Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews have officially filed to run for governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland, seeking the state Green Party’s nomination in the 2026 election. The ticket hopes to help grow the Green Party’s visibility and reach across the state.
On Monday, September 22, the campaign announced that the pair submitted their Declaration of Intent forms with the Maryland State Board of Elections. “The Ellis–Andrews ticket is launching a campaign focused on justice, democracy, ecology, and a stronger multiparty democracy in Maryland,” the statement reads. “Monday’s filing marks the official start of their 2026 gubernatorial campaign under the Green Party banner.”
According to his campaign biography, Ellis is a Green Party organizer and former nominee for the Maryland House of Delegates. He previously served as co-chair of both the Baltimore City and Maryland Green Parties and has held national roles on the Presidential Campaign Support Committee, Ballot Access Committee, and Coordinated Campaign Committee. He is also the founder of Debate Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm focused on public debate, civic engagement, and campaign strategy.
Earlier this month, Ellis named Andrews as his running mate, describing him as a trusted partner and proven organizer with deep ties to immigrant, labor, and progressive communities. In a release from the campaign, Ellis cited Andrews’ advocacy in passing the 2024 CALL Act and supporting unionization efforts at a Maryland community college. He also praised Andrews’ fundraising and media skills, calling him “the right fit to help Maryland break the two-party trap.”
Andrews, an educator and activist in Baltimore, says he began organizing in 2009 following protests against the coup in Honduras. He later became active in the Occupy movement and Latin American solidarity campaigns and has worked with organizations including School of the Americas Watch and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.
The ticket will not need to petition for ballot access, as the Maryland Green Party secured it for the 2026 election cycle when it submitted more than 10,000 valid signatures in August 2024. This allowed the party to requalify as a non-principal party under Maryland law. Non-principal parties are not subject to state-administered primaries and instead nominate candidates through their internal processes.
For the Green Party of Maryland, that means a party-run primary in which all registered Green voters in the state may participate. Under the party’s bylaws, its Electoral Committee will set the timetable and procedures for the primary, which should occur “during the three weeks following the deadline for filing a Declaration of Intent in the year in which a General Election will occur.” According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, that deadline is July 6, 2026.
Be First to Comment