Western Maryland Democratic Summit Hosts Maryland’s Political Candidates

On Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21, the Western Maryland Democratic PAC hosted a number of political candidates at the Western Maryland Democratic Summit at Rocky Gap State Park. Friday’s reception offered the candidates a chance to mingle and share their ideas with their potential constituents. Meanwhile, Saturday featured a day full of political speeches and forums to allow atendees to meet candidates from many different races.

Political candidates at the Summit included those running for Governor, Congress, state legislature, and county commissioner, among other local races across the Western Maryland counties. Speeches were also given by Allegany High School student Melissa Magrath, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Jamie Raskin, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, and President hopeful, Congressman John Delaney.

Following the keynote addresses, candidates running for Maryland’s 6^th congressional district, formerly inhabited by John Delaney, were invited to speak for ten minutes during a controlled forum. The Democratic candidates included Iraq War veteran Andrew Duck, renewable energy entrepreneur Chris Graves, Dr. Nadia Hashimi, state senator Roger Manno, state representative Aruna Miller, and businessman David Trone. The candidates took the opportunity inform the audience of their past successes, reasons for running for public office, and issue positions. Issue positions posed by the candidates included the need for an adequate healthcare system, environmental accountability, and economic prosperity for the lower and middle classes of America.

Later in the afternoon, the gubernatorial candidates looking to unseat Gov. Larry Hogan had their chance to speak. The candidates include Prince Georges county executive Rushern Baker, former President of the NAACP, Ben Jealous, Baltimore county executive Kevin Kamenetz, state senator Rich Madaleno, technology entrepreneur Alec Ross, attorney Jim Shea, and former White House policy director Krishanti Vignarajah. The gubernatorial candidates expressed the need to turn the Governor’s mansion back to blue, the importance of funding public schools, and the right of universal healthcare.

The Western Maryland Democratic PAC held a straw poll allowing attendees to cast their choice for the primary challengers in both the gubernatorial race and the race for the 6^th congressional district. All candidates present at the Summit were permitted to make their pitch to the audience before the votes were placed. In the gubernatorial poll, Rushern Baker led the field with 62 of 327 votes. The candidates receiving the next highest number of votes follow: Krishanti Vignarajah, 57 votes, Ben Jealous, 50 votes, Rich Madaleno, 48 votes, Kevin Kamenetz, 45 votes, Jim Shea, 36 votes, and Alec Ross, 29 votes.

In the 6^th congressional district poll, Aruna Miller received an overwhelming majority of the votes with 140 of 322 votes cast. The remaining votes went to the following candidates: David Trone, 76 votes, Roger Manno, 68 votes, Nadia Hashimi, 24 votes, Andrew Duck, 12 votes, Chris Graves, 1 vote, and Christopher Hearsey, who was not present at the Summit, 1 vote.

This year’s Western Maryland Democratic Summit is the 14^th annual event held to showcase Maryland’s political candidates to the people of Western Maryland. The primary elections will take place on June 26, 2018, while the general elections will occur on November 6, 2018.