UPDATE: Rushern Baker misses morning campaign stop after wife went to hospital

By Glynis Kazanjian

For MarylandReporter.com

UPDATED 4 p.m.: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rushern L. Baker III missed a scheduled campaign stop Monday morning at the Silver Spring Metro Station because his wife was taken the hospital early that morning. But wife Christa Beverly “is doing well and is now home resting,” Baker said in a tweet Monday afternoon thanking people for their concern. 

Beverly suffers from dementia and Baker is her caregiver.

Baker’s campaign publicized the event late Sunday evening touting Baker would be joined by Democratic heavyweights U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and former Gov. Martin O’Malley, who all showed up in Silver Spring. Baker was expected to make a series of campaign stops in Baltimore and Prince George’s County Monday afternoon. 

Baker’s Montgomery County campaign chair said Baker’s wife had been hospitalized, but Baker’s official spokesman initially could not confirm the situation. 

Van Hollen, Leggett and O’Malley spent the morning greeting voters as they passed through the main entrance of the Silver Spring Metro for about an hour.

“Hi, I’m Martin O’Malley and I’m campaigning for Rushern Baker,” O’Malley said at least a couple of dozen times.

Van Hollen and Leggett also shook hands and talked to anyone willing to stop to grab a brochure. Many potential voters just walked by.

Legislative District 20 candidates Sen. Will Smith, Del. Jheanelle Wilkins and Lorig Charkoudian on the Dist. 20 slate were also on hand.

O’Malley endorsed Charkoudian who is seen by many as the most likely candidate to pick up the vacated district 20 seat. But Leggett didn’t.

Leggett’s endorsements

Leggett said of the candidates he has endorsed, 60% are women.

When asked why no woman received his endorsement in the County Council At-Large race, he said the two candidates he liked — Cherri Branson and Lorna Phillips Forde — didn’t have viable campaigns.

“I cannot take someone from A to Z,” Leggett said. “We did the analysis.”

He said he had a choice to make with his endorsements.

Leggett noted that he was the first and only African American to serve as an at-large County Council member, and that Asians or Hispanics have never served in that capacity on the council.

So, he said, he decided to use his endorsement power for campaigns he thought were viable and that could help close the gap of the lack of diversity on the council.

Leggett backed Gabe Albornoz, Hoan Dang and Will Jawando.

The primary election is Tuesday.