LEONARDTOWN — Voters in Maryland House of Delegates District 29A, which covers northern St. Mary’s County, will choose one delegate on Nov. 3. On the ballot are Republican Matt Morgan, the incumbent, and Democrat Jennifer Clancy. Each won an uncontested primary in June, Morgan with 2,729 votes and Clancy with 1,973, according to the State Board of Elections.
This guide is meant to help voters compare the two candidates. It draws on the public record and a candidate questionnaire sent by the Local News Network, a student-staffed newsroom at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism that works with Capital News Service. Both candidates answered.
About the questionnaire
The Local News Network sent its questionnaire to General Assembly candidates in competitive races this spring, according to the guide’s methodology page. Answers were edited only for grammar and style. The District 29A page was published April 14, so the answers below reflect each candidate’s positions at that time. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Jennifer Clancy (D)
Clancy, of northern St. Mary’s County, will be 43 on Election Day. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor and a board-approved supervisor at Counseling and Wellness Collective. She holds a master’s degree in counseling in educational settings from Rowan University and completed post-master’s clinical counseling work at Bowie State University and Walden University. Her campaign website is friendsofjenniferclancy.com.
In her questionnaire answers, Clancy gave these positions:
- Why she is running: She said the district has many working-class families and that she would be its first woman delegate. She criticized Morgan’s legislative record and tied it to his role in the Maryland Freedom Caucus.
- State budget deficit: She did not endorse or reject Gov. Wes Moore’s approach. She said she supports fair-share tax reform, especially closing corporate loopholes.
- Energy costs: She said the grid should be updated before more data centers are approved, with expert input on cost, and that utilities and data centers should pay their fair share. She supports clean, local energy.
- Housing: She called affordability a national problem and suggested studying a $25 living wage by 2030, plus wider eligibility for state mortgage and home-repair programs.
- Jobs: She supports the DECADE Act, citing its backing from the Maryland Association of Counties.
- Immigration enforcement: She supports the state’s limits on local partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said police should still be able to help federal agents in serious and violent criminal cases, but immigration status alone should not justify detention without a judicial warrant.
- Political role model: House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, whom she praised for her ethics and integrity.
- Other priorities: Full funding for schools and libraries, pilots of universal pre-K and school meals, agricultural programs, and health care, child care and pay-equity measures aimed at women.
In her answer, Clancy said Morgan has a “zero percent primary legislation and bond initiative pass rate,” which she attributed to his role in the Freedom Caucus. Legislative records show Morgan was the lead sponsor of the 2024 Right to Try Act, which passed both chambers without a dissenting vote and was signed into law as Chapter 960.
Matt Morgan (R)
Morgan, of northern St. Mary’s County, will be 53 on Election Day. He has represented District 29A since 2015 and serves on the House Health and Government Operations Committee, according to his General Assembly profile. He is also a real estate agent and property investor. He listed coursework equal to an associate’s degree, along with Microsoft and Cisco certifications, and previously worked as a lead technology specialist at the College of Southern Maryland. His campaign website is voteformattmorgan.com.
In his questionnaire answers, Morgan gave these positions:
- Why he is running: He said state decisions have raised energy bills, taxes and regulations, and pledged to block tax increases, protect rural life and deliver for northern St. Mary’s.
- State budget deficit: He opposes new taxes, including on high earners, and favors spending cuts and program reforms. He blamed Moore and Democratic leaders for spending down a surplus.
- Energy costs: He proposed keeping and reopening power plants, halting the EmPOWER surcharge, repealing the Climate Solutions Now Act and ending the governor’s green energy programs. He supports a moratorium on new data centers until they add power to the grid.
- Housing: He would speed permitting, cut impact fees and revisit septic and lot rules. He opposes state-imposed high-density housing and wants zoning left to local governments.
- Jobs: He said the DECADE Act does not go far enough and called for lower taxes, reliable power and faster permits.
- Immigration enforcement: He opposes the state ban on local ICE partnerships, which he said forced St. Mary’s County to end its 287(g) agreement. He voted against the ban.
- Political role model: Former President Ronald Reagan.
- Other priorities: A prefiled bill to roll car registration fees back to 2024 levels, prescription drug pricing, voter ID and proof of citizenship for voting, and accountability for nonprofits with state contracts.
How and when to vote
Early voting runs Thursday, Oct. 22, through Thursday, Oct. 29, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters who want a mail-in ballot sent by mail or fax must request it by Oct. 27, or by Oct. 30 for email delivery, according to NBC4 Washington.
Voters who are unsure of their legislative district can look it up through the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Capital News Service provided the questionnaires through the Local News Network’s General Assembly Voter Guide 2026.
Candidates who did not respond to the questionnaire: none.
