Get Your Presidential Supporters Here!

Now that the Holiday Season has past and The Iowa Caucus is upon us I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at who our local electeds are lining up behind. The Gazette gave us the names back on December 21 but let's look a bit closer.

Now any good follower of MoCo politics will tell you that being Free State political activist does not matter in the presidential selection process unless of course you spent time over the Holidays in Iowa or plan on wintering in New Hampshire for your favorite candidate. But the list tells you a few things of the 42 people representing us in Rockville (County Executive and 9 County Council) or Annapolis (8 Senators and 24 Delegates), 20 of whom have declared for someone.

Neither of the MoCo Congressman are publicly behind a candidate; Nor is our County Executive. But our Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer and Senior US Senator are behind Clinton. AG Gansler is state co-chair for Obama. Comptroller Franchot and Junior US Senator Cardin are undecided.

The elected women are lining up behind the lone female candidate. The list includes 3 of the 4 women on the MoCo Council (Floreen, Ervin and Trachtenberg) and 3 of the 10 members of the MoCo Delegation to Annapolis (Sens. Kramer and Forehand and Del. Hixson). No elected woman from MoCo has come out for anyone besides Hillary. So yes Virginia there is a gender gap.

The first time elected officials are either behind newcomer Obama or staying out. Seven of the seventeen newly elected / appointed members of either the County Council or Annapolis Delegation are for Obama (Councilman Berliner, Sen. Raskin and Delegates Ali, Frick, Gilchrist, Hucker and Reznick); compared to three for Clinton (Councilwomen Trachtenberg and Ervin and Del. Kramer). But another seven are undecided (Councilman Elrich, Sen. Lenett and Delegates Carr, Manno, Mizeur, Rice and Waldstreicher).

Undecided leads the combined totals of Obama, Clinton Edwards 22-19. But of those that have committed Obama leads Clinton 11-7. But Clinton leads among the past Delegates and Senators 6-0. And Clinton leads among the municipalities 5-0.

The MoCo Board of Education -- the canary in the coal mine of local politics -- has two of its members behind Clinton (President Navarro and O'Neill) versus one for Obama (the recent convert to the Democratic fold Stephen Abrams.)

Both recent converts to the Democratic fold are for Obama. Former US Senate candidate and former Bush ranger Josh Rales along with Abrams are Obama supporters. Also former Republican turned Democratic Delegate Luis Simmons is a pledged Delegate for Edwards -- making him the sole local elected official for the 2004 Vice Presidential nominee.

If one were to surmise from the listing of supporters, Clinton has the establishment vote; Obama has the newcomers and most are waiting for the dust to settle before deciding.