Primary Nears for Frederick County State Delegate and Senate Races

George Wenschhof

Last Friday, I wrote about the debut of "Early Voting" in Maryland and opined on the outcome of the Frederick County vote in the county commissioner race. Voters will decide in the Primary Election the five Republicans and five Democrats who will move on to the General Election held on November 2. You can read that column here.

Today, I will look at the state senate and state delegate races in Frederick County, Maryland. The county is roughly split in half with the the northern and western regions falling into district 4 and the central and southern regions falling into district 3. In each district, voters elect one state senator and three state delegates.

District 4 has long been dominated by Republican representation due to a large voter registration advantage. There is no reason to expect a change in party affiliation in this year's election with Republican incumbents favored to win reelection. However, the race for the open delegate seat in district 4-a where voters elect two delegates, could be interesting between the many Republican candidates vying for it.

Incumbent Republican Joe Bartlett, who was elected in 1998 with the strength of his father's name (MD Sixth district Congressman Roscoe Bartlett), decided not to run after revelations of his using state funds to pay his girlfriend rent came to light. As a result, a slew of Republicans filed to run for this open seat.

One time Democrat, and now Republican Dino Flores is joined by Frederick County Republican Central Committee chair Kelly Schultz, long term county commissioner John "Lennie" Thompson and Kathy Afzali. Of these four, look to see John Thompson win and move on to the General Election.

Local attorney Flores is certainly qualified, but doubtful to win more votes than Thompson. Afzali has been battling her fellow Republicans by trying to claim she is more Rush Limbaugh "like" than they and using the phrase "don't let the good old boys win". It is highly unlikely her strategy will be successful. Frederick county Republican chair Kelly Schultz will be competitive, but the name recognition of Thompson will be hard to overcome.

Look to see the vote difference between the Republicans. If Stull wins, but the vote is close, it may indicate this is his last term in office.

Incumbent Republican Paul Stull, who was first elected in 1994, is the other Republican expected to win the primary. He succeeded Tom Hattery, the last Democrat to hold that seat. Hattery challenged and beat Democratic Beverley Byron in the Democratic primary for the western Maryland 6th district congressional seat. He was beat by Republican candidate Roscoe Bartlett, who is still in office and running for reelection.

Scott Geunthner is an "Unaffiliated" candidate on the ballot after securing enough signatures to be listed. Do not expect him to impact the race in any significant manner.

The local Democratic party, which has struggled for some time to field competitive candidates in this race, continued the trend, with only one candidate Ryan Trout filing for the two delegate seats. The Democratic party added Bonita Curry to the ballot after the filing deadline had expired. While Ryan Trout is a newcomer to politics, Ms. Curry has long been involved in volunteer efforts for Democratic candidates. They will not have a contested primary to show off their positions on issues which would benefit the voters in district 4-a should they be elected. While they will both move on, they are not expected to be competitive in the General Election.

In district 4-b, where voters will elect one delegate, the lone Democratic candidate is Timothy Schlauch. He has run a multitude of times and deserves credit for having done so. While he will move on to the General Election, do not expect him to beat incumbent Republican Donald Elliot who was first elected in 1986. However, at age 78, one has to be thinking how many more years will he run for office. Elliot is facing a contested primary against Kathryn Freed. But, it should not be close.

Popular district 4 state senator David Brinkley received a bye from the media in regard to his domestic problems with his wife resulting from his tryst with his administrative assistant. As a result, he is easily favored to win reelection.

In the primary, he will face little known Republican Kathryn Freed. The only Democrat to file, Sara Lou Trescott will move on to face Brinkley in the General Election. It will be interesting to see if Brinkley's alleged infidelity with an aide will be brought up after the primary.

In district 3, it is again the Republicans who have contested battles with Democrats having an interesting match up for state senate.

In district 3-a, where voters will elect two delegates, the Democrats have an uncontested primary with incumbent Galen Clagett and Candy Greenway.

Democratic delegate Sue Hecht's retirement has created an open seat and expect the Republicans to be very competitive and possibly pick up a seat in this district which favors Democrats in voter registration. Ms. Hecht's support by the voters exceeded her effectiveness in Annapolis, making this open seat vulnerable for Democrats.

Ms. Greenway's frequent appearances on the local cable political talk show "Pressing Issues" earned her the nickname "Clueless Candy" as her comments on issues showed her lack of knowledge. So, it is dubious as to how well she will do against Republican opponents in the general election.

Incumbent delegate Galen Clagett has done an excellent job representing the voters in district 3 and deserves another term in Annapolis. His membership on powerful state committees, including Appropriations, is a benefit to Frederick County.

Former delegate Pat Hogan will be favored to finish on top in the Republican primary and could easily win in the General Election, making this a pick up seat for Republicans. He lost to delegate Galen Clagett by only a couple of hundred votes four years ago.

Chris Huckenpoehler and Chuck Knapp are a toss-up in the battle for the other Republican seat. Huckenpoehler made it through the primary in last year's City of Frederick alderman race, but fared poorly in the General Election.

Another Republican; Scott Rolle will appear on the ballot, even though he has withdrawn from the race. A well known former Frederick County State's Attorney, his inclusion on the ballot may confuse some voters.

In district 3-b, where voters elect one delegate, the battle is between Republicans Charles Jenkins and Michael Hough, who are vying for the open seat vacated by Rick Weldon when he went to work for the City of Frederick.

Much Republican infighting has transpired in this race, beginning with the appointment of former Frederick County Commissioner Charles Jenkins to replace the departed Rick Weldon.

Michael Hough has a huge fund raising advantage on Jenkins and also enjoys the support of state senator Alex Mooney and Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young.

Hough has also used the I'm more conservative than you and I signed a "no tax increase" pledge against Jenkins. While Jenkin's claim to fame has been proposed legislation combating illegal immigration. Look to see this race be much closer than the supporters of both candidates would prefer.

It would appear this is an excellent opportunity for Democrats to take advantage of the turmoil within the Republican party and pick up a seat.

Unfortunately, only perennial candidate Paul Gilligan is on the ballot and the Republicans will catch a break. A nice guy who has sound positions on environmental and land management issues, he has been unable to catch on with voters in this district.

This will mark the third time Gilligan has run for this position and the second time he will be the Democratic party nominee. Don't look to see the third time be the charm for the former Mayor of Burkittsville,

The state senate race in district 3 promises to be close and one to watch election night. It is also a good possibility for a pick up for Democrats.

The Democratic winner will face three term incumbent Republican Alex Mooney.

Don DeArmon will be facing Ron Young in the Democratic primary. Unlike, when Mr. Young defeated Mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the 2005 City of Frederick primary, there has been little to no friction or turmoil in this state senate Democratic primary.

Hopefully, this bodes well for the Democratic nominee and the winner will go on to defeat ineffective state senator Alex Mooney.

Both Democratic candidates are well known in district 3-a with Ron being a former four term mayor of the City of Frederick and Don DeArmon twice being the Democratic nominee for congress in the Maryland 6th congressional district.

Both have been supportive of Democratic candidates for all positions over the years. It is not unusual to see Mr. DeArmon's front and side yards, across from Culler Lake in Frederick, adorned with Democratic candidate signs.

Ron Young has once again shown his ability to place campaign signs everywhere, but remember, he did the same in the 2005 city election and lost to a political unknown; Republican Jeff Holtzinger.

Don DeArmon has much more cash on hand than does Ron Young which could be to his advantage when it come to closing the deal with voters through media, direct mail, and other get out the vote efforts.

However, Ron's secret weapon this time around is his wife Karen who is his campaign manager. Karen ran an excellent campaign for alderman in the City of Frederick election last year, finishing first and earning the mayor pro tem designation.

Mr. DeArmon's singular issue he has made a point of getting across to voters is he intends to "fix I-270". An ambitious task and one he hopes frustrated commuters can relate to.

A local business owner shared a story with me recently that sums up the primary race between these two Democrats. Upon his arrival home from work, his wife informed him she had met a nice man today who had stopped by the house. His name was Don DeArmon and he was running against Alex Mooney.

Her husband said to her I thought you were supporting Ron Young. She said oh, yes she was, but really liked Don DeArmon.

Stay Tuned....

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Campaign Funds and Control Crucial for Democrats in Maryland District 3 State Senate Race

George Wenschhof

Last week, Democrat Don DeArmon finally made official his race for the Maryland district 3 state senate seat. I was the first to report on March 22 he had filed a campaign committee with the state which allowed him to raise funds and judge support for his campaign. I used the same approach when I explored running for this seat back in 2006.

Mr. DeArmon will now face former four term City of Frederick mayor Ron Young in the Democratic primary on September 14. Additional candidates may file up through July 6.

The amount of campaign funds raised by candidates is important as incumbent three term Republican Alex Mooney is a heavyweight when it comes to raising funds for his campaigns. His far right ideology which includes opposing the rights of women and gays, brings him donations from across the country.

While I raised $16,000 with my candidate committee, I made the judgement it was insufficient for me to unseat Alex Mooney back in 2006. After I informed the local Democratic leadership I would not be running, they asked that I file as they had no candidate. After filing, it was discovered that Democrat Candy Greenway had filed and I withdrew, offering my support.

Ms. Greenway was able to raise about the same level of funds as I had from her date of filing and prior to the general election. She supplemented her campaign funds with a $30,000 loan. While a newcomer to politics, she did manage to narrow the margin of loss.

My decision to withdraw was based on Mr. Mooney having raised and spent nearly one million against his Democratic opponent Sue Hecht in the 2002 election. Sue Hecht also raised an incredible amount close to $750,000 which was supplemented by Maryland Senate President Mike Miller's senate campaign committee by at least $100,000, only to lose to Alex Mooney by ten percentage points.

I realized that while my campaign had raised $16,000, it would be like using spitballs against an opponent with a Tank.

The discussion of campaign funds is important as is the use of door-to-door campaign tactics. In spite of admirable intentions by candidates, this approach has limited success when trying to reach what will be about 80,000 registered voters in district 3.

The mind boggling funds spent by Mooney and Hecht in 2002 will hopefully never be repeated. However, it is important to note the average funds spent in a Maryland state senate race is around $150,000.

While candidate campaign reports are not due until a few weeks prior to the primary election, both Don DeArmon and Ron Young volunteered where they currently stood in fund raising.

Don DeArmon is a previous candidate for Congress in the Maryland sixth district who has raised hundreds of thousands in a campaign. Also a veteran staffer on the Hill, he informed me he had $50,000 cash on hand.

Ron Young, who was the first to publicly announce in January and the first Democrat to file, informed me he had raised about $18,000. Young raised in excess of $100,000 in the 2005 City of Frederick election. After being out of office for sixteen years, he beat incumbent Democratic mayor Jennifer Dougherty in the primary. Only, to lose to political neophyte Republican Jeff Holtzinger in the general election.

Mr. Young also pointed out to me that his funds were received from about 200 people with an average of about $90.00. I did not ask Mr. DeArmon for any detail on his contributions.

Both Democratic candidates realize they will need to raise additional funds to be competitive. However, both intend to make use of the old shoe leather door-to-door approach to meeting voters. Mr. DeArmon has even arranged to take a leave of absence from his job as the campaign heats up.

Mr. DeArmon informed me Stephen Slater will be his campaign manager and that he intends to also make good use of his campaign website which can be read at www.dearmonforsenate.com In his announcement, he highlighted the need to "fix I-270" and he intends to add his positions on a variety of issues on his campaign website for voters to easily read.

Ron Young said he was still about ten days away from his campaign website going live. His wife Karen Young, who ran her own successful campaign for alderperson in last year's City of Frederick election will be his campaign manager.

While raising funds will be important for the Democratic nominee, controlling their own campaign after the primary will be even more important. Miller, in his desire to defeat Republican ultra conservative nemesis Alex Mooney, has been heavy handed in direct mail composition and target mailing areas for the Democratic nominee in the last two elections.

Unfortunately, this over reaching on the part of the senate campaign committee has backfired with losing results in the 2002 and 2006 elections.

The direct mail pieces used by the Maryland senate committee were over the top in their negativity, to the point close Hecht supporters complained to me after receiving them in the 2002 election.

Besides negative attacks being counter productive in district 3, the practice of using the same mail house to mail for all Democratic state senate candidates resulted in multiple mailings hitting a voters mail box the same day at the end of the Sue Hecht campaign.

Precincts which were heavily Democratic, were also inundated with negative direct mail and they were already voting for Ms. Hecht which was a waste of funds. In addition, Miller's then chief of staff Tim Perry was calling almost daily to the campaign manager of Sue Hecht, offering advise.

Unfortunately, the practice continued in the 2006 general election with outrageous negative direct mail by the state senate committee.

The reason for the use of negative attacks on political opponents is political operatives of major political parties have found it generally effective in narrowing margins between candidates.

Back in 2006, I met with the young man Mike Miller had put in charge of his committee and informed him that if I became the nominee, I would welcome their support, but I would have final approval on the what, when and where of how direct mail was used.

Fortunately, in talking with both declared Democratic candidates Ron Young and Don DeArmon, they have assured me they have already had similar talks with Mike Miller's office and were in agreement they should control their campaign message.

The time is right for a Democrat to win the Maryland third district state senate seat. Both Mr. DeArmon and Mr. Young are well qualified for the position. Either will be more effective in serving the voters and their interests in Annapolis than incumbent Alex Mooney.

I hope Maryland Senate President Mike Miller is listening.

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DeArmon Files for MD District 3 State Senate

George Wenschhof

Today, Democrat Don DeArmon made it official when he filed to run for Maryland State Senate in District 3. He had filed a candidate committee with the state elections board months ago which allowed him to raise funds and test the support he had among voters in the district.

When I asked him how he was doing with his fund raising, he indicated he had $50,000 cash on hand which is impressive at this point in the campaign. I wrote about his intent to run for this seat back on March 22. You can read it here.

In his press release he emailed yesterday and which he asked be embargoed by the press until after 12:00 PM today, he indicated his highest priority would be "fixing I-270". He indicated in the release, he would be greeting voters today at the Urbana "Park and Ride" between 4:00 to 5:00 PM.

The campaign website is up and running and can be read at dearmonforsenate.com You can read about his positions on the issues of transportation, education and the environment on his campaign website. Mr. DeArmon indicated to me he would also be adding his positions on issues such as the budget, taxes and economic development, good government and ethics, health and agriculture. So, check with his website often to see his positions on the issues important to you.

DeArmon will face a Democratic primary challenge against former City of Frederick four term mayor Ron Young who has already filed to run. The incumbent is Republican Alex Mooney, who was first elected in 1998 after defeating Republican Jack Derr in the primary.

In 2002, Mooney defeated Sue Hecht(D) handily after the two incredibly spent well over one million during the campaign. In 2006, after I withdrew from the race, Mooney beat inexperienced political newcomer Candy Greenway (D) by a smaller margin.

Democrats have made substantial gains in voter registration in this district and there is a good possibility in the November general election for a Democratic Party pick up in the Maryland state senate. Figures I have as of the end of November 2009 show a total of 79,597 registered voters in district 3. Democrats led in registration with 33,659 with Republicans at 29,898. Unaffiliated/Others totaled 16,040 with Unaffiliated at 14,850.

The "Unaffiliated" voter will have a major impact in this election so the Democratic Party candidate who is able to attract the highest votes from this group would be the best nominee.

Frederick County Commissioner President Jan Gardner, who was among the early rumored Democratic Party candidates for this position, told me recently she has yet to make up her mind as to her future. However, she went on to say after hearing of Democratic Delegate Sue Hecht's retirement, she is seriously considering a run for Delegate in District 3-A.

Ms. Gardner will be my guest next week on "All Things Political".

The deadline for candidates to file for office is July 6 and the primary election is September 14. The General Election is November 2.

Stay Tuned....

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DeArmon to run for MD State Senate

George Wenschhof

Democrat Don DeArmon has begun the process of running for state senate in district 3 by filing a candidate committee with the state of Maryland. In a brief conversation with him today, Mr. DeArmon indicated he would be filing the necessary papers for candidacy soon and would have an announcement at that time.

He indicated he was looking forward to his announcement and detailing his positions on the issues in the very near future. A campaign website is also under construction and should be available for viewing at that time.

The filing of a candidate committee allows a candidate to raise funds prior to officially filing for office. When I asked him how the fund raising was going, he said very well and was pleased with how the campaign was progressing.

Some Frederick county voters may remember DeArmon from when he was the Democratic nominee for Congress against Republican incumbent Roscoe Bartlett in Congressional District 6 in 2000 and 2002. He and his wife Ann and their children live in the City of Frederick.

He has extensive government experience including working for CRD Associates L.L.C. in Washington D.C. and overall has 28 years of experience in working on the Hill. He was formally the legislative director for Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA).

His background along with his previous campaign experience will make him a formidable candidate in this race.

The incumbent state senator in District 3 is Republican Alex Mooney who is known for his far right conservative beliefs and his ability to raise huge sums of campaign funds from all over the country. He first won election in 1998 when he beat incumbent Republican Jack Derr.

Former four term City of Frederick Mayor; Democrat Ron Young announced at an event back on January 28, 2010 that he was a candidate for state senate in district 3. However, he has been quiet since then.

Rumors that Frederick County Board of Commissioners President; Democrat Jan Gardner would run for state senate have also been circulating for some time. I wrote in a column published on 11-16-2009, that while the talk was she was not going to run for reelection as county commissioner, I would not be surprised if she did so.

She indicated to me she was definitely not running for reelection to the board in a phone conversation several days after that column appeared. She said she was considering a run for state senate, but had yet to make up her mind.

On 11-24-2009, I published a column where I spoke of a meeting which was held with potential Democratic candidates for state senate in district 3, where they discussed who might run and what advantages there may be to have an uncontested Democratic primary.

It does not appear an agreement was reached to hold an uncontested Democratic primary and that is a good thing. The added attention a contested primary will bring to the Democrats will be a positive and result in a much stronger candidate to emerge against Alex Mooney.

Lisa Baugher, who was the first Democrat to publicly say she intended to run for state senate in district 3 has since said she had changed her mind and would not be running for the seat.

The deadline to file for candidacy is July 6. The primary will be on September 14 and the General Election will be on November 2.

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