Maryland Politics

Sobhani, independent in Maryland Senate race, makes closing argument

Fredrick Kunkle — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 05:30:01 GMT

With the U.S. Capitol as backdrop and some campaign posters slapped on a podium, Rob Sobhani delivered the closing statement for his party-crashing campaign in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race.

Two reporters attended.

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O’Malley: Same-sex law is in ‘good shape’

John Wagner — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 01:15:00 GMT

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said Wednesday night that the campaign to uphold Maryland’s same-sex marriage law is in “good shape,” but added that his side needs to continue raising money to get its message out in the final days before the election.

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We’ve moved — to the Maryland Politics page

John Wagner — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:13:00 GMT

Full Washington Post coverage of Maryland politics can now be found in a new place: the Maryland Politics page.

This blog will no longer be updated, but the Maryland Politics page will feature the same breaking news — as well as longer stories that appear in the pages of the Post — all in one location.

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Pepco union approves contract, averting strike

Victor Zapana — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:52:15 GMT

Pepco’s union on Thursday approved a four-year contract with the company, averting a strike that had worried local officials and residents for weeks, company and union officials said Friday.

Last month, an overwhelming majority of union members voted to reject what the company had called its “last, best and final” offer. Immediately after the vote, union leaders and company officials went back to the negotiating table, and they reached a tentative agreement with Pepco two weeks ago.

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Roscoe Bartlett, facing tough Democratic challenge, spars over role of government in debate

Fredrick Kunkle — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:41:42 GMT

HAGERSTOWN — Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, facing perhaps the fiercest challenge in his 20-year congressional career, engaged two opponents in a courtly debate Wednesday focusing mostly on the appropriate role of the federal government.

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Former boxing champ seeks Md. gambling votes

John Wagner — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:57:00 GMT

Former championship boxer Oscar De La Hoya is the latest celebrity to surface in Maryland’s star-studded ballot campaigns.

De La Hoya has recorded a robocall promoting passage of Question 7, which would allow a casino in Prince George’s County, as well as table games, such as black jack and roulette, at Maryland’s five previously authorized slots sites.

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Television ad opposing same-sex marriage features suspended Gallaudet diversity officer

John Wagner — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:54:00 GMT

Opponents of same-sex marriage in Maryland have started airing a television ad featuring images of Angela McCaskill, the chief diversity officer at Gallaudet University who was put on administrative leave after signing a petition to put the state’s new gay nuptials law on the ballot.

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Wayne Curry launches pro-gambling committee

John Wagner — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:04:09 GMT

Former Prince George’s County Executive Wayne K. Curry (D) said Wednesday that he is launching a new committee to support passage next month of Maryland’s hotly contested expanded gambling plan.

Curry said he would seek funding from business and community organizations to promote the prospect of a new Prince George’s casino, which would be allowed under Question 7. The facility, he said, would be “a unique attraction for the tens of millions of people who visit our nation’s capital each year.”

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O’Malley touts gambling measure in new TV ad

John Wagner — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:27:00 GMT

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has never been a strong proponent of gambling, is appearing in a new television ad supporting the expansion plan on the ballot known as Question 7.

In the ad, O’Malley touts the state’s investment in its schools and seeks to rebut an attack from opponents that there’s no guarantee additional gambling revenue will flow to Maryland schools.

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Obama hit Romney ‘square in the nose,’ O’Malley says

John Wagner — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:40:00 GMT

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) was back in the spin room Tuesday night, sharing his assessment of the presidential debate on site in Hempstead, N.Y.

O’Malley, who has become a frequent surrogate for President Obama, played a similar role at the first presidential debate in Denver and last week’s vice president debate in Danville, Ky.

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Upstart independent candidate to debate Sen. Cardin and others in Maryland forum

Fredrick Kunkle — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:31:00 GMT

U.S. Senate candidate Rob Sobhani says he has found bipartisanship in Washington, and he doesn’t like it one bit.

In ads, interviews and press releases for the past month, Sobhani, who is running as an independent in Maryland, has accused the two major-party candidates of making a pact to exclude him from public debates.

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Md. GOP luminaries Steele, Scott support gambling

John Wagner — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 19:20:00 GMT

Michael S. Steele and Audrey E. Scott, two prominent Maryland Republicans and former Ehrlich administration officials, on Tuesday threw their support behind Question 7, the state’s expanded gambling measure.

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John Delaney maintains fundraising edge over Roscoe Bartlett

Ben Pershing — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:12:46 GMT

Financier John Delaney (D) continues to outpace Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R) in the fundraising department, giving him a key advantage as balloting approaches.

Delaney is challenging Bartlett’s reelection in Maryland’s redrawn 6th district, which now includes a slice of Democratic-leaning Montgomery County. Delaney has consistently raised more cash than Bartlett and is viewed by nonpartisan experts as the favorite in the contest.

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Major GOP funder gives to Maryland same-sex marriage campaign

John Wagner — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:28:36 GMT

The lead group seeking to uphold Maryland’s same-sex marriage law on Monday announced it had received a $250,000 contribution from Paul Singer, a prominent New York-based hedge fund manager — and a major donor to Republican candidates.

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Contributions to Md. gambling fight rise to $47 million

John Wagner — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:34:00 GMT

Companies with a stake in Maryland’s expanded gambling measure have now contributed more than $47 million to the two campaign committees slugging it out in television ads.

The latest contribution — another $3.5 million from Penn National Gaming — was disclosed on Friday, a day after another $3 million outlay was reported by MGM Resorts.

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N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives $250,000 to Maryland same-sex marriage effort

John Wagner — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:12:38 GMT

Last month, same-sex marriage proponents in Maryland held a star-studded fundraiser in New York. Now the city’s mayor is getting into the act — in a big way.

Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who went to college at Johns Hopkins University, has donated $250,000 to the campaign to uphold Maryland’s same-sex marriage law.

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Former Redskin pitches Maryland gambling plan

John Wagner — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:02:08 GMT

Proponents of expanded gambling in Maryland, who last week announced the support of the Washington Redskins, have now cut an ad featuring one of the team’s former players.

LaVar Arrington, an all-pro linebacker who last suited up for the Redskins in 2005, is featured in a 30-second spot standing in front of FedEx Field in Landover, where the team plays its home games.

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Roscoe Bartlett agrees to 6 debates with John Delaney in Maryland’s 6th

Fredrick Kunkle — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:39:00 GMT

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R) has agreed to go head to head with Democratic challenger John Delaney in six debates, his campaign said Thursday.

Bartlett, whose quirky, low-key style has served western Maryland for two decades, now finds himself in the middle of a tough fight with a political newcomer in the newly redrawn 6th congressional district.

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Brian Frosh shows strength of support for 2014 attorney general bid

John Wagner — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:27:00 GMT

Maryland Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery) on Thursday announced an exploratory bid for attorney general in 2014, releasing a list of more than 100 supporters, many of them prominent names in the state’s Democratic establishment.

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MGM chips in another $3 million to gambling campaign

John Wagner — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:53:00 GMT

The money keeps pouring into Maryland’s gambling campaign. MGM Resorts, the company angling to build a casino at National Harbor, has chipped in another $3 million, according to the latest disclosure report.

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Local unions rally against Montgomery County police labor law

Victor Zapana — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:29:00 GMT

More than a dozen unions in the Washington region rallied on Wednesday against a Montgomery County law aimed at the collective bargaining rights of the local police union.

Passed unanimously by the County Council last year, the law curtails certain bargaining rights that the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 has held for decades. The law permits the union to bargain on traditional rights, such as wages and vacation time, but not on other aspects of a police officer’s job, such as something as seemingly small as checking e-mail.

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MGM chairman ‘disappointed’ gambling race in Md. remains close

John Wagner — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:16:46 GMT

Jim Murren, the chairman and chief executive officer of MGM Resorts, said Wednesday that he remains confident that Maryland’s referendum on expanded gambling will pass but acknowledged the race is close.

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Two African-American ministers from Maryland appear in first same-sex marriage ads

John Wagner — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:05:20 GMT

Same-sex marriage proponents on Tuesday unveiled new television ads that highlight support for the measure from a pair of high-profile African-American ministers in Baltimore and Prince George’s County.

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Spending on Maryland gambling measure tops $40 million

John Wagner — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Spending by companies with a stake in Maryland’s expanded-gambling plan has climbed to more than $40 million, according to the latest disclosure reports made public Tuesday.

Penn National Gaming, which opposes Question 7 on next month’s ballot, reported spending another $3.5 million, bringing its total for the campaign to $21.6 million.

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Maryland governor, Ravens linebacker team up for same-sex marriage fundraiser

John Wagner — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:22:07 GMT

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, the most talked-about supporter of same-sex marriage in Maryland this year, was swarmed by the media as he arrived at Mothers Federal Hill Grille on Monday night.

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