Maryland Elections
Local news from WAMU 88.5
Maryland Republican Calls For Ehrlich To Run
February 1, 2010 - By Matt McCleskey
A former Republican cabinet member in Maryland says he won't run for governor, but he's urging his old boss to give it another shot.
Larry Hogan served in the cabinet of former Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich. He had formed an exploratory committee to look into pursuing his party's nomination for governor this November, although following big Democratic gains in 2008, Hogan initially had said a Republican win looked like a long shot.
But now, he says recent Republican victories in important races around the country show Maryland could be competitive too. Hogan says he's dropping his bid and is instead urging Ehrlich to challenge current Democratic Governor, Martin O'Malley, to a rematch.
He's also urging any other Republicans thinking about running to unite behind an Ehrlich bid. There's been no word yet from Ehrlich on whether or not he'll run.
Glenn Ivey Says He Doesn't Have The "Fire Or Belly" For Another Election
January 13, 2010 - By Kavitha Cardoza
Glenn Ivey, the state's attorney in Prince George's County, has ruled out challenging incumbent Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) for her seat in Maryland's 4th District.
Ivey says his decision is based on what he calls the "the personal and financial rigors of the pursuit." He says he realized he didn't have the "fire or the belly" for another election.
Ivey plans to return to the private sector when his term ends this year.
"I haven't been courting anything and probably won't," says Ivey. "I've had people reach out. But I don't have anything that's driving this decision."
Ivey says he wants a change and "coach of the Redskins is off the table now anyway."
So we're not going to find out about some public scandal next week? " I certainly hope not. And if you do I hope it doesn't involve me."
Ivey ruled out running for any other elected office this year.
Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey Runs For Congress
December 2, 2009 - By Meymo Lyons
Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey is exploring a run for Congress. Ivey is perceived by some to be the front runner for the soon to be vacated post held by Prince Georges County Executive Jack Johnson.
Ivey says he has decided not to run for county executive, and is forming an exploratory committee to look at challenging U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) in the Democratic primary next year.
Takoma Park Voters Use New System
November 4, 2009 - Voters in Takoma Park, Maryland used a voting system that made its debut in a municipal election nationwide.
The Scantegrity system was created by a group of universities, including George Washington and University of Maryland Baltimore County. A voter uses a paper ballot marked with invisible ink, which is exposed with a special marker. That marker reveals a code, which the voter can then use to check online whether their vote was tabulated correctly.
Matt Bush reprts...
Greenbelt Elects First Black City Council Member
November 4, 2009 - The city of Greenbelt has elected its first ever black city council member. Greenbelt residents cast more than 1,800 votes for Emmett Jordan.
Only incumbent Mayor Judith Davis received more votes. That means Jordan becomes not only the city's first African-American councilman, but also likely its Mayor Pro Tem after the council holds an internal vote on November 9th.
Earlier this year, Greenbelt's city council altered its charter, creating two more seats on the council in an effort to increase voter turnout and diversity among city leaders.
The move came after criticism from the NAACP about the Greenbelt city council's historic lack of minority representation; the city's population is nearly 50 percent black.
Jonathan Wilson reports...
18-Year-Old Candidate In Rockville Says He Will Try Again
November 4, 2009 - An 18-year-old senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland lost his first political campaign last night, but says he will try again.
Waleed Ovase ran for Rockville city council. He was one of ten candidates seeking four positions. His campaign team was mostly made up of friends and classmates at Montgomery High school. Ovase finished ninth. Disappointment quickly gave way to resolve. Ovase says he will run for council again in two years.
Matt Bush reports...
Frederick Voters Choosing New Mayor, Aldermen
November 3, 2009 - FREDERICK, Md. (AP) Voters in Frederick are going to the polls to choose a new mayor and at least two new aldermen.
The mayoral race Tuesday pits Republican Randy McClement, a downtown delicatessen owner, against Democrat Jason Judd, an economist with the Service Employees International Union.
Judd has made job creation a top priority and says he will ensure that the city's older neighborhoods are not forgotten amid the push for growth through annexation.
McClement aims to create a new city police headquarters. He also wants a downtown hotel and conference center in the city of 59,000.
There are also elections in Greenbelt, Rockville and Annapolis.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
New Voting Technology Makes Debut In Takoma Park
November 3, 2009 - In Maryland, voters are deciding local municipal elections. But in one city in Montgomery County they'll be voting differently.
Voters in Takoma Park are electing a mayor and six city council members. They'll be doing so using voting system that's making its debut in a municipal election. The scantegrity system, developed by a group of universities including George Washington and the University of Maryland-Baltimore Campus, uses paper ballots marked with invisible ink. A voter marks the ballot with a special marker, and receives a code. The voter can then use that code to check online to see if their vote was tabulated correctly.
Anne Sergeant, the chair of Takoma Park's election board, says they picked this system because it uses a paper ballot, something the city has always used. "People vote on a paper ballot, and they can see it, they can feel it, they can hold it, they can feed it into the scanner themselves," said Sergeant. "But then what's behind that paper system is a lot of advanced cryptography."
The initial reaction from voters was mostly positive.
The mayor's race and two city council elections are contested today in Takoma Park.
Matt Bush reports...
Greenbelt Adds More Seats to City Council
November 2, 2009 - Voters in the D.C. suburb of Greenbelt Maryland will decide tomorrow, Tuesday November 3, whether to elect the first African American city council member in the community's 70-year history.
Greenbelt was a suburb built from scratch to provide affordable housing to federal workers. All the first residents were white.
Nowadays, "you might find every nationality you can think of in this melting pot," says Niecie Gary-Lowndes.
She runs community programs for a huge apartment complex in West Greenbelt. Gary-Lowndes likes her town. But she says she would like it more if representation was drawn from across the entire town.
"If you have ties to a specific part of the community you can relate more to that part of the community and bring forth more the particular needs of that community. I feel that's a necessary thing," says Gary-Lowndes.
The City Council agreed to expand the number of council seats on tomorrow's ballot from five to seven. But Greenbelt still elects officials at-large. The NAACP and ACLU say minority voters will have to turn out in force to give two African American candidates shots at city council seats.
Cathy Duchamp reports...
17-Year-Old Hopes Voters Elect Him To Rockville City Council
October 28, 2009 - Election Day is less than two weeks off and locally, nearly all of the attention has been on the governor's race in Virginia. But across the river in Maryland's Montgomery County, cities such as Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Takoma Park that have their own governments will be electing mayors and city council members.
In Rockville, 11 people are running for four spots on the city council. Matt Bush met with Waleed Ovase, a candidate who has to face a question the others don't.
Matt Bush reports...
Democratic Candidate Drops Out of Annapolis Mayoral Race
September 23, 2009 - Former White House aide Zina Pierre is dropping out of the Annapolis mayor's race for the second time, following questions about her finances.
Pierre won the Democratic primary by 127 votes last week. She would have been the first black mayor of Annapolis if she had won the general election.
But questions arose about her personal finances and residency. Her campaign announced abruptly that she had dropped out of the race. Then a day later said there had been a mistake and she was running after all.
Now, Pierre has left the race again, saying she doesn't want questions about her finances to be a distraction.
The Democratic party will choose a new nominee after a meeting Friday night.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
Political Consultant Apparent Winner In Annapolis Democratic Primary
September 16, 2009 - Political consultant Zina Pierre appears to have won Tuesday's Democratic primary in the race for Annapolis mayor. With all the precincts reporting, Pierre held a 115-vote lead over the nearest challenger, Anne Arundel County Councilman Joshua J. Cohen, in the six-person race.
Cohen all but conceded the election last night. The results are not official and do not include absentee ballots. The winner faces Republican Alderman David Cordle and independent Chris Fox.
Incumbent Mayor Ellen Moyer cannot run again because of term limits. About 12 percent of the city's approximately 23,000 registered voters headed to the polls, according to election officials.
Meymo Lyons reports...
Poll : McDonnell Slightly Ahead Of Deeds
September 16, 2009 - With 48 days to go, a new poll in Virginia finds Republican Bob McDonnell only slightly ahead of Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds in the race for governor.
A telephone survey of 600 registered voters conducted from Friday through Monday showed 42 percent supported McDonnell and 37 percent back Deeds. But the poll,the first in Virginia by the firm Clarus Research Group, also showed that one fifth of those surveyed were undecided.
Clarus is a new, nonpartisan survey and market research firm based in the district and headed by Ronald A. Faucheux, the former editor of Campaigns & Elections magazine. Clarus says the survey was done for the firm's own use and not sponsored or paid for by an outside client.
Meymo Lyons reports...
Former Ehrlich Administration Member Considers Gubernatorial Run In 2010
September 14, 2009 - Republican Larry Hogan is exploring a run for governor in Maryland. Hogan says he would back former Governor Robert Ehrlich if he decides to run, but Hogan says he's considering a run himself if Ehrlich opts out.
The Republican says he plans to launch a ''Hogan for Maryland'' committee to begin gauging support. Hogan served as Maryland's secretary of appointments in Ehrlich's cabinet. He also ran against Representative Steny Hoyer in 1992. He picked up about 44 percent of the vote in that race.
Baltimore County Delegate Patrick McDonough and attorney Mike Pappas also are running for the GOP nomination.
Rebecca Blatt reports...
Obama Wins Big in Maryland
February 13, 2008 - In Maryland, Senator Barack Obama scored a decisive victory in Tuesday's democratic primary. It was a party for the Obama faithful at the McGintys pub in Silver Spring. The campaign election party in Montgomery County drew many of the campaigns top surrogates, including Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot. The story of the night for many at the party was Obama's large margin of victory over Senator Clinton. But Obama Campaign volunteer Weta Right said she expected tonight's results.
Patrick Madden reports...
Edwards Defeats Incumbent Wynn
February 13, 2008 - Congressman Albert Wynn, of Maryland, became the first incumbent to lose his seat in this year's round of primary elections. Lawyer and activist Donna Edwards upset the eight-term Democrat in Maryland's 4th Congressional District, in a rematch of the 2006 primary election. Edwards says Wynn called her after midnight to concede the race. She is expected to take the general election in the heavily Democratic district, which includes many of Washington's eastern and northern suburbs.
Erin Stamper reports...
Obama Supporters Celebrate Primary Victories
February 12, 2008 - Senator Barack Obama scored an impressive victory in Maryland's Democratic primary. As the crowd at McGinty's pub in Silver Spring counted down the Maryland polls closing, they anticipated the inevitable projection. The fact that Obama won wasn't a big surprise but the estimated margin of victory in Maryland stunned the supporters here. Before the night ended, several of Obama's key Maryland surrogates rallied the rowdy crowd.
Patrick Madden...
Huckabee Wins Support Among Young Voters
February 11, 2008 - Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is hoping tomorrow's primaries in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. will demonstrate the support he has won among young people. Sonia Azad spoke with some of them.....
Local Romney Supporters Look For Another Candidate
February 8, 2008 - With Mitt Romney out of the Republican presidential race, some of his local followers are throwing their support behind John McCain. Others aren't so sure.
Patrick Madden reports...
Vote Early With In-Person Absentee Ballots
February 6, 2008 - It's too late to vote absentee by mail for next week's primaries, but registered voters in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia can still vote early. Area voters can head to their local elections boards to cast an in-person absentee ballot for next Tuesday's primaries. In Virginia and D.C., voters can go to their county or city board of elections today through Saturday to fill out a ballot. Voters in Maryland can cast an absentee ballot at their county elections board until election day. They can also request a mail-in ballot, but they have to make the request in-person, and it must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on February 12th.
Erin Stamper has more...
