Democratic Wicomico County Councilmember Josh Hastings is challenging Republican Del. Barry Beauchamp in District 38B. Beauchamp was appointed to the seat in September 2024, after former Del. Carl Anderton left to join Gov. Wes Moore’s administration. The district backed Kamala Harris by seven percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, according to the figures cited in campaign coverage.

The contest is one of a small number of competitive General Assembly races in a state where Democrats hold large majorities in both legislative chambers and no statewide race is considered competitive. That scarcity has increased attention on the Lower Shore contest, along with political divisions among Wicomico Republicans and the involvement of outside groups.

American Future PAC reported spending at least $202,630 to oppose Beauchamp and $38,687 to support Hastings through Oct. 20. Its mailers criticize Beauchamp’s legislative votes and attempt to link him to President Donald Trump. Beauchamp says his vote against the state budget reflected objections to its reliance on higher taxes and fees, not opposition to particular programs. He has also pointed to an Eastern Shore Democrat who voted against the budget.

The PAC’s spending is independent of Hastings’ campaign. Hastings has said he is not accepting corporate PAC contributions and told a candidate forum he did not know who the group was, though its efforts were clearly aimed at keeping Beauchamp from returning to Annapolis. The Maryland State Education Association’s political arm and both major parties’ House campaign committees are also active in the race.

Campaign finance reports through Oct. 18 showed Beauchamp had raised $111,937 and spent $75,256, leaving him with $36,781. Hastings had raised $102,539 and spent $99,322, with $7,326 remaining. Those figures do not include the PAC’s independent expenditures.

Both candidates have presented themselves as willing to work across party lines. Hastings, 44, is a two-term councilmember with a background in agriculture and conservation work. He says affordability and economic development would be priorities in Annapolis and has proposed legislation to establish open primaries in Maryland. He also says he would vote against Question 3, a ballot measure concerning the state’s ability to redraw its congressional map between censuses.

Beauchamp, 65, is a local business owner and member of the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee. He says his experience on the House Appropriations Committee has helped him build relationships across the aisle. In campaign messaging, he has emphasized support for farmers and watermen and preserving the Eastern Shore’s way of life. At a recent forum, he criticized Democratic leaders over taxes and regulations and argued that Hastings would ultimately be expected to follow his party’s positions.

The candidates’ policy differences were not always apparent at a forum held at Salisbury University, where both emphasized representing the entire district. Hastings said voters’ frustration with national politics and local Republican infighting could create an appetite for change. Beauchamp has argued that he begins the race seven points behind because of the district’s political makeup.

The race also recalls a longer local political shift: Hastings is seeking the seat once held by Democrat Norman Conway for 28 years, until Anderton defeated him in 2014. The outcome will determine who represents District 38B in a legislature where most seats are not expected to change hands, but where outside spending has made this Wicomico contest a prominent exception.