The Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Maryland State House District 5 has three candidates: April Rose, Christopher Bouchat and Chris Tomlinson. All three are Republicans, and all three are incumbents.
The race is designated as contested, but the field does not present a choice between different party labels. No Democratic candidate or candidate from another party is listed. No policy positions are documented for Rose, Bouchat or Tomlinson, leaving voters without stated issue differences to compare at this stage.
The three candidates
April Rose is running as a Republican incumbent. No biographical profile is on file for Rose. Her funds raised, funds spent and cash on hand are also not on file, and she has no documented policy positions in the race.
Christopher Bouchat is running as a Republican incumbent. No biographical profile is on file for Bouchat. His funds raised, funds spent and cash on hand are also not on file, and he has no documented policy positions in the race.
Chris Tomlinson is running as a Republican incumbent. No biographical profile is on file for Tomlinson. His funds raised, funds spent and cash on hand are also not on file, and he has no documented policy positions in the race.
That gives each candidate the same basic profile in the current field: Republican affiliation, incumbent status, no biography on file, no campaign finance totals on file and no documented positions on specific issues.
What is contested
District 5 is listed as a contested race with three candidates rather than a single candidate. Each of the three enters the election with the same party label and the same incumbent designation.
Those shared labels do not tell voters how Rose, Bouchat and Tomlinson differ on legislation, spending, taxes, education or other matters that could come before the State House. None of the candidates has a documented stance on those or any other policy area in this race.
The field also does not offer campaign finance figures that could be compared. Funds raised, funds spent and cash on hand are not on file for any of the three candidates. That means there is no documented financial comparison among Rose, Bouchat and Tomlinson at this point.
Election date and voter choices
The District 5 contest is part of Maryland’s 2026 general election, scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Rose, Bouchat and Tomlinson are the three candidates listed for the race.
Because all three candidates are Republican incumbents, the main distinctions to watch are any policy positions, biographical information or campaign finance totals that emerge during the election cycle. Those details would give voters more information for comparing the candidates beyond party affiliation and current officeholder status.
What could clarify the race
The central process question is whether the candidate field remains the same through the general election. It will also matter whether Rose, Bouchat and Tomlinson publish positions explaining how they would approach another term in the State House.
Campaign finance information could add another point of comparison if totals for money raised, money spent and cash on hand are filed or listed. Until then, the documented field consists of three Republican incumbents competing in a race designated as contested, with the election set for Nov. 3, 2026.
