# U.S. Representative in Congress, Maryland District 3

**In one sentence:** You choose Maryland's 3rd District member of the U.S. House — one of 435 elected lawmakers who make federal laws, write tax bills, oversee federal agencies, and help decide how national money is spent; vote for one.

## The candidates

### Sarah Elfreth (Democratic)

- **Background:** Incumbent. Born in New Jersey; bachelor's in political science from Towson (2010), master's in public policy from Johns Hopkins (2012). Served in the Maryland State Senate (2019-2025); assumed this House seat January 3, 2025 [1][2].
- **Top stated priorities:** Lowers costs (co-sponsored bills to stop grocery price gouging, a no-tariffs-on-groceries bill, and a federal minimum-wage increase); protects Medicaid, SNAP, and Medicare; backs abortion access and gun-safety laws [1][3][4].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** First term in Congress: voted no on the 2025 "One Big Beautiful Bill" (taxes, spending, Medicaid/SNAP) and no on the Laken Riley Act (immigration detention); served on the Armed Services Committee; says her office resolved about 1,775 constituent cases and won five bills [2][3][4][5].

### Berney Flowers (Republican)

- **Background:** Retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel; served about 21 years (1987-2008), was at the Pentagon on 9/11, and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine [6][7].
- **Top stated priorities:** Strict immigration enforcement and a secure border; term limits for members of Congress; lower taxes; parental rights in schools and abolition of the U.S. Department of Education; defends the Second Amendment [5][6][8].
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** No prior elected office. After the Air Force, worked in banking, then in federal civilian roles: helped stand up U.S. Cyber Command and served as senior technical advisor for NORAD at Fort Meade [6][7]. He has run for Congress several times, most recently winning the June 2026 Republican primary [3][7].

## Where they differ

- **Costs and taxes:** Elfreth co-sponsored a federal minimum-wage increase and fought the 2025 tax-and-spending bill; Flowers wants lower taxes for families and says those who earn more should pay more, while cutting federal spending and debt [4][8].
- **Immigration:** Elfreth voted no on the Laken Riley Act and for commonsense reform; Flowers wants strict enforcement, a secure border, and merit-based legal immigration [3][4][5].
- **Health care:** Elfreth co-sponsors Medicare for All and defended Medicaid/SNAP from the 2025 bill; Flowers backs protecting Medicare, but wants Medicaid turned into state-run block grants [3][8].
- **Abortion and guns:** Elfreth supports abortion access and assault-weapon bans with expanded background checks; Flowers supports limiting elective abortion (exceptions for rape, incest, and the mother's life) and opposes new gun rules [3][8].

## If you care most about...

- **Lowering family costs (groceries, health care, prices)** -> Elfreth says she pushed cost-cutting bills and blocked the 2025 spending bill; Flowers says he will cut federal waste, taxes, and federal barriers to housing and health care [3][4][5][8].
- **Immigration and border security** -> Elfreth wants reform and voted no on detention expansions; Flowers wants strong enforcement and a secure border [3][4][5].
- **Abortion access** -> Elfreth will fight to restore Roe v. Wade; Flowers wants elective abortion limited with exceptions [3][8].
- **National security, defense, and election rules** -> Flowers brings DoD cybersecurity service and wants voter ID plus term limits; Elfreth serves on the Armed Services Committee, voted no on twice on a voter-ID bill (SAVE Act), and voted for a photo-ID-free expansion of voting rights (Voting Rights Advancement Act) [3][8].

## What we could not verify

- A full page read of Elfreth's campaign site was not possible, so her 2026 "top stated priorities" rest on the Maryland Matters voter guide, her official House site statements, and her voting record rather than her own 2026 platform page.
- Ballotpedia lists a write-in candidate (Robert Coffman, R); county ballot language for write-ins was not found in the sources checked.
- I could not verify a full list of named endorsements for Flowers beyond a veterans group, or named endorsements for Elfreth beyond those listed.

## Confidence

**Medium** — Official candidate filings, primary results, and named endorsements are verified; most issue positions come from non-partisan voter guides and the candidates' own answers, and a couple of details (write-in language, full endorsement lists) could not be fully confirmed.

## Sources

1. Sarah Elfreth - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Sarah_Elfreth
2. Maryland General Election, 2024 - U.S. Representatives (Sarah K. Elfreth) - Maryland State Archives - https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/42electg/html/2024/2024usrep.html
3. U.S. House, 3rd District Democrats (voter guide, 2026 primary) - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/voter-guides/contests/3rd-district-democratic-primary/
4. Elfreth Votes Against Republicans' "Big, Beautiful Bill" (May 22, 2025) - Representative Sarah Elfreth, House - http://elfreth.house.gov/media/press-releases/elfreth-votes-against-republicans-big-beautiful-bill
5. U.S. House, 3rd District Republicans (voter guide, 2026 primary) - Maryland Matters - https://marylandmatters.org/voter-guides/contests/3rd-district-republicans/
6. Bernard Flowers - Ballotpedia - https://ballotpedia.org/Bernard_Flowers
7. 2026 General Election - Statewide Candidate List, Congressional District 3 (Elfreth, Flowers) - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://www.elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_statewide_candidatelist.html
8. Berney Flowers (R) - iVoterGuide 2026 General Election Candidate Profile - https://ivoterguide.com/candidate/62321/race/31709/election/1467
9. Flowers for Maryland (candidate's own site) - https://flowersformaryland.com/
10. Representative Sarah Elfreth - official House site - https://www.elfrethformaryland.com/
11. Governor Moore Endorses Leaders Across Maryland (Sarah Elfreth, MD-03) - wesmoore.com - https://wesmoore.com/governor-moore-endorses-leaders-across-maryland-to-finish-the-job/
12. Largest Federal Employee Union Announces Maryland Endorsements (Sarah Elfreth) - AFGE - https://www.afge.org/publication/largest-federal-employee-union-announces-slate-of-maryland-endorsements-ahead-of-june-23-primary/