Friday, July 30, 2010

Is Governor O'Malley (D) in Danger of Losing the MD Governor's Race?

from The Baltimore Sun

The Democratic National Committee wired $100,000 to the Maryland Democratic Party Wednesday, a cash infusion the party says will help statewide campaign efforts for the fall.

“We have a variety of things we are going to be doing,” a Maryland Democratic spokesman said. Spokesman Isaac Salazar listed efforts to take advantage of new early-voting rules and a get-out-the-vote drive on election day.

“We are going to have a lot of folks we need to hire across the state,” he said. “It will support a lot of ongoing efforts we have in place.”

The cash transfer appears to be part of a national Democratic effort to funnel $50 million into states with competitive races. The party also moved money Wednesday to Florida and Pennsylvania, according to a Democratic source.

A pair of Maryland rematches are attracting national attention this cycle: the race between Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley; and the contest between freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil and Republican state Sen. Andrew Harris in the 1st Congressional District.

O’Malley had $4.8 million in his campaign war chest in January, has access to other funds, and is widely expected to outraise Ehrlich, who has not had to report any campaign finance figures. Kratovil has $1.3 million for his re-election effort, compared to Harris’s $890,000 as of June 30.

The Maryland GOP apparently has not seen the same kind of support from the Republican National Committee, which is chaired by former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele.

An RNC spokesman said the DNC transfer “is a clear sign of just how vulnerable Governor O’Malley has become.” Spokesman Parish Braden said the RNC is making “an unprecedented investment this cycle to support the Maryland Republican Party and Republican campaign efforts across the state."

Braden said the RNC would help Maryland Republicans open seven staffed regional field offices to assist in get-out-the-vote efforts. He said RNC investment would help the state party hire staff dedicated to turning out early and absentee voters.

Maryland GOP chairwoman Audrey Scott said the Democrats were “extremely fortunate.”

Thursday, July 29, 2010

MD Sells Another $485m in Bonds to Finance Debt

from The Maryland Daily Record:

Maryland sold $485 million in bonds on Wednesday to pay for the construction of capital projects, like schools and prisons, across the state.

The state Treasurer’s Office sold $143 million with an interest rate of 1.6 percent through a direct retail sale, with priority given to Maryland residents. The balance, $342 million, was sold through a competitive bidding process.

The sale was approved Wednesday by the Board of Public Works.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch accounted for nearly half of the bond sale, buying $221.7 million in tax-exempt bonds that carry a 1.9 percent interest rate.

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. bought $75 million in Build America Bonds — under the economic stimulus package, the federal government subsidizes states’ interest payments — at 2.7 percent interest.

And Morgan Keegan & Co. bought $45.2 million in school construction bonds at 4.4 percent interest. State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp said the federal government will cover all of the state’s interest payments on those bonds.

“I was really pleased with today’s results,” Kopp said. “Again, Maryland’s [triple-A] rated bonds drew significant interest — and a very low interest rate.”

Kopp noted 60 percent of the bond proceeds would go to schools, colleges and universities.

Maryland’s top bond ratings from all the three major ratings houses were reaffirmed this month as the state prepared to conduct the bond sale. Kopp on Wednesday said the state’s AAA rating saved taxpayers “millions of dollars.”

The state delayed the sale of $4.5 million more in school construction bonds and the refinancing of bonds worth $100 million until the treasurer finds more favorable market conditions.

Kopp said she expects to hold the state’s next bond sale in February or March.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Maryland Republican Party Elects a Democrat by Default

from The Baltimore Sun

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is Maryland's first winner of the 2010 elections.

The first-term Democrat won four more years in office Wednesday when the the deadline for parties to name challengers passed without Republicans finding an opponent to take him on.

"I'm flattered that people in the state of Maryland think we're doing a good job," Gansler told Baltimore Sun colleague Annie Linskey.

The failure of the GOP to field a candidate was striking, given Gansler's vocal support for gay marriage, a position which has put him to the left of many Maryland Democrats.

Maryland Republican Party Chairwoman Audrey Scott told Linskey Gansler is "one lucky guy." Scott said she'd hoped to put up a challenger. One candidate changed his mind, she said. Another appeared at the last minute, but party paperwork prevented her from being able to put his name forward, she said.

She would not give names. "We ran out of time," she said. She predicted that there would be more interest in four years.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Marylander Joins the Tea Party Causus

from The Baltimore Sun

Bartlett joins congressional Tea Party caucus

While there appears to have been some confusion about who is and who is not a member of the new House Tea Party Caucus, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett is making his position clear: The Western Maryland Republican announced Wednesday that he has joined the group.

“I have been cheered at every Tea Party event that I’ve attended because I’m one of only 18 members in Congress who has voted against every bailout bill,” Bartlett said in a statement.

Rep. Michele Bachmann introduced the new caucus Wednesday in Washington with a list of 28 members, including Rep. Joe Wilson, the South Carolina Republican who shouted “You lie!” as President Barack Obama gave a speech before a joint session of Congress, and Rep. Joe Barton, the Texas Republican who apologized last month to BP for its treatment by the Obama administration following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Later Wednesday, the Furm Forum reported that two of the House members on the list had not yet agreed to join the caucus, and spokesmen for others said they did not know that their members had joined or were unaware that the list was to be made public.

Bartlett, the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, confirmed his membership.

The veteran lawmaker described the caucus as “one of the new tools, such as American Speaking Out and YouCut, that House Republicans have introduced to help Americans regain the control over their lives and their pocketbooks that’s been taken away from them by the jobs-killing, out of control regulation and spending agenda of President Obama and Congressional Democrats.”

Maryland Seeks Means to De-Authenticate Political Parody on the Internet

from The Daily Record

ANNAPOLIS — Political candidates in Maryland will have some new rules to play by if they want to use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to advance their campaigns.

Members of a Maryland legislative panel voted Tuesday to require candidates to clearly identify their campaign on social media sites. Representatives of AOL, Google and Facebook applauded the idea last month, saying Maryland may be the first state to create such regulations for campaigns.

Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s board of elections candidacy and campaign finance director, said the new rules take effect in two weeks.

DeMarinis says the board wanted to create such rules to help protect the public from misinformation and candidates from people who may try to tarnish their reputation by establishing false accounts in their name.

Related story

Monday, July 19, 2010

MD's 1st Congressional District Race

from The Washington Post

Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil (D) narrowly outraised state Sen. Andy Harris (R) in the second quarter of the year, retaking the initiative after Harris had beaten him in the previous two quarters. Kratovil also expanded his substantial lead over Harris in cash on hand, giving him more resources to deploy in the four remaining months of the 1st district contest.

Kratovil reported to the Federal Election Commission that he took in $390,000 from April through June, bringing his total fundraising for the cycle to $1.8 million. He had $1.3 million on hand as of June 30. Harris, meanwhile, reported raising $371,000 for the quarter. He has taken in $1.5 million for the cycle and had $896,000 left in the bank at the end of June.

Before Harris can face Kratovil, he has to win the Sept. 14 Republican primary against businessman Rob Fisher, the founder of a cybersecurity firm. Fisher began his bid largely by self-funding his campaign and continued that trend in the 2nd quarter. He reported taking in $310,000 -- all but $10,000 of it from himself -- and had $239,000 on hand June 30.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

MD Governor Race: O'Malley, Ehrlich in Statistical Tie


from The Baltimore Sun Newspaper

Out today is the first Public Policy Polling survey on the Maryland governor's race -- a matchup that seems to be attracting attention from pollsters right and left. The survey of 569 Maryland voters shows Gov. Martin O'Malley leading former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich 45 percent to 42.

With a 4 percentage-point margin of error, they're statistically tied, as other recent polls have shown. Public Policy says the poll shows that Ehrlich is more strongly supported by his Republican party than O'Malley is by his Democrats. From the company's press release:

In the horse race 87% of Republicans support the former Governor while only 66% of Democrats support the current Governor. Republicans are united for Ehrlich and against O’Malley, while the Democrats are more fractured in their support.

In such a close race the undecided voters will play an important role. 12% of Maryland voters have yet to choose sides.

“The race is close. But with the clear support of his Republican base Ehrlich is off to a strong start,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Most of the undecided voters are Democrats, gaining their support will be key to O’Malley’s success.”

The survey, an automated poll where the person who answered the phone presses a number to indicate his or her response, was conducted from July 10-12. Public Policy Polling, which is based in Raleigh, N.C., acknowledges that "other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify."

Asked about the poll, O'Malley campaign spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said, "We know this is going to be a close race." He said the governor is "continuing to focus on moving Maryland forward, making the tough decisions to get us through this recession and create jobs."

Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth will be getting in touch shortly with a response. Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth said, "There are a lot of polls between now and November. This one like yesterday's, shows it's a close race. We believe, in the end, more Democrats, Republicans and Independents will be persuaded by Bob Ehrlich's message of more jobs and lower taxes to vote for him."

Yesterday, a Rasmussen Reports poll also had the candidates in a statistical dead heat, with 47 percent of those polled saying they'd choose Ehrlich, and 46 percent picking O'Malley. And, earlier, a Magellan poll showed Ehrlich ahead of O'Malley.

2006 MD Governor's Race (Ehrlich-O'Malley) Election Results

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Crowded Maryland Senate Race

On the 2010 Maryland Senate Race (Wikipedia)
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, despite her record of winning 60% of the vote or more in every contest since 1976, has drawn 25 challengers: six Democrats - including two named Taylor - 13 Republicans, three unaffiliated candidates, and representatives of the Green, Libertarian and Constitution parties.
Democratic Party Candidates
Christopher J. Garner
A. Billy Bob Jaworski info
Theresa C. Scaldaferri info
Blaine Taylor
Sanquetta Taylor her blog
Lih Young info
Incumbent - Senator Barbara Mikulski

Republican Party Candidates
Joseph Alexander
Carmen Amedori
Barry Steve Asbury info
Russ Braden???
Dr. Neil Cohen, Dentist
Stephens Dempsey
Samuel R. Graham, Sr.
John B. Kimble, Behavioral Scientist
Gregory Kump
Daniel W. McAndrew, Principal Engineer, Logistics Analyst - his blog
Jim Rutledge, Lawyer
Corrogan Vaughn???
Eddie Vendetti
Dr. Eric Wargotz, Queen Anne's County Commissioner and Doctor

Constitution Party Candidate
Richard Shawver

Green Party Candidate
Natasha Pettigrew

Libertarian Party Candidate
James Guy Adams

Candidates Unaffiliated with Any Political Party
Robert Brookman
David Dennis
Donald Kaplan

Monday, July 12, 2010

The Local Harford County, MD Political Scene

Detailed Harford County Political Map

from The Baltimore Sun paper:
This year's election should eliminate any doubts about which party controls politics in Harford County, where less than two decades ago Democrats held nearly every elected office but are now ceding the highest posts to Republicans without even fielding contenders.

No Democrat is running for county executive or County Council president. Nor are there Democrats campaigning in three of the six council races.

A Republican state senator who was appointed to his seat in 2007 has no challenger in the primary or general election.

Door-to-door campaigning and building networks in historic communities like Bel Air has become more difficult for candidates, with people making long daily commutes to their jobs. Campaigns are more about raising money — and attracting the moneyed interests. Developers and larger businesses favor Republicans in Harford.

"Now you have to raise a lot more money and you have to connect to voters on a whole other level," Rehrmann said. "You can't go door to door, when no one is home during the day. And, if you can't raise money, you have no chance."

While Republicans are crowing, Democrats said they are narrowing their focus on potentially winnable races, such as Helton's Senate bid. Incumbent Sheriff Jesse Bane is making a bid for a second term, and two Democratic incumbents are seeking re-election to the council. Democrats hold two seats in the House of Delegates, and several newcomers are trying to unseat Republican incumbents in other districts.

"Running for office requires a great deal of passion and money," Sawyer said. "We will do everything we can to keep Democrats in office. We have a good chance to hold our own and pick up a few seats."

A lack of competition for the top county seats could create voter apathy and a low turnout, Ward said, and last-minute appointees that the parties are allowed to make to fill ballot vacancies will do little to inspire voters.

"Those candidates are perceived as reluctant and forced to run," he said. "The best candidate is one who has emerged from a competitive primary that gave an opportunity to build a political base."

Rehrmann said she does not see a return to power for Harford Democrats in the near future, but she feels confident that her party's candidates are offering messages that will resonate with voters.

Ward always tells his students that politics has elements of magic and mystery, but he doesn't see any major change brewing in Harford this year. That's not necessarily a good thing for either side.

"Just as it wasn't good when Democrats dominated, it is not good for Republicans to dominate," Ward said. "There should be a balance of power that spurs competitive ideas. Ultimately, the best political environment is the one that is productive and enlightening for voters."

Democrats have limited themselves to a few races they consider winnable. Experts and local politicians cite a gradual demographic shift, which brought thousands of new, more conservative families to the county.

"This is the culmination of a trend reflecting the growing weakness of Democrats in Harford County," said Avery Ward, a longtime political science teacher who now is dean of behavioral social science at Harford Community College. "Republicans started gaining strength in the 1980s, especially when a lot of young voters joined the party. There also was a strong local leadership building the party. We have seen a striking shift in power over the last 25 years."

Harford's political scene illustrates a continuing trend in Maryland politics — with Republican-leaning communities such as Carroll County, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland growing more conservative, as Democrats build and maintain majorities in places such as Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Candidates and political observers have been wringing their hands over the widening divide, saying a lack of competitive races can lead to a loss of moderate voices in the halls of state and local government.

It wasn't that long ago that Harford was led by a Democrat – County Executive Eileen Rehrmann, who served two terms in the 1990s and made an abbreviated attempt for governor in 1998. In her first race as executive, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans in Harford by more than 2-to-1.

Democrats still hold a narrow voter registration edge -— 62,236 to 61,652 — but that has not helped them at the polls.

"In the '80s, if you won in the primary, you won," Rehrmann said. "That's still true, but the outcome of the story is the exact opposite."

Kim Wagner, chairwoman of Harford's Republican Central Committee, can remember coaxing Republicans into running 15 years ago. Today, she said, "we have interest, energy and excitement and we can give voters a variety of choices."

Democrat Art Helton insists his party has the same enthusiasm, if not the candidates. He is challenging Republican Sen. Nancy Jacobs, who has represented Harford and Cecil counties since 1998. Helton, who lost his bid for county executive in 1998, has worked on voter registration drives for the past few years in the heavily Democratic area along U.S. 40, where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1.

Ann C. Helton, his wife, lost the county executive race in 2006 to incumbent David R. Craig by about four percentage points. In the area where her husband is now running, she won by a significant margin.

"Obviously, Dems are having trouble in Harford," Art Helton said. "Our strategy was to choose winnable spots and concentrate on those. We are gaining in registered voters. The real test will come in the turnout."

Wagner is even a little worried she won't be returned to her elected position as a local party leader because her name comes at end of a long alphabetical list of 37 Republican candidates vying for 12 seats.

"This bodes really well for the future of the party in Harford," said Ryan Mahoney, spokesman for the Maryland Republican Party. "They can build from a great farm team."

Republican prospects in Harford have grown over the years as some Democrats switched parties when they jumped from local to countywide office. Defections occurred often enough that when the New Harford Democratic Club formed in 2005, its leaders required prospective candidates to sign a pledge to remain in the party or repay money spent on their campaigns.

"We may be in tough times, but we have not lost our vision, one in which the responsibility of governing outweighs the lure of money," said Wendy L. Sawyer, chairwoman of the county's Democratic Central Committee.

As Harford has grown more suburban, the way people run for office has changed in ways that seem to benefit Republicans more.


More on the 1st Congressional District from Wikipedia

Friday, July 9, 2010

Harford County's RNC/DNC Committees













Many seeking seats on party committees
BY L’OREAL THOMPSON

The races for Harford County’s Republican and Democratic central committees are shaping up to be popular ones in this year’s election — even if no real offices are involved.

Although the county’s Republican Central Committee can only have 12 members, there are nearly 40 candidates for those positions.

Several of the committee candidates are Tea Party members and candidates for other elected offices.

“It’s very encouraging to see so many people take an interest in what they view as grassroots party activism,” Republican Central Committee Chairwoman Kim Wagner said. “It could even be spurred to a certain extent by the Tea Party, which is not a Republican movement. It’s about cherishing independence. It has members of all parties.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Central Committee has 10 members to elect — five male and five female members — and 16 candidates.

Even though there aren’t as many candidates for the Democratic Central Committee, Chairwoman Wendy Saywer said there is still interest in the party.

As of Wednesday, there were slightly more registered Democrats in Harford County than Republicans.

Out of the 147,346 total registered voters, 62,236 are Democrats and 61,652 are Republicans. More than 21,000 are unaffiliated.

“It’s no shock the Republican party is pretty strong,” Sawyer said. “That’s no big surprise, but our job is to keep the party unity.”

The Republican Party is all about “smaller government, lower taxes and personal responsibility,” according to Wagner.

Wagner attributed the increase in Republican Central Committee candidates to the expansion of the Republican Party.

“All factions of our party are growing,” Wagner said. “Everyone from the middle of the road to the far right. Every group is growing within that party.”

Wagner also cited two more reasons for increased interest in the Republican Party.

“There are two things: one, leadership, and two, people saying ‘I’m done with the Democratic domination in the state of Maryland,’” Wagner said. “With leadership, we have [former governor] Bob Ehrlich and at the state level [Maryland Republican Party chairwoman] Audrey Scott.”

While Sawyer recognized the Republican Party has a good strategy, she said the Democratic Party is also relevant.

“We are not irrelevant,” Sawyer said. “We are very relevant. We’re relevant in the north. They’re not going to get a free ride.”

Sawyer also said the Republican Party is fighting with itself.

“One of the reasons you’re seeing so many Republican candidates out there this time is really an optical illusion,” Sawyer said. “There are really two Republican parties: the Tea Party and the others. A lot of candidates from each sanction are applying and they’re fighting each other.”

The purpose of both central committees is to support and promote its party and respective candidates and elected officials. Both committees are also active in voter registration and able to nominate candidates to fill vacancies in elected positions.

“The central committee is a vital part of the machine on both sides because we’re the local ones,” Sawyer said. “All politics are local. We keep track of what’s going on locally.”

The top vote getters in each race are elected to the committee, where they will serve a four-year term.

Incumbent Republican Central Committee members running for re-election include Wagner, of Bel Air; secretary Bob Thomas, of Joppa, who is also the county government spokesman; and Scott Gibson, of Darlington, who is also the county government’s human resources director.

Other incumbent members seeking re-election are: James A. Barron, of Havre de Grace; Carol MacCubbin, of Forest Hill; Dave Price, of Bel Air; Teresa Reilly, of Whiteford; and Larry Stancill, of Bel Air.

Incumbent committee member County Councilman Chad Shrodes, who represents northern Harford County, did not file for re-election to the Republican Central Committee.

Committee vice-chairman Steven Archer, of Darlington, and committee member James Kohl Jr., of Abingdon, also did not file for re-election.

The late Stephen Wright, president of the Route 40 Republican Club, had filed for re-election to the Republican Central Committee and the county executive position. He died in a car accident in June.

The remaining candidates for the Republican Central Committee are: Christopher J. Biggs, of Joppatowne; David Bopst, of Jarrettsville; Lori Brown, of Bel Air; Amy Hopkins Daney, of Darlington; Scott DeLong, of Bel Air; Frank A. Dupree, of Aberdeen; Vernon L. Gauss Jr., of Kingsville; Derek J. Howell, of Abingdon; Timothy P. Impallaria, of Bel Air; Gregory C. Johnson, of Bel Air; Miles M. Kress, of Abingdon; Trevor Leach, of Aberdeen; Mary McCann, of Joppa; Patrick McGrady, of Aberdeen; Paula R. Mullis, of Joppatowne; John M. Paff Jr., of Abingdon; Joan Ryder, of Fallston; Richard D. Schafer, of Churchville; Dave Seman, of Jarrettsville; Lowell D. Sheets, of Forest Hill; Donna M. Smith, of Forest Hill; Mike Stephens, of Bel Air; James M. Thompson, of Joppa; Dave Tritt, of Forest Hill; J.W. Walker, of Bel Air; Jason Walter, of Joppa; Jim Welch, of Bel Air; Rosaria “Rosie” Wolff, of Forest Hill; and Brian Young, of Bel Air.

The female candidates for the Democratic Central Committee include: Sawyer, of Edgewood; Cassandra R. Beverley, of Abingdon, the committee’s secretary; committee member Darlene May Riley, of Forest Hill; committee member Parissa S. Snider, of Bel Air; Bethany Diner, of Bel Air; Barbara Osborn Kreamer, of Aberdeen; JoWanda Strickland Lucas, of Aberdeen; and Kim McCarthy, of Bel Air.

The male candidates for the Democratic Central Committee include: committee vice-chairman Richard Norling, of Darlington; committee member Jerome Foster, of Edgewood; committee member Cordell Hunter, of Aberdeen; Jerry Comeau, of Jarrettsville; Jeff Dinger of Bel Air; Zach Fang, of Fallston; Russ Kovach, of Darlington; and Joseph C. Smith, of Havre de Grace.

David Fang, treasurer for the Democratic Central Committee, did not file for re-election, nor did committee members Mike A. Eaves and Ina Taylor.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Maryland Politics - Filing Deadline


from Maryland Reporter:
As tonight's 9 p.m. filing deadline for candidates for state and local office draws closer, some incumbents look like they will coast to new terms, while others will face tough battles to retain their seats.

As of Friday at 5 p.m., when the State Board of Elections last updated its candidate list, Attorney General Doug Gansler and a dozen state senators - a quarter of the Senate, 11 of them Democrats - have a "free ride" to re-election, with no opponent filed in either the party primary or general election.

That could change today if someone files against them. It could also change in the weeks ahead, because party central committees can name a candidate in races for which no one has filed.

There is an abundance of candidates for Congress, with all incumbents facing opposition in the primary or general elections.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, despite her record of winning 60% of the vote or more in every contest since 1976, has drawn 25 challengers: six Democrats - including two named Taylor - 13 Republicans, three unaffiliated candidates, and representatives of the Green, Libertarian and Constitution parties.

State Sen. Andy Harris, running again in the 1st Congressional District, gained a primary opponent last Wednesday in Rob Fisher. Harris seeks a rematch against Frank Kratovil, the freshman congressman who beat him by 2,852 votes in 2008 - a less than a 1% margin. Party officials are already supporting Harris.

Kratovil faces no primary opposition, nor does Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County.

The other five members of Congress face opponents in both their party primaries and the general election.

It is easy for candidates to file for office in Maryland. Filing fees are low: $100 for U.S. House; $50 for the state Senate and House of Delegates; just $25 for local offices. There are no requirements for petitions signed by voters to get on the ballot, except for candidates not affiliated with a party.

The 12 senators without filed opponents before today are Republican George Edwards, Allegany; Democrats Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore County; Jamie Raskin, Montgomery; Jim Rosapepe, Paul Pinsky and Ulysses Currie, all Prince George's; Catherine Pugh, Lisa Gladden, Verna Jones, Nathaniel McFadden and George Della, all of Baltimore City.

Perhaps the most noteworthy among these unopposed veteran senators is Ulysses Currie, chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee who has been under federal investigation for two years for his work for a supermarket chain.

Unlike the state Senate, few members of the House, which is three times as large, are getting a free ride. They include Del. LeRoy Myers, the man who helped House Speaker Michael Busch become speaker by knocking off Speaker Caspar Taylor. Also facing no opposition as of this morning are Del. Marvin Holmes, Prince George's County; Republican Del. Susan McComas, Harford; and the Republican delegate candidates on the Upper Eastern Shore, Michael Smiegel, Richard Sossi, and novice Jay Jacobs.

Senate Minority Whip Nancy Jacobs of Harford County has yet to file for her seat, but she has said she is running again.

The delegate who would be the oldest member of the legislature, Del. Hattie Harrison of Baltimore City, 82, has also not filed.

Republican Scott Rolle, the former Frederick County state's attorney who lost to Gansler in 2006, is now running for the House of Delegates this year.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

The New Conservative Politics













The MSM has temporarily decided to stop bashing the Tea Party and begun investigating what it's all about. Most main stream media liberal reporters assume it's either an independent "third" party in competition with Republicans and/or Democrats, or else assume that it's a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party. What they don't realize is that the Tea Party is a conservative non- party with a mission to return America to the nations founding principles and thereby both diminish the size and forever limit the power of the federal government. Members of the Tea Party are looking to elect EITHER Democrat AND/OR Republican candidates who are willing to commit to the principle of limited federal power and minimal government.