Rep. Kweisi Mfume projected to win Democratic bid for Maryland's 7th District

Tinashe Chingarande, The Baltimore Sun on Jun 23, 2026

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BALTIMORE — U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume defeated his primary opponent, Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway, clearing the way for the long-standing incumbent to potentially retain his seat that Democrats have held for over 70 years.

The incumbent beat Conway by nearly 60 percentage points, according to The Associated Press.

Mfume, who has represented Maryland’s 7th Congressional District for 14 years, is a prominent figure in the state and national Democratic politics. He was once president and CEO of the NAACP, is a senior member of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, and the U.S. House oversight committee.

On the campaign trail, Conway argued that Mfume is a Democratic Party leader out of touch with the everyday Baltimorean. The councilman noted the congressman had a long tenure in politics and that it was time to pass the torch to a younger generation of leaders.

Conway also blasted Mfume for voting for over $3 billion in military aid to Israel after having accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which donates to candidates that support pro-Israel policy. Mfume said his vote was also because assistance for Haiti was tied to the aid to Israel in the legislation Congress passed.

Mfume is projected to face Republican nominee Scott Collier, who is running on an anti-crime platform. His campaign website says he wants to combat “the out-of-control drug problems that have greatly diminished the standard of living in many of our communities for far too long.” Collier, who ran for the 7th District in 2022 and 2024, was unopposed in the 2026 primaries.

At least 400,000 voters cast ballots before polls opened — either during in-person early voting or by returning mail-in ballots, according to the state elections board.

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