NEWS
By John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun | December 3, 2012
Former Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan's decision to run for his old seat after a six-year hiatus has changed the political landscape of the state's largest county even as critics argue that new demographics could present a big hurdle to his comeback. Duncan, 57, a Democrat who ended his 2006 campaign for governor abruptly after he was diagnosed with depression, told supporters last week that he will run for county executive in 2014 — setting the stage for a possible showdown with incumbent Isiah "Ike" Leggett that would have statewide political implications.
NEWS
By John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun | September 3, 2012
One in a series of profiles of Maryland delegates to the Democratic National Convention Herbert Graves has volunteered for Democratic candidates for decades, but he says no one has inspired him the same way as Barack Obama. Graves first heard Obama speak at the Democratic convention in 2004 - and he was hooked. At this year's convention in Charlotte, which begins Tuesday, the Bolton Hill Democrat is a delegate supporting the president's re-election. During those eight years, Graves said, his support never waned.
NEWS
By Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun | May 29, 2012
Blaine Young, the Republican president of the Frederick County Board of Commissioners, has taken a step toward a possible run for governor in 2014 by launching a fund-raising committee. Young, 40, was elected in 2010 as part of a conservative Republican sweep of the five board seats in the Western Maryland county. He had been appointed to the board earlier that year. The former Democrat, who switched parties in 2002, said he has registered a committee, Blaine Young for Maryland, with the state elections board.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | May 2, 2012
The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.
NEWS
May 1, 2012
Political consultant Julius Henson, facing charges stemming from the infamous 2010 "relax" robocall that has already resulted in one criminal conviction, wants to put the entire state Democratic Party on trial. It's an odd defense strategy - he seems not to be focused on either the question of whether he actually did what he is accused of doing or whether the robocall was protected free speech. But it's not altogether surprising, either. Mr. Henson has long cultivated a bad-boy reputation, and he has never been one to pass up a chance for the spotlight.
NEWS
By George Wenschhof | April 2, 2012
As Tuesday's congressional primary approaches, Western Maryland Democrats, longing for a change in representation, have reason to be optimistic. Republicans, on the other hand, have reason to sing the blues. The change in the 6th Congressional District from solid "red" to mostly "blue" illustrates both the strength of the Maryland Democratic Party and the existing convoluted redistricting process - a process badly in need of change. One frustrated Western Maryland Republican delegate, Neil Parrott of Washington County, has started a petition drive to bring the state redistricting map to referendum.