Democratic Maryland Rep. Anthony Brown will run for state Attorney General in 2022, leaving Congress after three terms.
A two-term lieutenant governor under Democrat Martin O’Malley, Brown lost his own gubernatorial campaign to Republican Larry Hogan in 2014. State Attorney General Brian Frosh announced on Oct. 21 that he would not seek a third term in office.
“I’m running for attorney general today … because I think that Maryland needs to have a skilled advocate and experienced leader to enforce the laws, to protect Marylanders and their rights, benefits and opportunities,” Brown told The Baltimore Sun.
#MD04 Rep. Anthony Brown (D) is launching a campaign for Maryland attorney general.
He is the 13th House Democrat to retire or run for another office. https://t.co/Vgw4Em8HC3
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) October 25, 2021
Brown is the thirteenth House Democrat to turn down a 2022 re-election bid, and the sixth to do so to run for another office. Ten House Republicans have announced that they will not run for re-election in 2022, including six who will run for another office. (RELATED: Longtime North Carolina Democratic Rep. David Price Announces Retirement)
A series of early retirement announcements such as Brown’s have led some political analysts to suggest that Republicans will take back the House of Representatives in a wave. Brown would not be at risk of losing his deep blue seat, which he won by nearly 60 points in 2020, but many long-serving members of Congress do not like to return to the minority after a long stretch as the majority party. 23 House Republicans announced their retirements before the 2018 midterms, when Democrats picked up 41 seats, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Brown previously explored a run for Maryland’s attorney general in 2006, before O’Malley tapped him as his running mate. He has also served as a state delegate representing Prince George’s County, and as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He served one tour of duty in Iraq.