Having been a new teacher when the schools were first integrated in Baltimore, it saddens me to hear the same arguments being used against this marriage bill as were against school integration.
More importantly, we as a state have already forgotten that there were anti-miscegenation laws-- laws in Maryland --that prohibited blacks and whites or any inter-racial couple, to marry. There were statements that our society would crumble if this abomination were to occur. Today the argument is that only a man and a woman can marry, as only they can produce children. Well, a marriage between a black and white heterosexual couple could produce children--- but that marriage was forbidden by law as destructive to society. Any mixed race couple had to go out of state to marry.
The parallels are there. Let's pass this law.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Sen. Karen Montgomery on Marriage Equality
Thursday, October 28, 2010
District 14 Democratic Team Lit Piece
The District 14 Democratic Team - Senate nominee Karen Montgomery, Delegate Anne Kaiser and Delegate nominees Eric Luedtke and Craig Zucker - is distributing this lit piece for the general election.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
MCEA/SEIU Mailer for Karen Montgomery, District 14 Senate, 2010
Here's a joint independent mailer from MCEA and SEIU on behalf of District 14 Senate candidate Karen Montgomery, who narrowly defeated incumbent Rona Kramer in this year's primary. Montgomery benefitted from a LARGE independent effort by labor and environmental groups.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Karen Montgomery Declares Victory
The Board of Elections has released its official primary results that show Karen Montgomery defeating District 14 Senator Rona Kramer by a 4,973 to 4,857 vote tally. Montgomery sent the following email to her supporters claiming victory.
VICTORY!
Dear [Voter],
To all the wonderful people who have helped in my campaign for Senate in District 14: THANK YOU!!!!
What you did:
Organized neighborhood coffees
Stuffed and stamped envelopes
Made phone calls
Provided cookies, brownies and other food
Walked door-to-door, when it was hot and you were exhausted
Delivered signs and election material
Donated money
Created mailers
Greeted people at grocery stores
Made videos
Facilitated discussions
Joined with me in parades
And voted for me!
My grateful thanks.
I am overwhelmed by your kindness, capability, willingness to volunteer your work, skills and time, and most of all, your faith in me to work as hard as I possibly can for our community and state.
With my utmost gratitude,
Karen
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Absentee Ballot Counts
One of our informants forwarded the following absentee ballot counts by legislative district. These counts have implications for a number of close races.
Democratic Absentee Ballots, as of 10am this morning...
D14: 636 requested -- 320 returned so far
D15: 692 requested -- 312 returned so far
D16: 1735 requested -- 868 returned so far
D17: 814 requested -- 461 returned so far
D18: 1266 requested -- 599 returned so far
D19: 925 requested -- 528 returned so far
D20: 731 requested -- 297 returned so far
D39: 430 requested -- 208 returned so far
The spy notes, "If the absentees returned don't increase dramatically, Rona Kramer would have to take 60% of them, Kyle Lierman would need 65% and Cheryl Kagan would need 80%."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
SEIU's Mailer for Karen Montgomery
SEIU may hate Prince George's Senator Nathaniel Exum, but they like District 14 Senate challenger Karen Montgomery. Here's an independent mailer that SEIU Local 1199 sent on her behalf.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Montgomery Responds to Kramer's Negative Mail
District 14 Senate challenger Karen Montgomery has sent the following email to supporters in response to Senator Rona Kramer's mail about her failure to attend the 2006 and 2007 special sessions. The email contains a video from a supporter as a response to the negative mail. There's just one problem: neither the email nor the video responds in any way to the absence issue cited in Kramer's mail. Here is Montgomery's email, which was sent out on Tuesday.
#####
Dear [Voter],
The Karen Montgomery for Senate campaign has focused on issues from day 1. We have chosen not to embark on Karl Rove-style politics. This campaign has discussed voting records and policy. The past week has shown that our opponent is not committed to the same standards. Many of you have called us, outraged and disgusted, and said "How are you going to respond?"
The best response has come from you: the District 14 voters, our supporters and our friends. We have made a series of videos that let Karen's constituents tell their stories about how she has served them and our community as a whole. The first video is below:
We will be sending you more videos over the coming week. If you want to help Karen win, take a look at these videos, forward them to your friends, and post them on your websites and your Facebook pages. And if you'd like to get more involved in the last week of the campaign, please call us now at 301-792-6357 or email citizen(at)citizenkepler.com.
We will be working hard in other ways to get the message out, but your stories are the heart of this campaign. It would be great if each of you would forward these stories to as many people as possible. Finally, please remember to vote and have everyone in your family vote on Sept. 14.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Rona Rips Karen
We predicted this. Perhaps Senator Rona Kramer (D-14) was getting jealous of all the attention that Senators Mike Lenett and Nancy King, and challengers Roger Manno and Saqib Ali, are receiving?
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Primaries to Watch V, Part Two
By Marc Korman and Adam Pagnucco.
Here are races Eight and Seven!
8. District 14 Delegate Open Seat
Previous Rank: #8
Marc
Incumbent Anne Kaiser and 2002 candidate Craig Zucker are widely considered locks for two of the three Delegate seats. Zucker should probably be sweating a little just because of the uncertainty created by two open seats.
For the third seat, the crystal ball is a little cloudy. Eric Luedtke continues to chug along with door knocking and many solid endorsements. I have heard anecdotally that Jodi Finkelstein is impressing lots of people, including the Washington Post of course. Bo Newsome’s campaign had a late and real slow start, but benefits from being on the slate of incumbents plus Zucker.
It is hard to say with any certainty who breaks through here. I give the edge to Luedtke who started early when he was planning a State Senate run and is hitting so many doors, but I am probably biased.
Full disclosure, I donated to Kaiser, Luedtke, and Zucker. Neeta Datt’s son and I attended high school together. I have volunteered for Luedtke and Kaiser.
Adam
Kaiser is definitely a lock. Zucker has been a smart pick for nearly a year. Of the remaining candidates, Luedtke has the best combination of money (although not much), endorsements, door-knocking and mail. Bo Newsome may be technically on a slate with Rona Kramer, Kaiser and Zucker, but they are effectively letting him sink or swim on his own. The other candidates’ financial performances are truly woeful. One candidate whose fundraising record is unknown is Vanessa Ali, who never sent in her August 10 report and has racked up $150 in late fees.
7. District 14 State Senate Challenge
Previous Rank: #5
Marc
From where I am sitting, which is far, far away from District 14, Delegate Karen Montgomery is not picking up the momentum she needs to topple Rona Kramer despite a steady stream of door knocking. The incumbent State Senator is taking Montgomery seriously, has formed a full slate, and has the full-throated support of Ike Leggett and others as a result. To win, the challenger will need to rapidly amp up her campaign to try and demonstrate why Kramer is out of touch with primary voters.
Adam
Both candidates are working hard at crunch time. Both are mailing, both are knocking and both have allies. The unions have stepped up to help Montgomery with the first of what could be multiple independent mailers, but Kramer can always write checks to herself to counter them.
Kramer is holding an ace that has not yet been seen. It is widely known that Montgomery was in China during the critical 2007 special session and missed votes on tax hikes, slots and the budget. But it appears that she missed the 2006 special session too. She was recorded as having an “excused absence” on the only two bills to make it to the House floor during that session: a bill to crack down on sex offenders and a bill to limit increases in electricity rates. Given the recent problems with Pepco, that latter missed vote could make for a damaging mailer.
Our informants are split down the middle on this contest and many are calling it a toss-up. But when the incumbent holds the money advantage, these kinds of races usually go in their favor.
More tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
First Independent Expenditure in District 14
The mailer below was produced by Progressive Maryland, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and SEIU Local 500. It promotes Senate candidate Karen Montgomery, Delegate Anne Kaiser and Delegate candidates Craig Zucker and Eric Luedtke. It also goes after Rona Kramer. Interestingly, the groups refer to Kaiser and Zucker as a part of their "progressive team" despite their membership on a slate with Kramer.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Labor Steps Up for Karen Montgomery
District 14 Senate challenger Karen Montgomery had a decent showing in her campaign finance report for the period ending August 10. She started with $58,224.09, raised $45,442.27 and finished with $ 78,317.72. This will not equal Senator Rona Kramer’s self-funding capability, but it will be enough to compete.
Labor PACs gave Montgomery $19,100, nearly half her contributions, and SEIU PACs gave her $13,000. One or more of the unions may lend Montgomery some ground support and even finance an independent expenditure criticizing Kramer. One more fact worth noting is that Montgomery received $1,000 from Delegate Susan Lee (D-16) despite the fact that Lee is engaged in a free-for-all House race in her district.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Primaries to Watch IV, Part Three
By Marc Korman and Adam Pagnucco.
Here are races Six and Five!
6. District 16 Open Seat
Previous Rank: #7
Marc
Chaos is the order of the day in District 16. There are thirteen candidates vying for three Delegate seats. Perhaps that should not be a surprise since eleven ran for one seat in 2007 when Delegate Frick was appointed. It is an odd race. One of the incumbents has never run before, one of the challengers has run five times, and the district has little to drive turnout at the top of the ticket.
Obama campaign staffer Kyle Lierman, business owner and Montgomery County Young Democrats President Scott Goldberg, and former NARAL Executive Director Ariana Kelly have been the most active thus far. But Mark Winston is coming out strong with Ike Leggett’s endorsement and Hrant Jamgochian has been carpet bombing the district with signs and campaign frisbees.
Bill Frick and Susan Lee have been canvassing with teammate Brian Frosh and few have anything bad to say about them. Frosh has really stepped up for Frick and Lee, spending lots of time door knocking despite not having a primary and being the heavy favorite in November. Most people think the real fight is for the third Delegate slot. With a race this crowded with a low turnout, it could be anyone’s for the taking.
A fun little note is that one of the three Republicans waiting in the general will be Prince Arora, who ran as a Democrat for the appointment in 2007.
Full disclosure, I am a member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee from District 16 and have supported Bill Frick.
Adam
There are too many candidates in this race. Most of them will get lost in the shuffle and District 16 residents will learn to get very acquainted with throwing out mailers. This greatly helps incumbents Susan Lee and Bill Frick, who should win solidly by racking up institutional support and cash and running with Senator Brian Frosh.
So for the challengers, how do you stand out? There are usually two ways to do so: endorsements and money. Ariana Kelly is the early endorsement leader, collecting support from MCEA, NARAL, NOW and SEIU. There could be more to come. Kyle Lierman will rely on his famous last name and his Obama connections to raise great heaping gobs of cash. Kelly is the only female Democratic candidate other than Lee and Lierman’s campaign experience is unparalleled. All of these factors make these two stand out.
The others are all white males who will probably wind up agreeing on most issues. As the deluge of literature begins to swamp mailboxes, voters will have a hard time telling them apart. These candidates must figure out a way to break out from the pack. Could it be Mark Winston, who was endorsed by Ike Leggett? Could it be Young Dems leader Scott Goldberg? Could it be someone else? Or will this be a Kelly-Lierman race? It’s too early to tell.
5. District 14 State Senate Challenge
Previous Rank: #5
Marc
Karen Montgomery is knocking on doors and talking about progressive issues. Rona Kramer has slated up with incumbent Delegate Anne Kaiser, and Delegate candidates Craig Zucker and Bo Newsome and is talking about Montgomery missing the 2007 Special Session. Absenteeism is an old, effective campaign favorite and Kramer will make a big deal out of it. Both candidates are out working but given Kramer’s money this is a real uphill climb for Montgomery. Progressives are happy to have a champion talking about issues such as the death penalty, but it may not be enough against the entrenched Kramer.
Adam
Jamie Raskin toppled Ida Ruben in 2006 in part by tapping into a wave of progressive activism in Silver Spring and Takoma Park. One of the questions in this cycle has been where those progressives would wind up. A school of thought held that many of them would head up US-29, New Hampshire Avenue and Georgia Avenue to help a credible liberal defeat Rona Kramer. So where are they?
This race is behaving rather predictably so far. Montgomery is racking up endorsements from unions and environmentalists. Kramer has assembled a slate for self-defense and will soon be spending lots of money on mail. If Montgomery’s endorsements are accompanied by real live boots on the ground, she has a chance. Otherwise, Kramer is going to win.
More tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Karen Montgomery Changes Campaign Managers
District 14 Senate candidate Karen Montgomery has hired a new campaign manager as her former manager has gone to work at the White House. Regardless of the reason, turnover at a critical position like campaign manager is usually not helpful (unless the old one was screwing up). Following is the press release.
For Immediate Release
July 6, 2010
For more information and/or interviews, contact Bronwyn Beistle
Montgomery4Montgomery@gmail.com
Karen Montgomery’s Campaign for State Senate Announces New Manager
OLNEY, MD – A new campaign manager has taken the helm of Delegate Karen Montgomery’s campaign for the District 14 State Senate seat. Bronwyn Beistle, a veteran of Democratic campaigns in Florida and Maryland, assumed the position of campaign manager last week.
She succeeds Peter Blaes who was recruited for a position in The White House with the Obama administration. Blaes served in the 2008 Obama campaign as a field director in the midwest.
Beistle worked on the Cardin-O’Malley coordinated campaign in 2006 and has extensive experience in environmental and energy issues, a strong focus of the Montgomery campaign. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, she joined the 2004 presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry in her native state of Florida. Beistle also has worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and was outreach director at The Carrots and Sticks Project, non-profit organization advocating for energy efficiency and clean transportation.
“Bronwyn brings a new level of energy and acumen to my State Senate campaign,” says Montgomery. “Her talent in establishing campaign strategies will be invaluable to our success and her dedication is unparalleled.”
Montgomery also praised Blaes on his departure to his new position at The White House. “I know I have terrific people working for me because they’ve been snatched away for other opportunities. President Obama is lucky to have Peter and his skills. His many talents ensure that he’ll be great in whatever role he has.”
A member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2002, Montgomery is running for the District 14 seat in the State Senate in the 2010 Democratic primary election on Sept. 14. She has been endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association, the Sierra Club Maryland Chapter, the League of Conservation Voters, Progressive Maryland, the Services Employees International Union and many other major organizations.
--30--
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Equality MD Endorsements and Some Surprises
Equality Maryland released their early endorsements today. A complete list and some highlights below the fold.
In District 18, EM has endorsed four candidates for delegate: incumbents Al Carr, Ana Sol Gutierrez, and Jeff Waldstreicher as well as challenger and EM Board Member Dana Bayer. Next, in District 39, EM endorsed incumbent Sen. Nancy King over her challenger, Del. Saqib Ali.
In both the delegate race in District 18 and the senate contest in District 39, the challengers have attempted to position themselves as stronger on LGBT rights and EM's endorsement of the incumbents undercuts this theme. In any case, it's a positive sign that candidates now position themselves as more liberal on this; times have changed.
Meanwhile, in District 19, EM has not yet endorsed Bonnie Cullison--an openly lesbian candidate for the House of Delegates--though it did endorse incumbent Ben Kramer. For now, EM is staying out of the hot Senate race in that district.
On the other hand, Del. Karen Montgomery scored a coup with EM's endorsement of her challenge to incumbent Sen. Rona Kramer, also perceived as strong on equality. The complete list follows:
State Senate
Delores Kelley D-10
Bobby Zirkin D-11
Edward Kasemeyer D-12
Karen Montgomery D-14
Rich Madaleno D-18
Jamie Raskin D-20
Paul Pinsky D-22
Nancy King D-39
Catherine Pugh D-40
Nathaniel McFadden D-45
House of Delegates
D-3A Galen Clagett
D-10 Adrienne Jones
D-12B Elizabeth Bobo
D-13 Frank Turner
D-14 Anne Kaiser
D-15 Brian Feldman
D-16 Bill Frick
D-16 Susan Lee
D-17 Kumar Barve
D-17 Luiz Simmons
D-17 Jim Gilchrist
D-18 Dana Beyer
D-18 Al Carr
D-18 Ana Sol Gutierrez
D-18 Jeff Waldstreicher
D-19 Benjamin Kramer
D-20 Tom Hucker
D-20 Heather Mizeur
D-21 Ben Barnes
D-21 Barbara Frush
D-21 Joseline Pena-Melnyk
D-22 Justin Ross
D-23 James Hubbard
D-26 Kris Valderrama
D-30 Virginia Clagett
D-30 Judd Legum
D-34 A B. Daniel Riley
D-39 Charles Barkley
D-39 Kirill Reznik
D-40 Barbara Robinson
D-40 Shawn Tarrant
D-41 Samuel Rosenberg
D-42 Stephen Lafferty
D-43 Maggie McIntosh
D-43 Curt Anderson
D-43 Mary Washington
D-46 Brian McHale
D-46 Luke Clippinger
D-47 Jolene Ivey
D-47 Doyle Niemann
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
SEIU Announces State Legislator Endorsements
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Maryland and D.C. State Council has announced its endorsements for state legislators. The big news in MoCo is that SEIU is supporting two Senate challengers: Karen Montgomery in District 14 and Cheryl Kagan in District 17. Following is their complete list.
SEIU MARYLAND & DC State Council Endorsements
SENATE
District 8
Katherine Klausmeier
District 13
James Robey
District 14
Karen Montgomery
District 15
Robert Garagiola
District 16
Brian Frosh
District 17
Cheryl Kagan
District 18
Richard Madaleno
District 19
Michael Lenett
District 20
Jamie Raskin
District 21
James Rosapepe
District 22
Paul Pinsky
District 24
Joanne Benson
District 26
Anthony Muse
District 27
Thomas V. Mike Miller
District 28
Thomas Middleton
District 39
Nancy King
District 41
Lisa Gladden
District 44
Verna Jones
District 45
Nathaniel McFadden
District 47
Victor Ramirez
Delegates
District 10
Emmett Burns
Adrienne Jones
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam
District 11
Dana Stein
District 12A
James Malone
District 12B
Elizabeth Bobo
District 13
Guy Guzzone
Shane Pendergrass
Frank Turner
District 14
Anne Kaiser
Craig Zucker
Eric Luedtke
District 15
Kathleen Dumais
Brian Feldman
District 16
William Frick
Susan Lee
District 17
Kumar Barve
James Gilchrist
Luiz Simmons
District 18
Al Carr
Ana Sol Guiterrez
Jeff Waldstreicher
District 19
Jay Hutchins
Bonnie Cullison
District 20
Sheila Hixson
Tom Hucker
Heather Mizeur
District 21
Benjamin Barnes
Barbara Frush
Joseline Peña – Melnyk
District 22
Tawanna Gaines
Anne Healey
Justin Ross
District 23A
James Hubbard
District 23B
Marvin Holmes
District 24
Carolyn Howard
Michael Vaughn
Greg Hall
District 25
Aisha Braveboy
Derrick Davis
Melony Griffith
District 26
Veronica Turner
Kris Valderrama
District 27A
James Procter
Joseph Vallario
District 27B
Sue Kullen
District 28
Sally Jameson
Peter Murphy
District 30
Michael Busch
Virginia Clagget
District 32
Mary Ann Love
District 39
Charles Barkley
Kirill Reznik
Shane Robinson
District 40
Barbara Robinson
Shawn Turrant
District 41
Sandy Rosenberg
District 43
Curt Anderson
Maggie McIntosh
District 44
Keith Haynes
Ruth Kirk
District 45
Talmadge Branch
Cheryl Glenn
Hattie Harrison
District 46
Peter Hammen
Brian McHale
District 47
Jolene Ivey
Doyle Niemann
Lamar Thorpe
