Maryland

Maryland is a state of the United States, one of the South Atlantic States (although often considered part of the Mid-Atlantic States and sometimes part of the Northeast). Its U.S. postal abbreviation is MD. Its Associated Press abbreviation is Md. Maryland was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. See: Annapolis Convention.

Law and government

The Government of Maryland is conducted according to the state constitution. The United States is a federation; consequently, the Government of Maryland, like the other 49 state governments, has exclusive authority over matters that lie entirely within the state's borders, except as limited by the Constitution of the United States. Maryland is a republic; the United States guarantees her "republican form of government" although there is considerable disagreement about the meaning of that phrase.

Related Topics:
Government of Maryland - State constitution - United States - Federation - Maryland - State governments - Constitution of the United States

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Power in Maryland is divided among three branches of government, executive, legislative, and judicial. Unlike most other states, significant autonomy is granted to many of Maryland's counties.

Related Topics:
Executive - Legislative - Judicial - Counties

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Most of the business of government is done in Annapolis, the State capital. Virtually all state and county elections are held in even numbered years not divisible by four, in which the President of the United States is not elected - this, as in other States, is intended to divide State and Federal politics.

Related Topics:
Annapolis - Capital - Election - President of the United States - Federal

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Since pre-Civil War times, Maryland politics has been largely controlled by the Democrats. In the last decade, however, Republicans have made inroads in the state, including the election of the first Republican governor in almost four decades, and larger numbers of new voters are classifying themselves as independents. Blue-collar "Reagan Democrats" frequently vote Republican. Despite this, the state continues to be overwhelmingly Democratic. The state is dominated by the two urban/inner suburban regions of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. In addition, many jobs are directly or indirectly dependent upon the federal government. Thus the three-County voting block of Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County often decides statewide elections. This is balanced by lesser populated areas on the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, and outer suburbs that tend to support Republicans.

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As a result, voters have chosen the Democratic candidate in the last four presidential elections, both Maryland Senators and six of its eight Representatives in Congress are Democrats, and Democrats hold super-majorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates. John Kerry easily won the state's 10 electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 13 percentage points with 55.9% of the vote.

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These statistics easily make Maryland one of the most liberal states in the country (Maryland gave John Kerry a higher percentage of its popular vote in 2004 than even Rhode Island), but it has escaped much of the criticism and defamation heaped on other Democratic-leaning states such as Massachusetts.

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There is great debate as to whether Maryland is in the North or South, and many have resorted to referring to Maryland and Delaware as the Mid Atlantic. Some people include Virginia in this category, but it usually applies exclusively to Maryland and Delaware.

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However, presidential election years are not deeply contested as national party resources are spent in other states and turnout and interest is frequently relatively low.

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