State Roundup, October 30, 2014

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RGA PUSHES HOGAN: The Republican Governors Association has made a last-minute television ad buy to buoy GOP nominee Larry Hogan, reports Erin Cox for the Sun. The national group put $289,000 behind ads in the D.C. media market that will begin airing Thursday, two people familiar with the purchase said.

AT THE HONEY BEE: Here’s a video from the Annapolis Capital of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Larry Hogan at the Honey Bee Diner this week.

BROWN BEHIND THE SCENES: In a profile for the Post, Jenna Johnson writes about Anthony Brown’s political rise. He  barely made it to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1999, winning his first Democratic primary by 155 votes. He was a newcomer to Prince George’s County, lacking deep roots or connections. Once in Annapolis, the man who hopes to be elected governor Tuesday bucked the tradition that freshman lawmakers stay in the shadows. He eagerly spoke up for his constituents and pushed through bills.

MIZEUR BACKS BROWN: Former gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur, in an op-ed for the Sun, writes that she reached out to the Brown campaign after the primary to try to work on policy issues to help the  campaign head in a positive direction — and was snubbed in favor of negative campaign tactics. But, she adds, “While I reject his campaign tactics, I still embrace the man that is Anthony Brown. … I will be voting for the Brown-Ulman ticket.”

  • The term “useful idiot” means an easily manipulated individual whom a cynical politician uses to promote his or her political ends while opposing the interests of that individual, writes Richard Vatz for MarylandReporter.com.  By that definition, Del. Heather Mizeur is indeed Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s “useful idiot.” She claims to be the major force in combating “negative campaigning” but has opposed legitimate articulation of policy differences and protected Anthony Brown’s use of it.

DEMS APPEALS TO BLACK VOTERS: Next week, Maryland might become the third state ever to elect an African American as its governor, although race has not been a prominent topic in the campaign thus far. WYPR’s Fraser Smith and Christopher Connelly talk about the direct overtures that the state Democratic Party has made to black voters in the past week.

TURNOUT REALLY MATTERS: Laslo Boyd of Center Maryland writes that Tuesday’s election will be determined by who can lure the most supporters to the polls. That may seem like a tautology but, in the aftermath of a dreary campaign that failed to energize or motivate voters, organizational efforts are likely to be decisive.

JALISI PROBLEMS CONTINUE: Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports that Hasan M. “Jay” Jalisi, a Democratic candidate for House of Delegates in Baltimore County, is back in the news, this time because he is facing tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fines related to lead paint hazards at a Baltimore City property.

WA CO DELEGATE CANDIDATES FORUM: Candidates seeking seats in the Maryland House of Delegates from Washington County had one more chance to reach out to residents Wednesday morning at an election forum organized by the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce, writes Kaustuv Basu for the Hagerstown Herald Mail.

SUN BACKS FROSH: The Sun editorial board writes that “voters would be wise to elect someone (to the office of the attorney general) with broad experience in the myriad issues that must be addressed by attorneys general, from consumer protection to civil rights, securities fraud to criminal appeals.” It endorses Brian Frosh, adding that the state senator “is about as close to a perfect fit for the job as anyone who has run for the office.”

EARLY VOTING ENDS: Early voting for next week’s general election started Oct. 23 and finishes today. The Gazette lists the nine sites in Montgomery County that are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early voting day 7

Black = All voters; Blue = Democrats; Red = Republicans; Gray = Other (Graph by David Lublin, Seventh State)

NEW HIGH FOR EARLY VOTING: Early voting hit a new high of 44,718 on Wednesday, easily beating the previous high on the first day of early voting, reports David Lublin in the Seventh State. Moreover, the total number of early voters, 243,386, now exceeds the 219,601 who participated in early voting in 2010. The increase in the number of early voters has not yet benefited Democrats. While the number of Democratic early voters has increased by 9,344, the number of Republican early voters is up by 11,110 and unaffiliated voters by 3,301.

MONEY IN, MONEY OUT: Candidates running for office in Anne Arundel County raised nearly $1.6 million and spent more than $1.8 million in the last two months before the general election, reports Rema Rahman for the Annapolis Capital. In some of the county’s closely watched races, candidates are pouring much of their money into the usual places — mailers and media. In campaigns such as those for House of Delegates in District 30A and County Council District 5, money is being shuffled among team slates — a group of candidates running as a ticket — and third-party sources.

WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW: Annapolis Capital political pundit Rick Hutzell offers some nuggets about the candidates that paper covers that you probably didn’t know. One item has to do with Anne Arundel County exec candidate Steve Schuh, a pair of very short shorts and a mountain top.

VOTING IRREGULARITIES: The state and Frederick County election boards are expected to respond today to a lawsuit alleging that non-citizens who are registered to vote could influence the Nov. 4 election. It is “possible” that non-citizens are voting, said Mary Cramer Wagner, director of voter registration for the Maryland Board of Elections, because no verification system exists, Sylvia Carignan and Danielle Gaines write in the Frederick News Post.

O’MALLEY TO HEAD SOUTH: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is headed back to South Carolina, another early presidential nominating state, for the third time this year, writes John Wagner for the Post. O’Malley (D), who is weighing a 2016 White House bid, plans to campaign on Saturday with the Palmetto State’s Democratic nominee for governor, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, who faces Republican Gov. Nikki Haley in a rematch on Tuesday.

STATE TO BUY HISTORIC HOME: Maryland officials have approved a deal to buy the Colonial Brice House in Annapolis and leave it in the care of a historic preservation nonprofit., writes Elisha Sauers for the Annapolis Capital. The state Board of Public Works agreed Wednesday to buy the property for $2.5 million from the International Masonry Institute, which has used it as an office. Built in 1766, the house is on the National Historic Landmark registry and is considered one of the country’s most significant examples of Georgian architecture.

BOEHNER TOUT MOONEY: Speaker of the House John Boehner gave West Virginia 2nd Congressional District candidate — and former Maryland GOP chairman — Alex Mooney a boost Wednesday by appearing at a rally for him at Paddy’s Irish Pub in downtown Charles Town, reports Richard Belisle for the Hagerstown Herald Mail.

About The Author

Cynthia Prairie

cynthiaprairie@gmail.com
https://www.chestertelegraph.org/

Contributing Editor Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor since 1979, when she began working at The Raleigh Times. Since then, she has worked for The Baltimore News American, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Prince George’s Journal and Baltimore County newspapers in the Patuxent Publishing chain, including overseeing The Jeffersonian when it was a two-day a week business publication. Cynthia has won numerous state awards, including the Maryland State Bar Association’s Gavel Award. Besides compiling and editing the daily State Roundup, she runs her own online newspaper, The Chester Telegraph. If you have additional questions or comments contact Cynthia at: cynthiaprairie@gmail.com

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