Candidate Watch 2010: Redmer jumps into potentially crowded state Senate race
The political season is blooming early in Baltimore County as another candidate has entered the race for the Maryland Senate seat being vacated by Republican Andrew P. Harris. Alfred W. Redmer Jr., the former Republican state delegate and insurance commissioner, is holding a campaign kickoff rally tonight at the Kingsville Volunteer Fire Co. to announce his candidacy.
While the election is one year away, there has been a lot of buzz in Baltimore County with the open seat left by Harris, who plans to run for Congress a second time. Republican Del. J.B. Jennings has already filed papers to become a candidate. And Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr., a Democrat, is considering entering the race. Smith recently put his longtime Reisterstown home on the market to move to Cockeysville and establish residency in the 7th District that includes sections of Baltimore and Harford counties.
In an interview, Redmer said he is running in response to voter dissatisfaction with the economy and the “political monopoly” in Maryland, a heavily Democratic state. The insurance company executive also touted his background in health care, an issue that politicians on the state and national level are tackling.
“Like others throughout my district, I have been growing in my frustration with the direction of the state and the country,” Redmer said, adding that many policymakers don’t understand “the dynamics between business and government.”
Redmer, who has been eyeing the Senate seat for more than a year, helps run Landmark Insurance & Financial Group, an insurance and investment firm, and had been chief executive officer of Coventry Health Care of Delaware. Before that, Redmer was tapped by former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to lead the Maryland Insurance Administration. Redmer also served for more than 12 years in the House of Delegates, including two years as minority leader.
A final 2010 matchup between Redmer and Smith would be reminiscent of previous clashes between the two politicians. In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isabel, Smith publicly criticized Redmer’s handling of insurance coverage complaints, calling him “aloof” in response to the storm’s victims who had difficulty getting their claims settled. Redmer defended his office’s efforts to resolve problems at the time.
Smith spokesman Don Mohler said the county executive, who is subject to a two-term limit, has not decided how he plans to remain in public service and is currently focused on his job. “There will be plenty of time to make political decisions down the road,” he said.
CANDIDATE WATCH 2010 -- As the 2010 election season ramps up, we will be writing about candidates announcing their campaigns, or even just testing the political waters. If you have campaign news, please contact Laura Smitherman or Julie Bykowicz.
