Challenger calls on Senate President Ferguson to return utility-related campaign donations

MARYLAND (WBFF) — As energy bills continue to climb for Maryland residents, a political challenger to Senate President Bill Ferguson questioned whether campaign contributions from utility companies could influence how lawmakers are handling rising costs.

In a series of viral social media posts, Ferguson’s opponent, small business owner Bobby LaPin, criticized the rising costs for ratepayers and lack of action from lawmakers.

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“I think everybody feels and everybody talks about, how can so much corporate money be in politics?” LaPin said. “How can a politician earnestly represent the people when they take so much money from corporate interests?”

In one post put out last week, LaPin claimed Ferguson has received nearly $60,000 in political donations tied to energy and utility companies. According to LaPin, the money came from several political action committees and employees associated with several energy companies, including:

• Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) PAC
• Washington Gas Light Company
• Constellation Energy employee PAC
• Pepco Holdings PAC
• Exelon PAC
• Vistra Energy
• FirstEnergy PAC
• Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
• NextEra Energy Marketing
• Eastern Gas Transmission & Storage
• NRG Energy
• Berkshire Hathaway Energy

LaPin went on to demand Ferguson to return the funds, setting a Monday deadline for Ferguson to respond.

“And I’m pretty sure he has not given that money back,” LaPin said. “You can’t fight for the people if you’re owned by the corporations.”

LaPin also pointed to a $25,000-per-ticket political retreat Ferguson hosted in 2024 at a luxury ranch in Colorado, attended by business leaders and energy executives, including BGE’s CEO.

“When you take those $25,000 checks, the corporation is not giving a politician $25,000 to do what’s right by the people. They’re giving that money to do what’s right by the corporation,” LaPin said. “So, when we run this race, I am not taking any corporate money. I’m not taking money from developers.”

On Monday, FOX45 News made several attempts to reach out to Ferguson’s office with the following questions:

• How do you respond to LaPin’s demand that you return campaign contributions tied to utility companies and related energy interests?
• Does your campaign dispute the figure of roughly $60,000 in contributions from those entities?
• Do you plan to return any of those donations? Why or why not?
• With energy rates continuing to rise and utility costs a major concern for Maryland residents, how do you respond to critics who argue that accepting significant campaign donations from utility-related companies could create a perceived conflict when representing ratepayers?
• What safeguards do you believe are in place to ensure your policy decisions on energy and utility regulation remain independent of campaign contributions?

As of the time the article was published, we have not heard back.

Just last week, however, Ferguson publicly raised concerns about the rising cost of a proposed Baltimore Peninsula energy infrastructure project, saying the utility must justify why projected costs ballooned to $500 million in a short period of time. Days later, BGE announced it was pausing the project.

In response to that action, LaPin questioned the timing, “I would say that the Office of the People’s Council made the politicians aware of that project years ago. And years ago, the OPC said we should probably take a look at this. It is convenient that five days after I posted a video on social media that got hundreds of thousands of views that now Bill Ferguson is finally stepping up and trying to protect the people,” LaPin said. “It shouldn’t take a social media post from a working class guy wearing a hoodie to make a politician do the right thing.”

Despite his criticism of corporate influence in politics, LaPin faces a significant financial disadvantage in the race. According to their most recent campaign finance reports, Ferguson’s campaign holds roughly $1.2 million in cash on hand, compared to about $51,000 for LaPin — giving the Senate president roughly 23 times more campaign funds heading into the June primary.