U.S. House, Maryland 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Maryland's 4th Congressional District?
Glenn Ivey has the strongest record in Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Glenn Ivey scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Glenn Ivey's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Sam Husseini (4 of 15 criteria) and George McDermott (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Green
Sam Husseini
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 63
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Glenn Ivey
On the ballot as Glenn F. Ivey
68 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Republican
George McDermott
On the ballot as George E. McDermott
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Sam Husseini
- On the record2025-01-16
Was physically removed by security from Secretary of State Antony Blinken's final news conference on Jan. 16, 2025 after shouting questions about U.S. policy on Gaza.
Source: Newsweek, Jan. 16, 2025
Glenn Ivey
- On the record2025-03-18
At a March 2025 town hall in Forestville he became the first House Democrat to suggest Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer step aside after Schumer helped pass a Republican spending bill.
Source: The Daily Beast, Mar. 19, 2025
- On the record2025-02-06
Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act when Leader Jeffries and most House Democrats voted against it.
- On the record2025
Serves as ranking member of the House Ethics Committee investigative subcommittee on Rep. Henry Cuellar.
- Credit2024-07
Named to the 13-member bipartisan House task force investigating the July 2024 attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Sources: WBAL-TV, July 29, 2024, Office site, About
George McDermott
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed Aug. 13, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found, and no House Ethics Committee matter names him as a respondent; no periodic transaction reports on file.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10081413, FEC administrative fines search
George McDermott. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Voted Yea on the HALT Fentanyl Act and the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act in 2025 when Leader Jeffries voted Nay, and in March 2025 was the first House Democrat to suggest Senate Leader Schumer step aside.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 33, Feb. 6, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 68, 2025, Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, The Daily Beast, Mar. 19, 2025
George McDermott. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Held an in-person town hall in March 2025 at which constituents confronted him, as reported by Fox News and The Daily Beast. Did not answer the Banner or Sun 2026 pre-primary questionnaires.
Sources: Fox News, Mar. 19, 2025, The Daily Beast, Mar. 19, 2025, Baltimore Sun voter guide
George McDermott. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Two terms as Prince George's County state's attorney, chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission and in Congress since 2023. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found; he sits on the House Ethics Committee.
Source: Office site, About
George McDermott. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Held sworn office as an assistant U.S. attorney, state's attorney and member of Congress. Took his House seat in January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count; no misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: Office site, About, GovTrack, Glenn Ivey
George McDermott. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Sam Husseini. Communications director at the Institute for Public Accuracy for over 25 years and a journalist; earlier worked at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and FAIR. Has not held public office.
Sources: Newsweek, Jan. 16, 2025, Campaign site, About
Glenn Ivey. In his second U.S. House term since 2023, after two terms as Prince George's County state's attorney (2002 to 2011) and service as chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Sources: Office site, About, GovTrack, Glenn Ivey
George McDermott. Describes 55 years as a general contractor and developer and decades of court-watch advocacy. Has not held public office.
Source: Patch, Oct. 28, 2020
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Sam Husseini. Publishes a platform on foreign policy, education, civil liberties, data centers and Medicare for All, largely in general terms with some specific proposals.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Glenn Ivey. Sits on the Appropriations Committee (Commerce, Justice, Science and Financial Services subcommittees) and the Ethics Committee, where he is ranking member of the investigative subcommittee on Rep. Henry Cuellar.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, House Ethics Committee site search for Ivey
George McDermott. Publishes a candidate question-and-answer page on corruption, the courts, taxes and Social Security in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, Campaign
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Sam Husseini. Publishes an issues platform and his answers to League of Women Voters and Banner questionnaires, and links in-depth interviews.
Source: Campaign site, Issues
Glenn Ivey. Offers an e-newsletter, issue pages and an end-of-year report and holds town halls. Did not answer the Banner or Sun 2026 pre-primary questionnaires.
Sources: Office site, Office Information, Office site, About, Office site, End of Year Report, Fox News, Mar. 19, 2025
George McDermott. Publishes a question-and-answer page on his site. Did not answer the Banner or Sun 2026 pre-primary questionnaires.
Sources: Campaign site, Campaign, The Baltimore Banner voter guide, MD-4
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Sam Husseini. Says he has lived for over 20 years in the 4th District; his campaign address is in Riverdale, Prince George's County.
Sources: Campaign site, About, Campaign site, home page
Glenn Ivey. Has owned a home in Prince George's County since 1988 and was twice elected its state's attorney. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 56 percent of itemized individual contributions from Maryland.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
George McDermott. Listed as a Prince George's County candidate by the State Board of Elections; told Patch in 2020 that he lived in Forest Heights.
Sources: Maryland State Board of Elections candidate list, Patch, Oct. 28, 2020
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine record found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
George McDermott. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.476 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.522, rated meets expectations. No sponsored bill enacted, per GovTrack; two of his bills passed the House in the 118th Congress.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 6231 (118th Congress)
George McDermott. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Missed 23 of 1,917 roll call votes, 1.2 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
George McDermott. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Lists a district office in Landover and offers casework help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Information, Office site, About
George McDermott. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.77362 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 286 of 436: negative, not in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
George McDermott. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Sam Husseini. No public record found.
Glenn Ivey. No public record found.
George McDermott. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Maryland's 4th Congressional District?
Glenn Ivey has the strongest record in Maryland's 4th Congressional District. Glenn Ivey scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Glenn Ivey's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Sam Husseini (4 of 15 criteria) and George McDermott (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Maryland's 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Sam Husseini (Green), Glenn Ivey (Democratic, incumbent), George McDermott (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Sam Husseini a good candidate for Congress?
Sam Husseini has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Glenn Ivey a good candidate for Congress?
Glenn Ivey scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is George McDermott a good candidate for Congress?
George McDermott has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Maryland race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Maryland 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.