Moore said. "People want to be safe. The candidates that are going to be rewarded are really thinking holistically."
Tom Perez, chairman of the 2020 Democratic National Committee and former U.S. secretary of labor, is also among candidates. He's pushing for communities to "work together and invest in making sure police departments are effective and are respecting the constitution."
Larry Stafford Jr., the executive director for Progressive Maryland, says the election will come down to which candidate can convince the party's base.
"Democrats have had like a tough challenge making sure that populations that are concerned about safety also feel like they're being serous about addressing violence in their communities," he said.
Republican voters in the primary election for governor will have to decide between former state commerce secretary Kelly Shulz, who is backed by the popular term-limited Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, and state delegate Dan Cox, who is endorsed by former president Donald Trump.
The results of the tight race could take days to officially conclude in Maryland since mail-in ballots cannot be opened until Thursday.