With almost all state and local offices on the ballot in 2014, intense jockeying is underway between potential candidates for many offices.
Because Montgomery County currently has no elected Republicans in office, the primary election, less than six months away on Tuesday, June 24, is of intense importance. The candidate filing deadline for those running by party is Feb. 25, less than two months from now. General Election Day is Nov. 4.
For a list of candidates who have filed to run, see http://www.elections.maryland.gov/elections/2014/primary_candidates/index.html. Potomac is divided between District 15 and 16. One state senator and three delegates per district. A map of the General Assembly Districts is provided here: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Elections/Resources/Files/pdfs/maps/LegislatieDistrictMapRevised2013.pdf
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, DISTRICT 15
There are three state delegates and one state senator from each General Assembly district in Maryland. Potomac is split between District 15 and District 16, and both districts will have significant changes this year.
Del. Brian Feldman (D-15) was appointed in September to serve out the remainder of the term of state Sen. Rob Garagiola (D-15). Garagiola, who represented much of Potomac since 2002, resigned in September, after failed bid for U.S. Congress two years ago when he was defeated in the primary by now U.S. Rep. John Delaney.
Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed David Fraser-Hidalgo to fill Feldman’s seat in the House of Delegates. Fraser-Hidalgo, along with the two remaining incumbent delegates in district 15, Kathleen Dumais and Aruna Miller, has filed for reelection. Other Democratic candidates are expected to join the race for delegate between now and the February filing deadline. In the June primary, voters in the Democratic primary will vote for up to three delegates, with the top three moving on to the General Election in November.
Frequent candidate, infamous sports heckler and sponsor of many anti-tax referenda, Robin Ficker canvassed Potomac on Potomac Day with his son Flynn Ficker. The two Republicans are campaigning for District 15, the elder Ficker seeking the Senate seat and the younger Ficker seeking one of the delegate seats.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, DISTRICT 16
If the District 15 scenario seems complicated, District 16 is its own drama. State Sen. Brian Frosh (D-16), who has represented parts of Potomac and Bethesda since the early 1990s, is running for Maryland Attorney General, and Del. Susan Lee (D-16) has filed to run for his State Senate seat.
Another of District 16’s delegates, Bill Frick (D-16) has also filed to run for Attorney General, leaving two open delegate seats and a lot of opportunity. Del. Ariana Kelly (D-16) has filed to run again, plus four other Democratic candidates have filed to compete for the three seats. They are Jordan Cooper, Marc Korman, Hrant Jamgochian and Gareth Murray. So far no Republicans have filed to run in District 16, again emphasizing the importance of the Democratic primary in June.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE
There are three Democratic candidates vying for County Executive, incumbent Ike Leggett, Councilmember Phil Andrews and former County Executive Doug Duncan, who served as county executive from 1994-2006, also running for his old job.
For a list of candidates who have already filed to run, see http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2014/primary_candidates/gen_listings_2014_1_ALL.html