LA PLATA — Charles County voters in Legislative District 28 will choose three members of the Maryland House of Delegates on Nov. 3 from a field of six. Only one of them, Republican Winfield W. Clark Jr., answered the general election questionnaire the Local News Network sent to every candidate.
The other five, including both incumbents seeking re-election, did not respond, according to the network’s District 28 guide. Because every candidate was offered the same questions on the state budget, energy costs, housing, jobs and immigration enforcement, Clark’s answers are the only side-by-side positions voters can read from this field in the candidates’ own words. Their records and backgrounds are summarized below.
District 28 lies entirely in Charles County, and all three of its House seats are elected at large. Voters may choose up to three candidates.
Who is on the ballot
- Abena Affum-McAllister, Democrat
- Debra Davis, Democrat (incumbent)
- Edith J. Patterson, Democrat (incumbent)
- James Emerson Ashburn, Republican
- Winfield W. Clark Jr., Republican
- Anbrea McCoy, independent
The third seat is open because Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat, is running for the District 28 state Senate seat. He is the only Senate candidate on the district’s ballot.
Winfield W. Clark Jr. (R)
Clark, 45, is campus pastor at Newlife Marbury and chairman of Celestial Manna. He holds an MBA from the University of Iowa. He finished second of two in the June Republican primary, which advanced both candidates.
Why he is running: Clark said he wants to turn Charles County from a bedroom community into a self-sustaining hub for Southern Maryland, where residents work, shop and start businesses instead of commuting elsewhere. He said the county should stop building housing developments that send residents out of the county each morning.
State budget: Facing a projected structural deficit, Clark said he would put spending discipline and economic growth ahead of tax increases, with a review of state spending for duplication and underperforming programs. He said he does not take an absolute no-new-revenue position, and would consider targeted revenue only after reforms and only if needed to protect essential services, without adding burdens on working families or small businesses.
Energy costs: Clark said Maryland should stop prioritizing energy-intensive data center development at the expense of families and small businesses, given rising residential rates and a constrained grid. He backs an all-of-the-above approach that includes nuclear, natural gas, renewables and storage, and said the state should press utilities and the regional grid operator, PJM Interconnection, for more accountability on transmission costs.
Housing: He summed up his approach as “inventory first, infill second and new development where necessary,” favoring rehabilitation of vacant and underused properties, conversion of suitable commercial buildings, faster permitting for starter homes and help with down payments and closing costs. He said local governments should keep a meaningful role in land-use decisions.
Jobs: Clark called Gov. Wes Moore’s DECADE Act a positive step but not enough by itself. He supports investment in biotechnology, cybersecurity, quantum computing, aerospace and defense, and said the state also needs to rebuild manufacturing, food production, agriculture and skilled trades, with closer ties between high schools, community colleges, apprenticeships and employers.
Immigration enforcement: Clark said he does not support a blanket ban on local police partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He said local police should not do routine civil immigration enforcement, but agencies should be able to coordinate with federal authorities when someone already in custody is accused of a serious violent offense, gang activity or trafficking.
Other priorities: He listed transportation and regional transit connecting Charles County to job centers, career and technical education, public safety partnerships that include behavioral health providers, and performance standards for state programs. Asked to name a public leader he admires, he chose the late Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Candidates who did not respond
These five candidates did not answer the Local News Network questionnaire. The information below comes from public records, including the State Board of Elections’ official primary results.
Debra Davis (D, incumbent) has represented District 28 since January 2019 and now serves as vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Before joining the legislature, she served two terms on the Charles County Board of Commissioners, from 2010 to 2018. She is an attorney. Davis led the six-candidate Democratic primary in June with 12,008 votes.
Edith J. Patterson (D, incumbent) has served in the House since January 2015 and sits on the Ways and Means Committee, which handles taxes and education. She chairs the Charles County House delegation and previously served on the Charles County Board of Education and as a county commissioner. She finished second in the Democratic primary with 11,121 votes.
Abena Affum-McAllister (D) is seeking her first term. She took the third Democratic nomination in June with 9,257 votes, finishing ahead of Evan Smith, Tarinna N. Terrell and John D. Jones Jr.
James Emerson Ashburn (R) won the two-candidate Republican primary with 2,113 votes to Clark’s 1,933. At an April candidate forum in Charles County, Maryland Matters reported, Ashburn said Republicans want to work with the Democratic supermajority in Annapolis but criticized Democrats for often ignoring Republican concerns.
Anbrea McCoy (independent) is listed among the district’s unaffiliated and third-party candidates. No primary was held for her race.
How to vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early voting and polling-place details for Charles County are available from the Maryland State Board of Elections.
The Chronicle’s voter guides also cover the District 27B House race between Long and Thomas and the District 29A contest between Clancy and Morgan.
Capital News Service provided the questionnaires through the Local News Network at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
