July 10, 2010|By Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun
O'Malley's other primary challenger, James P. Cusick, 54, said he has been imprisoned five times — twice for failing to pay child support and three times for spray-painting government buildings with adages such as "Thou shalt not steal." Cusick describes himself as a "political prisoner," contending that he was locked up for an act of protest against the state. He was charged with destruction of property and trespassing.
Cusick, who rents an apartment in Hollywood in Saint Mary's County, said he once worked at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. He has sought elected office twice before, unsuccessfully taking on Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. in 2006 and then challenging Rep. Steny H. Hoyer two years ago.
He says he became disabled after his most recent prison stint, a three-year sentence for tagging the State House with anti-child-support graffiti. Cusick does most of his campaigning via Internet forums.
Maria Allwine, 57, the likely Green Party candidate, is making her fourth bid for office, though it is her first run for governor. She received 17 percent of the vote when she ran for Baltimore City Council president in 2007. She is a legal secretary with no experience as an elected official — but plenty in rankling them.
Allwine, a Baltimore resident and prolific letter writer to newspapers, has protested against the Iraq war, sometimes standing on street corners in a black robe to evoke the infamous image of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib.
"Our state is in dire straits. They talk about closing the budget deficit, but they won't close corporate tax loopholes," she said in reply to a question last week about why she is running for governor. "They just won't do it. They want to be a friend of business at the expense of ordinary people."
Before her name can appear on the ballot, the Green Party must officially nominate her, because there is another party contender for governor. But party faithful say Corrogan Vaughn, who until Tuesday was filed to run for U.S. Senate as a Republican, is trying to take advantage of the Green Party's ballot slot.
Vaughn wrote in an e-mail message to The Sun that "a number of businesspersons and friends" had suggested recently that he could be more effective as a governor than a senator. "After prayerful consideration, and counsel of those we respect, we believed they were right," he wrote.
He said he wants to help build the Green organization as a credible third choice in Maryland. The state now has 8,200 registered Greens.
Maryland's tiny Constitution Party will be represented by Annapolis bartender Eric D. Knowles, 32, who said he is running because he does not believe that O'Malley is upholding the U.S. Constitution. Asked for an example, he said: "I can't come up with one offhand."
Susan J. Gaztanaga, who lives in Baltimore and is running as a Libertarian, did not reply to several e-mails sent last week to the address she listed on her campaign filing papers. She left no phone number. An occasional writer of letters to the editor, she protested an increase in the city's income tax and expressed dismay over the government's handling of the deadly showdown in 1993 between federal agents and the Branch Davidian sect in Waco, Texas.
Any candidate for Maryland governor can get on the ballot by paying a $290 filing fee; a similar fee applies for lieutenant governor. There is no requirement to collect signatures on a petition or otherwise demonstrate a foundation of support.
Lesser-known candidates
Name: Brian Murphy
Party: Republican
Home: Chevy Chase
Age: 33
Top issue: Restore fiscal responsibility to budget
Quote: "I am going to fix the broken budget, and I am going to make sure families and small businesses have an advocate in Annapolis."
Lt. Gov.: Mike Ryman
Name: Ralph Jaffe
Party: Democrat
Home: Pikesville
Age: 68
Top issue: Ethics reform
Quote: "My candidacy gives the voters a real choice now. They can continue to perpetuate the old morally bankrupt system or they can be part of a new movement to bring ethics into the political process."
Lt. Gov.: Freda Jaffe
Name: James P. Cusick
Party: Democrat
Home: Hollywood
Age: 54
Top issue: Reform of child support and custody laws
Quote: "I do believe Maryland would be greatly improved with my style of administration."
Lt. Gov.: Michael Lang
Name: Maria Allwine
Party: Green
Home: Baltimore
Age: 57
Top issue: Close corporate tax loopholes.
Quote: "The Green Party has been working for years to break through this system of exclusion with occasional success and frequent setbacks."
Lt. Gov.: Ken Eidel
Name: Corrogan Vaughn
Party: Green
Home: Baltimore
Age: No reply
Top issue: None provided
Quote: "Win or lose, we intend to have an impact as a responsible and effective voice for the issues of our day."
Lt. Gov.: Jim Crawford
Name: Eric D. Knowles
Party: Constitution
Home: Annapolis
Age: 32
Top issue: States' rights
Quote: "The federal government has overstepped its boundaries in accordance with the U.S. Constitution."
Lt. Gov.: Michael Hargadon
Name: Susan J. Gaztanaga
Party: Libertarian
Home: Baltimore
Age: No reply
Top issue: No reply
Quote: No reply
Lt. Gov.: Doug McNeil
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