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.”

Continue reading "Candidate Watch 2010: Redmer jumps into potentially crowded state Senate race" »

Posted by Laura Smitherman at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Maryland Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski proclaimed it a "great day" for the world and a "very special day" for herself, not necessarily in that order. Either way, it looked like good news for Democrats, which is something of a turnabout after last week's elections, which gave Republicans something to cheer about for the first time in a long while.

Mikulski recalled how, exactly 20 years ago, the world watched the Berlin Wall come down, symbolically ending the Cold War. "I was filled with excitement on that wonderful
day," she said, "because the roots of my own heritage lie in Poland," a former East Bloc nation.

In remarks on the Senate floor, the state's senior Democrat tossed a bouquet to that old cold warrior, Ronald Reagan, whose ticket-splitting blue-collar supporters in Maryland have been Mikulski voters, too.

The senator also announced that on the anniversary of the day that the wall fell, she herself had risen--in this case, from her wheelchair, casting aside a wheeled walker and a protective "Space Boot," to stand on her own two feet for the first time in months.

"This is a big day for me," she declared, her words beamed live to the entire country, like all official proceedings in the Senate chamber, via C-SPAN television.

"Today is the first day in over 124 days since my accident coming out of Catholic Mass where I broke my ankle. This is the first day that I can actually come to the floor of
the Senate and stand up for someone in whom I truly believe" -- in this case, federal District Judge Andre Davis of Baltimore, who was being promoted to the Appeals court.

"I come with no space boot," said the 74-year-old senator, after casting aside the cumbersome footwear that cushioned her healing bones. "I come with no props to hold me up. It is a very big day. So I am very excited about the fact that I am able to do this."

She still needs a walker and a cane to get around, but being able to stand unaided is progress (and an occupational boost for a senator, who are expected to rise to her feet when addressing
the chamber).

Mikulski's "point of personal privilege," as senators call it when they take time during official debate on the Senate floor to talk about whatever they care to talk about, is also positive news for her fellow Maryland Democrats. But it's one more thing that Maryland's Republican Party doesn't need heading into the 2010 elections.

As political scientist Tom Schaller has pointed out, Mikulski's presence on the ticket as a re-election candidate will help lure more Democratic voters to the polls next fall. She remains the most popular Maryland politician, a recent statewide opinion survey confirmed.

That will help other Democratic candidates, in statewide and legislative contests, by boosting Democratic turnout. And that will make things tougher for former Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich, who is considering whether to make a run at unseating Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in what is still a heavily Democratic state.

Continue reading "Mikulski's on her feet again, and in the game" »

Posted by Paul West at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Republican renaissance? What Republican renaissance? In Maryland, at least, national Democrats are still riding high.

According to a new statewide poll, Barbara A. Mikulski heads into the 2010 mid-term election with her status intact as Maryland's most popular politician.

The survey, by Clarus Research Group of Washington, showed the Democratic senator with a job approval rating of 57 percent, a good score for an incumbent at a time of widespread voter discontent and economic malaise.

A majority of Maryland voters surveyed -- 53 percent -- said they would like to see the Senate's senior woman get another six-year term. Only 36 percent wanted someone new in the job.

Mikulski, already running for re-election, has drawn three Republican rivals so far. None of them is well-known statewide or attracting a significant amount of campaign money (the first test for a challenger).

Continue reading "Obama, Mikulski still score high in Maryland" »

Posted by Paul West at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Baltimore County Republican Andy Harris has moved another step closer to gaining the full embrace of his national party's congressional campaign arm for the 2010 election.

The National Republican Campaign Committee announced that Harris had advanced to "‘contender" status, the second part of its three-stage program that culminates with the label of "young gun." The NRCC program is designed to help strengthen the organizational and fundraising operations of Republican candidates in House races for open seats or those held by Democrats.

Harris already has the tacit support of the NRCC in his bid for a rematch against Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in Maryland's first district, which takes in the entire Eastern Shore and parts of several Western Shore counties.

Harris is giving up his state Senate seat to run again for Congress. He is the leading Republican contender in the district, although fellow state Sen. E. J. Pipkin has not ruled out another primary run.

"Andy Harris has already proven that he will be a formidable candidate by meeting the rigorous goals laid out by the Young Guns program and putting in place the pieces for a winning campaign,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions, a congressman from Texas. “Dr. Harris is part of a strong and growing candidate pool that is further proof that Republicans are ready to play offense over the course of this election cycle. His campaign is one of many putting Democrats on notice that their reckless big-government policies will not go unchallenged at the polls. Andy Harris has proven once again that he is ready to hold this Democrat majority accountable for their runaway spending sprees and put our country back on the right track.”

Posted by Paul West at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

More than three months after shattering her ankle on the steps of a Baltimore church, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has finally graduated from a wheelchair to a wheeled walker. She still is hampered by an oversized soft-cast shoe that makes it difficult for her to walk unaided.

But that hasn't stopped her from piling up more money for her 2010 re-election run, now well under way. In July, August and September, a period during which she spent a large portion of her time in physical therapy and away from her office, the Democrat managed to collect almost $300,000 in new donations.

That gives her more than $1.75 million in ready money for a contest that has yet to acquire much definition, barely a year before the election. That isn't much time for a successful challenge, particularly to a popular statewide official who has been re-elected by wide margins since 1986.

Three Republicans, so far, have indicated their intention to take on Mikulski next year. None of the trio has reported raising serious campaign money, an important early indicator in politics.

Continue reading "Broken ankle doesn't keep Mikulski from outpacing Republican rivals" »

Posted by Paul West at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Endangered Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil increased his campaign funding advantage over state Sen. Andy Harris, his potential Republican opponent, during the last three months.

Kratovil's fund-raising performance is in line with other potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents nationwide this year, according to a new study by a non-partisan watchdog group.

The latest Federal Election Commission disclosure reports show that Kratovil, a freshman congressman who represents the Eastern Shore and part of several Western Shore counties, had $691,000 in the bank as of Sept. 30.

Harris, a Baltimore County legislator, reported $313,054 cash on hand and $12,000 in campaign debts. Harris is currently Kratovil's most likely Republican opponent in next year's midterm election, having gained the tacit support of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party's House campaign arm.

During the July-September period, Kratovil raised just over $222,000, bringing his total for the year to slightly more than $862,000. Over the same period, Harris picked up a little more than $179,000, running his total contributions to just over $454,000.

More than half of the Democratic incumbent's donations--$119,600-- came from political action committees linked to some of the most heavily lobbied issues now before Congress. PACs representing health care companies, financial institutions, energy, defense and agriculture interests all contributed.

Challenger Harris picked up $30,123 from PACs. Individual contributions from fellow anesthesiologists around the country continued to be a major source of campaign cash for the obstetric anesthesiologist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who has also been working at an Eastern Shore hospital.

Continue reading "Kratovil widens money edge over Harris" »

Posted by Paul West at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Who isn’t considering running for governor on the GOP ticket?

Republicans are waiting to see who all emerges from their camp to challenge Gov. Martin O’Malley in the 2010 election. So far, a Towson lawyer has said he’ll run, a state delegate and a Cabinet member in former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich’s administration have expressed interest, and Ehrlich himself has kept open the possibility.

The latest potential entrant: state Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell, the House minority leader.

O’Donnell’s name was floated as a contender in C. Fraser Smith’s column in The Daily Record last week. Noting that the delegate said he might run, Smith surmised: "The Calvert and Charles County delegate is an effective voice-in-opposition for his party in Annapolis. But can he project the kind of leadership image a winning candidate must have?"

We caught up with O’Donnell this week. When asked about his intentions, he initially joked: "The rumor of my demise by running for governor are greatly exaggerated." He said he didn’t know where the rumor originated and that he currently doesn’t intend to launch a gubernatorial bid.

But he had one caveat: "My plans are subject to change if Gov. O’Malley scuttles a new nuclear power plant at Calvert Cliffs," he said. "That may tick me off enough for me to reconsider my plans."

O’Donnell and other Republicans are watching O’Malley’s repeated head-butting with Constellation Energy Group, and the governor’s latest effort to wrangle concessions from the Baltimore utility as it seeks regulatory approval to sell nearly half its nuclear power business to Electricite de France, a French utility.

Continue reading "Candidate Watch 2010: O'Donnell proves everyone could be a contender for governor ... maybe" »

Posted by Laura Smitherman at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Unhappy with the three state delegates in his home district, the NAACP’s Marvin “Doc” Cheatham said Monday that he is considering jumping into the 2010 race. He said he has conferred with several political insiders who have told him he’d be well-served by his name recognition.

As president of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP, Cheatham has fired off scores of emails to elected officials, calling attention to what he sees as justice problems in the city. One recent missive questioned whether city officials are racially motivated in their placement of parking meters and speed cameras.

He frequently appears at anti-violence rallies, always noting the absence of elected officials, and last month assembled a panel on the juvenile justice system that included Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Donald DeVore.

Cheatham, a Democrat, said he feels compelled to run for state office because “far too many people are dissatisfied with the leadership in our district.” Although he said he has “an excellent relationship,” with all three delegates — Democrats Ruth Kirk, Melvin Stukes and Keith Haynes — he said he “can’t give any of them a passing grade.”

He wouldn’t name any of them as the person he hopes to replace.

Cheatham said West Baltimore’s 44th District, which includes Reservoir Hill and his neighborhood of Bolton Hill, consistently ranks first or second on all of the wrong lists. He said the district’s high rates of teen pregnancy and drug addiction should be a signal to elected officials that more aggressive leadership is in order.

“This district needs better servicing,” Cheatham said. “We need to see our elected officials every day.”

But he said officially declaring his candidacy would involve serious personal sacrifices.

For one, he’d have to retire from his job as an election specialist with the National Labor Relations Board, a federal position he has held for 38 years. And at age 59, Cheatham said he’d rather see a “young adult” jump into the race.

Until two weeks ago, Cheatham was rumored to be vying for the district’s Senate seat. But at an event also attended by Sen. Verna Jones, Cheatham announced he wouldn’t seek her job.

However, Keiffer Mitchell, a former Democratic candidate for Baltimore mayor, might. Also a 44th District resident, Mitchell is pondering a run for state office, though he hasn’t said whose seat he is eyeing. All 188 General Assembly seats are up for election next November.

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.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010