Frederick GOP wants investigation of Baltimore campaign consultant - Maryland Matters

A high-profile political fundraiser working in Maryland stands accused of violating state laws that strictly bar coordination between political candidates and super PACs, according to a complaint filed with the state Board of Elections by the Frederick County Republican Party.

The grievance targets Baltimore-based consultant Sophia Silbergeld, who was paid last fall to manage a fundraising effort for Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater, a Democrat. Silbergeld currently serves as treasurer of United Frederick, an independent expenditure political action committee that poured nearly $500,000 into mailings and online advertisements attacking Jeff Holtzinger, Fitzwater’s Republican challenger, as reported by Maryland Matters.

“A consultant cannot work for a candidate and also run the Super PAC supporting that candidate,” said Justin Wages, chairman of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee, in a public statement. “The law presumes coordination in exactly this situation. Voters deserve to know whether it happened, and whether the people spending … to influence this election are legally separate from the campaign.”

The 18-Month Rule and State Scrutiny

At the center of the dispute is Maryland’s strict independent expenditure framework, which features a mandatory 18-month exclusion window designed to prevent communication and strategy-sharing between campaigns and outside spending groups. While these independent committees can raise and deploy virtually unlimited funds, state regulations enforce strict boundaries to protect election integrity.

Jared DeMarinis, the state election director, emphasized the uncompromising nature of the statute. “What you can protect is the integrity,” DeMarinis said, noting that Maryland enforces a hard line requiring independent groups to spend without consultation or assistance from a benefiting campaign.

Violations of these coordination rules are classified as misdemeanors, placing the legal burden on the accused to prove the allegations false. Establishing a legitimate operational firewall between internal campaign strategies and an independent vendor serves as one primary defense under the law. However, the Frederick GOP maintains that public filings reveal no such protective barrier.

Response From the Fitzwater Campaign and Adeo Advocacy

Silbergeld, who acts as president of the political division at Baltimore-based Adeo Advocacy, stated that Fitzwater is not a current client. She noted that she had not yet received a formal inquiry or copy of the complaint from state election authorities.

“When I receive a complaint, I plan to respond to it,” Silbergeld said.

In a formal statement, the Fitzwater campaign clarified that Adeo Advocacy was retained approximately nine months before the creation of United Frederick for the sole purpose of managing a standalone event. The campaign stressed that the firm possessed no access to proprietary information and has not performed work for the incumbent executive since.

“The campaign does not coordinate or communicate with PACs such as United Frederick,” the campaign stated.

Campaign finance reports filed in January show a $5,000 disbursement in November 2025 to Paul Fulcher, the treasurer for the Fitzwater campaign, as reimbursement for fundraising expenses. The filing lists Silbergeld’s firm as the ultimate recipient. Representatives explained to reporters that Fulcher used his personal credit card to cover the initial payment to Silbergeld before seeking repayment from the campaign committee.

Financial Backing and Broader Implications

The controversy underscores an increasingly competitive race for Frederick County executive. Financial records indicate that Silbergeld was brought in to organize a single campaign event for Fitzwater at the request of David Trone, a former congressman and prominent local supporter.

Trone stands as one of three principal donors who have injected $550,000 into the United Frederick PAC, alongside the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Maryland State Education Association. State officials confirmed receipt of the Republican complaint but have withheld specific details while reviewing the matter.

State records show that complaints alleging illegal campaign coordination remain exceedingly rare in Maryland, with this filing representing only the second such case on record. As elections officials evaluate the submission, the outcome may hinge on whether state investigators find evidence of strategic communication crossing the statutory firewall between the incumbent’s campaign and the independent expenditure group.