Arthur Ellis of Charles County will not seek reelection to his state Senate seat and instead will run for Congress, setting off a chain of reshuffling across local and state races.

Ellis has publicly weighed a congressional bid in recent weeks following U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer’s retirement announcement, but has stopped short of confirming his plans. In a brief Tuesday phone call, he told The Baltimore Sun that he intends to file his bid for the soon-to-be vacant congressional seat later this week, describing himself as being in an “exploratory phase legally.”

Ellis, who joined the Maryland General Assembly in 2019, will be one of 13 Democrats vying for the congressional seat. The state senator recently launched a protest calling for Senate President Bill Ferguson to allow the state Senate to vote on a proposed redistricting map, which aims to flip the one Republican-majority congressional district to a Democrat-majority district.

Hoyer, who has served in Congress since 1981, endorsed Prince George’s County ​​Del. Adrian Boafo for the seat in January. Hoyer announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection, calling for a “fresh perspective” to represent the district. Boafo, who shared his bid for Congress four days after Hoyer’s retirement announcement, served as the outgoing congressman’s campaign manager before stepping further into his own political career, joining the House of Delegates in 2023. Hoyer’s endorsement followed less than two weeks later.

Other candidates vying for the seat include Prince George’s County Del. Nicole Williams, Councilwoman Wala Blegay and health care executive Quincy Bareebe.

Ellis’ decision not to run for reelection for a third time creates an open state Senate seat in Southern Maryland. Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat representing Charles County, filed Tuesday to run for Ellis’ state Senate seat.

Wilson has spearheaded the effort for middecade redistricting in Maryland, which has stalled in the Senate Rules Committee after passing the House of Delegates.

Wilson was named House parliamentarian by Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk a few weeks after she took office late last year, a move that coincided with dropping his bid for the position despite expressing a strong interest. He was named The Sun’s 2023 Marylander of the Year after becoming the driving force behind the state’s landmark Child Victims Act.

Wilson told The Sun on Tuesday that he felt there was no place for him in the House of Delegates after the new speaker announced her new leadership team, with him no longer serving as the chair of the House Economic Matters Committee. He said the decision didn’t surprise him, as he is a moderate Democrat compared with the progressive Peña-Melnyk.

“I have a very defined style,” Wilson said. “I’ve also realized, a long time ago that it’s not power, if it can be taken from me. So, I never took that position for granted. At best, I used it as an opportunity as it was. So, I was very profoundly grateful for the opportunity I had, and I know that had I not been chairman, I probably would have never gotten that Child Victims Act passed, but having the power of the gavel forced the Senate to actually act and move on something they may not have moved on.”

He added that he wanted the county to continue to have experienced representation that understands Annapolis politics.

He was first elected in 2010 as the county’s first Black delegate and has a law degree from Howard University School of Law.

One other person has filed for the 28th legislative district — Democrat Aaron Corbin, who told The Sun that he is a compliance manager for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and has lived in the state since 2020. Corbin attended the District of Columbia Law School and told The Sun he believes “making a difference can start with the Maryland State Senate.”

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