CHRISTIE STUMPS FOR HOGAN: Larry Hogan’s drive to become governor of Maryland received an infusion of Republican star power Tuesday when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came to a Bethesda pancake house to campaign for him, writes Michael Dresser for the Sun.
- “Larry Hogan’s got the momentum,” Christie said after the two men, trailed by more than a dozen television cameras, said a rapid-fire series of hellos to diners at The Original Pancake House. “I’m a mercenary in this job. I go to places where he can win.” John Wagner writes the story for the Post.
- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie assured Republican volunteers in Bethesda that a Republican can be elected in a blue state like Maryland, writes Glynis Kazanjian for MarylandReporter.com. “It can happen,” said Christie, who was in town raising money for Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee for governor. “I’m here to tell you, I’m living proof. And, it can also happen more than once.”
HOGAN QUESTIONS BROWN LEADERSHIP: Larry Hogan on Tuesday seized on reports of a missing inmate from a state-run facility in Baltimore to question the management skills of his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, reports John Wagner in the Post. Rodriquez Purnell, a suspect in a killing, was mistakenly released Friday night from the Maryland Reception, Diagnostics and Classification Center and was not discovered missing until Sunday night, state corrections officials have acknowledged.
ON THE GOVERNOR’S RACE: With the Maryland gubernatorial election less than two weeks away, Dan Rodricks of WYPR-FM looks at the latest from the campaign trail with Erin Cox, Maryland politics reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and political commentator and columnist Barry Rascovar of Political Maryland. You can hear the discussion by clicking here.
BIG DONORS: John Fritze of the Sun writes that more than 60% of donors to congressional candidates in Maryland gave more than $1,000 and the state ranked 31st in the nation for inequality between small and large contributions, according to a report released Tuesday by groups supporting campaign finance reform.
- Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports that more than $4 million was donated to Maryland congressional candidates for the 2014 primary election. Of that 37% came from donors who gave less than $1,000. Overall, the report found that it took just 122 large donors to exceed 2,440 smaller donors who gave $200 or less.
PHUKAN-A FOR COMPTROLLER: Kate Alexander of the Gazette reports that if voters want a new Maryland comptroller, a Silver Spring woman hopes they respond in November with “Phukan-A.” Write-in candidate Anjali Reed Phukan (pronounced FOO-con), 36, is asking supporters to write her name in on the Nov. 4 ballot. “Let’s set things right: Write in ‘PHUKAN-A’ for Comptroller of Maryland this fall!” her campaign materials say. “Phukan-A — That’s write!”
FROSH AS UMPIRE: Democratic attorney general nominee Brian Frosh spent the last quarter-century seeking compromise as a state legislator. Now he seeks to change all that, writes Steve Lash in the Daily Record. The attorney general’s job is “completely different” than legislating, said Frosh, the outgoing chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. He likened the position to that of an umpire “calling balls and strikes” but with an eye toward enforcing the law to protect the safety and health of Marylanders.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE: A new documentary about the Waterkeeper Alliance lawsuit against one family farm on the Eastern Shore outlines the problems of an organization and a law clinic go off the rails when they “kills the chicken to scare the monkey,” writes Len Lazarick for MarylandReporter.com.
- Mark Newgent in Red Maryland, which had covered the lawsuit, also writes about the short film.
DEL. CONAWAY ON YOUTUBE: Ancient Egyptian carvings. The Book of Revelations. Canned chicken. These are some of the topics that Del. Frank M. Conaway Jr. has discussed in more than 50 rambling videos that he has uploaded to YouTube in recent weeks, reports Julie Scharper of the Sun. “Am I living in a box? The cross. The Rubik’s Cube,” Conaway says in a video titled “talking horse.” “Am I living in a hologram? Holographic universe.”
DISTRICT 34A: Harford voters in District 34A will get a chance to pick two delegates in the race for the House of Delegates this upcoming election. One incumbent is running for re-election and the other seat is open. The Republican candidates are Del. Glen Glass, who was elected to the House four years ago, and Mike Blizzard. The Democratic candidates are Marla Posey Moss and Mary Ann Lisanti, who served the past eight years on the Harford County Council. The open seat in the subdistrict results from the decision of 16-year Del. Mary-Dulany James to run for the district’s state Senate seat, reports Bryna Zumer in the Sun.
MORE HARFORD VOTERS: Harford County had 166,645 active registered voters as of last Wednesday, said Dale Livingston, deputy director of the Harford County Board of Elections. That’s up from 165,452 active registered voters for the June 24 primary election, Bryna Zumer writes in the Sun.
O’MALLEY HEADS SOUTH: Gov. Martin O’Malley plans appearances in Louisiana and Texas in coming days as he continues to criss-cross the country to help candidates in other states and increase his own national exposure, writes John Wagner in the Post.
WALKING OUT ON OBAMA: “They were fired up and ready to go home,” writes Dana Milbank. The Washington Post columnist gives his own interpretation of why some African American supporters left the school gym Sunday before the president ended his speech. Milbank appears to have attended the whole event, though he does call the Henry Wise High School a middle school. There continues to be some discrepancies about when during Obama’s speech some people left the rally, and how many did.
RALLY AGAINST PEROUTKA: With the candidate looking on, Maryland Democrats rallied under a statue of Thurgood Marshall Tuesday to denounce Michael Peroutka, a Republican nominee for the Anne Arundel County Council with ties to a southern secessionist group. Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) joined other elected officials to assert that Peroutka’s views have no place in Maryland politics, Bill Turque reports in the Post.
- Afterward, Peroutka said those at the press conference had twisted his messages and taken his comments out of context. He said he supports education but thinks parents should have as much control as possible over their that education, including the curriculum. He also believes school curriculum should involve Bible study. Peroutka had previously told The Capital that public education is a “another plank of ‘The Communist Manifesto’,” writes Rema Rahman for the Annapolis Capital.
- Peroutka has gained attention during his campaign for his Institute on the Constitution, which promotes a God-centered view of government, and his involvement in the League of the South, a secessionist group that he said he recently quit, reports Pamela Wood in the Sun.
- In an article from last Friday, Pamela Wood of the Sun reports that Peroutka said he’s no longer a member of the League of the South. Peroutka, a Millersville Republican, said he left the group prior to Labor Day because he discovered statements members made on the subject of being opposed to interracial marriage were “contrary to my beliefs.” He would not elaborate.
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS: The Prince George’s County Council is considering a bill that would restrict employers from inquiring about an applicant’s criminal record early in the hiring process, making it easier for ex-offenders to find jobs and reintegrate into society, Arelis Hernandez reports in the Post.
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS SEEK NOOSE INFO: Local civil rights leaders are calling for the release of information about an incident in which a noose was made by a county employee and hung on Anne Arundel County property, writes Tim Prudente for the Annapolis Capital.
On the pathetic rally against Peroutka, the Post should be ashamed to not report that only two people showed up. If it were not for the unconscionable waste of taxpayer dollars to conduct such nonsense – the 2-citizen-turnout would be hilarious. Someone needs to do a Maryland FOIA to inform voters what the Dems spent for time and salaries on 4 politicians and 17 staffers! The perverted behavior and coverage does, however, confirm for voters how very desperate and terrified they are, that Mr. Peroutka can shine the light on their corruption if he gets elected. That is a beautiful thing. Meanwhile, 5th district voters should be asking the real reason why Michael’s opponent, Patrick Armstrong, did not show up? He has reason to hide these days, since his driving record confirms he LIED to voters at the recent Fireman HQ debate. During Q&A he told attendees he only had 1 speeding ticket. Turns out he has had 5 citations, including 4 speeding tickets all since 2012 – and 2 since he was nominated in July !! So this councilman wannabe is not ready for adulthood, much less office, given his irresponsible and reckless driving. Armstrong has an integrity problem AND a maturity problem. In spite of the Dems’ pitiful huff and puff rally against Peroutka, voters should steer clear of Armstrong, who is an accident waiting to happen. As to who has the best resume for practical, hands-on application to county council matters? Mr. Peroutka has nearly 30 years’ business experience. No comparison to stints as intern and legislative aide. This is a no-brainer.