STATEMENT FROM MARYLAND GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ANDY ELLIS CALLS FOR OPEN DEBATES AMIDST CONFLICT OF INTEREST

For Immediate Release
September 18, 2026
Contact: andy@gogreen2026.com | 443-320-5296

On September 18th, 2026, Andy Ellis, the Maryland Green Party Gubernatorial candidate issued the following statement:

"Richard Bodorff chairs the commission that holds MPT's FCC licenses, and he and his wife each made the maximum contribution to the Governor's re-election campaign. The timing of those donations raises questions of whether Mr. Bodorff is serving the best interests of the people of Maryland or the best interests of Governor Moore.

“The donations add context to internal MPT records our campaign released last week, which were acquired through a Maryland Public Information Act request. MPT is a taxpayer-funded state agency, but internal emails show that they are more concerned with currying favor with Governor Moore than reflecting the will of everyday Marylanders.

“The MPIA request revealed a lot. For example, when I released a statement in  January in favor of increasing funding for MPT, Mr. Bodorff urged MPT employees to get word to Governor Moore that MPT hadn’t put me up to it.

“In spite of this, MPT’s own editorial policy–the same policy which is supposed to govern invitations to their debate stage–cites ‘shielding its editorial process from political pressure or improper influence.’

“My statement called on the General Assembly to increase funding for MPT. If Mr. Bodorff thinks the governor might retaliate over my support for increasing their funding, that explains why he wants me as far from the debate stage as possible on October 6th. 

I am calling on MPT to invite all four ballot-qualified candidates to the debate next month. Then I am calling on the general assembly to codify that practice and to remove the subjectivity of editorial decisions made without transparency or public oversight.” 

Ellis’s campaign has started a grassroots petition effort to open up the taxpayer-funded MPT debates to independent & third-party candidates. The petition can be found and signed at https://www.gogreen2026.com/debate 

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Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews are the Maryland Green Party candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor. Their campaign is funded by small donors and refuses corporate or PAC contributions. Their campaign is focused on ending the duopoly in Maryland politics to Learn more at www.gogreen2026.com.