Baltimore social media influencer and small-business owner Bobby LaPin — known to his followers as the “Sail Local Guy” — will challenge one of Maryland’s most powerful politicians, Senate President Bill Ferguson, in the Democratic primary in June.

The Baltimore Democrat’s announcement comes as Ferguson has taken heat from national and state Democrats for his stance against redrawing Maryland’s congressional maps because he fears a court challenge.

Ferguson’s opposition pushed LaPin to run, he said.

“These are my neighbors. My home is under threat,” LaPin said. “And if I don’t have a state senator that will stand up and protect this home and protect my neighbors then someone has to do it.”

LaPin, also known as Captain Bobby, is riding a recent wave of anger directed at Ferguson but also joins a national trend of inexperienced political candidates looking to fill seats of career Democrats as the party is grappling with its identity.

Ferguson has taken flak from the national Democratic Party for standing between it and Maryland’s only Republican congressional seat. Calls for him to step aside and for a candidate to challenge him in the primary have grown.

And he has borne the frustration of his lawmaking colleagues in Maryland who want to start the redistricting process the next time the General Assembly meets. Gov. Wes Moore, with the backing of House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, has applied pressure by starting a redistricting commission to evaluate maps and gather public opinion.

With scant political experience, no staff and a campaign finance account mere hours old, LaPin is clear-eyed about what he’s up against. He’s hoping for a groundswell of volunteer support from people who want someone else to represent them.

“I’m going up against Bill Ferguson, the epitome of establishment politics,” he said. ”I’m just a guy on Instagram with a little boat business.“

LaPin announced his candidacy in an Instagram Reel on Friday and said within an hour he had more than 140 small donations. People have already reached out to help him.

“He has a million dollars and a machine, but I truly believe that I have the people, because I am the people,” LaPin said.

He said he called Ferguson before announcing to tell him he was going to challenge him but declined to share the content of their conversation.

Ferguson, who was in a redistricting commission meeting Friday afternoon, did not immediately comment on LaPin’s announcement.

Ferguson was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and maneuvered into the top job in 2019 when then-President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller stepped down while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Ferguson began the year with nearly $1.8 million in his campaign account, and he’s been fundraising since, including an event Thursday he said was attended by more than 100 supporters.

LaPin has set up a campaign finance account with the Maryland State Board of Elections and created a campaign website. He has yet to file his candidacy paperwork.

LaPin and Ferguson will face off in District 46, which includes city neighborhoods such as Curtis Bay, Riverside, Federal Hill, much of downtown, Fells Point, Canton, Patterson Park and Bayview.

It’s not his first foray into Baltimore politics. LaPin ran an unsuccessful primary race for a House of Delegates seat in 2014 in District 40. A quick look at his social media offers a clearer picture of his politics.

“I’m a Bernie Democrat,” he said.

LaPin doesn’t hesitate to drop his opinions on his social media account, which has more than 87,000 followers, whether it’s his support of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani or his opposition to President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard in American cities.

The Baltimore native and U.S. Army veteran runs Boat Baltimore, a sailboat charter company. He started making Instagram Reels to promote his business but also to show followers Baltimore’s most flattering angles.

That’s not his only job. During the winter and when he’s not on the water, the 46-year-old works as a national security background investigator supporting the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

Ferguson last faced a primary challenger in 2014 and won 90% of the vote. The primary elections in majority-Democratic Baltimore typically determine the winner.

Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this report.