HOGAN IN MARYLAND, JEALOUS IN CALIFORNIA: The weekend before early voting begins, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and his Democratic challenger Ben Jealous are embarking on much different campaign strategies. Hogan’s campaign says the governor is doing a sweep of the Eastern Shore and southern Maryland. He will then attend a tailgate party at the Ravens game in Baltimore. Jealous’ campaign says the Democrat will be flying to San Francisco for a fundraiser to sustain his campaign through its final stretch, writes Luke Broadwater in the Sun.
JEALOUS: CALL TO CONVICTED LOBBYIST IN ERROR: Ben Jealous placed nearly a half-dozen calls to a lobbyist convicted of mail fraud asking for help on his campaign — an action that contradicts the ethics reform proposal the Maryland Democratic gubernatorial nominee released Wednesday, reports Bryan Sears for the Daily Record.
- Luke Broadwater of the Sun reports that during a news conference in Baltimore, Jealous described reaching out to lobbyist Gerry Evans as an “error.” “If any check had ever come in from him, we would have returned it,” Jealous said
- Evans and lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano both served time in prison following convictions related to their lobbying work, but have returned to Annapolis to become two of the capital city’s most high-profile and top-billing advocates, Bruce DePuyt writes in Maryland Matters.
- Jealous went on the attack Wednesday, promoting an ethics plan that included a rebuke of how Gov. Larry Hogan has handled his real estate development business while in office, Steve Thompson of the Post reports. “We still have no idea if his administration is making decisions to benefit his own business interests,” Jealous said at a news conference.
DEMS FILE ETHICS COMPLAINST AGAINST REP. HARRIS: The Maryland Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint Wednesday against U.S. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), accusing him of failing to report his wife’s consulting income on his financial disclosure forms. Harris’s campaign and several GOP political committees paid Nicole Beus Harris more than $26,000 in 2017 for work she did through her firm, federal campaign finance records show. Harris stopped paying Indy’s Services before he and Beus Harris married that July. He did not list her firm’s income on his 2017 financial report, Arelis Hernandez of the Post reports. The Harris campaign said the omission was a mistake.
HOGAN MAKES NICE WITH MIDDLETON: When Gov. Larry Hogan (R) traveled to Newburg in November 2016 to announce that the state would fund the construction of a new Harry W. Nice Bridge connecting southern Charles County to the Northern Neck of Virginia, state Sen. Mac Middleton (D), who represents the district, was cordially disinvited. On Saturday the old Potomac River crossing will be rechristened the Harry W. Nice/Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge – and Hogan will lead the ceremony, Josh Kurtz reports in Maryland Matters.
DELEGATE CALLS FOR PROBE OF COLLEGE CHIEF: Del. William Folden called for a vote by the Frederick Community College board of trustees at its monthly meeting to allow independent investigations of complaints that FCC President Elizabeth Burmaster has been verbally and physically abusive toward faculty and administrators at the college, Emma Kerr of the Frederick News-Post reports. Folden, who has been discussing the matter with state Sen. Michael Hough (R-District 4), said he will next meet with staff in the governor’s office to discuss these accusations and the board’s response.
CRAIG, FROSH CLASH: Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) and his Republican challenger, Craig Wolf, clashed over crime, the opioid epidemic, Maryland’s lawsuits against the Trump administration and a host of other issues during a wide-ranging and occasionally personal debate at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law Wednesday night, Bruce DePuyt of Maryland Matters writes.
WA CO GENERAL ASSEMBLY FORUM: Tamela Baker of the Hagerstown Herald Mail reports that General Assembly candidates took turns facing questions from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday during its series of candidate forums in advance of next month’s general election. Five incumbents and four challengers discussed topics ranging from business regulation to diversity to transportation and combating opioid addiction.
MO CO EXEC HOPEFULS ADDRESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The candidates running to be the next Montgomery County executive all expressed optimism for the county’s future, albeit through different economic development strategies, during a Wednesday debate hosted by Bethesda Beat and the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, Dan Schere of Bethesda Beat reports.
FLOREEN TO RETURN TO DEM PARTY: Montgomery County executive candidate Nancy Floreen says she will return to the Democratic fold after the Nov. 6 election — regardless of whether her independent bid for the liberal county’s top post is successful, Jennifer Barrios of the Post reports. The move was prompted by her opposition to the Democratic nominee, 12-year council member Marc Elrich. It left some Democrats feeling betrayed.
ELRICH RUNS CABLE ADS: With just three weeks until the Nov. 6 general election, Democratic Montgomery County executive candidate Marc Elrich has begun running his first set of cable TV campaign ads, Dan Schere writes in Bethesda Beat. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s public inspection file database, an invoice dated Oct. 11 shows that Elrich spent $75,917 on a set of 540 ads that began running Oct. 12 and will continue through Oct. 22.
LEGGETT’s ASTUTE ABILITY: In a commentary for Maryland Matters, Josh Kurtz opines about Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett’s ability throughout his career to be all things to all people. Some cynics might say that Leggett, a great conciliator, has also displayed, at times, a desire to have it both ways. That certainly seems to be the case after he said the other day that he would endorse Ben Jealous “simply [because] he’s the Democratic nominee” for governor but will not campaign against his friend Gov. Larry Hogan.
BA CO EXEC HOPEFULS MUM ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES: The kind of development that has led to overcrowded schools and monster traffic jams was a huge issue in the primary race for Baltimore County executive. But, John Lee of WYPR-FM reports, with less than three weeks to go before the general election, neither candidate is making overdevelopment a major focus of his campaign.
OLSZEWSKI-REDMER RADIO DEBATE: Baltimore County executive candidates Johnny Olszewski Jr. and Al Redmer Jr. are capping off a marathon series of debates and forums with a pair of radio debates over the next week. Olszewski, a Democrat, and Redmer, a Republican, were set to face off on “The Larry Young Show” on WOLB (1010 AM) at 8 a.m. this morning, Pamela Wood of the Sun reports.
MORE WOMEN ON ARUNDEL COUNCIL: The editorial board of the Annapolis Capital opines that, with the final gavel of the County Council Monday, Anne Arundel County has ended a strange period of all-male representation. There have been two women county executives — Janet Owens and Laura Neuman — but fewer than a dozen female council members. The editorial board then offers a history of women representation in county government and ponders, “we’re eager to see how the return of women to the council after a strange hiatus will change this county in the future.”
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