Showing posts with label District 16. Show all posts
Showing posts with label District 16. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Ariana Kelly Joins District 16 Democratic Team
Ariana Kelly, who won the Democratic primary for the District 16 House seat, has now joined the incumbent slate of Senator Brian Frosh and Delegates Susan Lee and Bill Frick. The four will campaign together against the Republican candidates in the general election. Following is an email sent by Kelly to her supporters yesterday.
Ariana Kelly Welcomed to District 16 Democratic Team
Delegate Nominee Joins Forces with Incumbents in Show of Democratic Unity
Ariana Kelly has joined the District 16 Democratic Slate, marking the end of a close primary election season in which she defeated 10 other candidates to secure the third nomination on the Democratic ticket. Ariana Kelly will be joining the Democratic slate with District 16’s incumbent Democratic team: Senator Brian Frosh, Delegate Susan C. Lee and Delegate Bill Frick.
Senator Brian Frosh said, "We are pleased to welcome Ariana to the slate. We know that her policy experience and concern for Maryland's families will make her an outstanding delegate in Annapolis."
Kelly had this to say about her victory, “I am very happy to be joining the District 16 Democratic team. I look forward to working closely with my friends Delegate Susan Lee, Delegate Bill Frick, and Senator Brian Frosh on the upcoming general election campaign. I appreciate the warm welcome and I am eager to work cooperatively with them in Annapolis on behalf of District 16 residents.”
Delegate Susan Lee said, “We congratulate Ariana in running a successful campaign and look forward to her joining our District 16 team. She will contribute much through her hard work, expertise, and energetic group of volunteers and supporters." Delegate Bill Frick added, “I’m thrilled to be working with my good friend Ariana Kelly on this campaign. Ariana is a fierce advocate and will be a tremendous force in Annapolis.”
Kelly will join Delegates Frick and Lee in facing Republicans Jeanne Allen, Carol Bowis, and Meyer Marks in the November 2 General Election. Democrats in Maryland’s District 16 enjoy a nearly three-to-one voter registration advantage over Republicans. Frosh, Frick, Kelly and Lee have opened a joint campaign office in Downtown Bethesda from which they will be running their general election campaign and supporting Governor O'Malley and the rest of the Maryland Democratic team.
Ariana Kelly is a nonprofit executive who has worked for more than a dozen years on issues important to Montgomery County, including public health, education, small business issues and the environment. Kelly was born and raised in Maryland's District 16. She and her husband Barak live in Bethesda with their two children.
##
Monday, September 20, 2010
Kyle Lierman: Thank You
District 16 House candidate Kyle Lierman has sent the following email thanking his supporters and congratulating the winners of his primary.
Dear [Voter],
Now that our campaign is over and I've had some time to reflect on the last few months, I want to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to you and all the people who made this campaign possible. As most of you know by now, the final votes have been tallied and we came up about 350 votes short of winning one of the three nominations for delegate. Although I'm disappointed, I have no regrets, and am instead filled with gratitude toward the many people who supported our effort and with pride in the way we conducted our campaign.
Any great effort starts with the support of one's family, and over the last four months, mine went all in for me. Thank you to my mother (and treasurer) Connie, father Terry, sister Brooke and her husband Eben, and brother Trent and his wife Holly for all of their hard work and dedication. I also want to give a special thanks to my great friend and Campaign Chair, Irene Pollin.
My family also grew during this race to include the staff and volunteers who put countless hours into this campaign. I cannot tell you how humbled I was by the support I received in the community over the course of this campaign. I want to extend a huge and heartfelt thanks to all of you, and the over 600 people who made this campaign possible. I'd also like to take a moment to recognize my campaign team - most of whom were unpaid and whom I will never be able to repay for their incredible work:
Campaign Manager: Nicholas Kowalski
Deputy Campaign Manager: Kim MacDonald
GOTV Director and the best sister in the world: Brooke Lierman
Field Organizers: Brianna McCullough and Carl Ehrlich
Director of Correspondence: Jordann Wine
Interns: Caila Driscoll, Daniel Hafner, Kate Hooper
And all of our volunteers, especially Sara Conrath, David Dimock, Sue Byrnes and Lucy Freeman.
I am extraordinarily proud of the campaign that we mounted. We knocked on over 23,000 doors, made over 10,000 phone calls, sent over 4,000 postcards, and built a base of support on the idea that our constituents deserved a representative that puts their interests above any special interest.
I want to congratulate Susan Lee, Bill Frick and Ariana Kelly on gaining the Democratic nominations. I also want to congratulate the other challengers, many of whom I now consider friends, for running strong, positive campaigns and for showing the wide array of talent in this district. I look forward to working with all of them - and all of you - to make sure District 16 has a strong turnout for Governor O’Malley in November.
Thank you again for your hard work and dedication and for believing in me and our campaign; I am forever indebted to you for your commitment and support.
Kyle Lierman
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%."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Buy Kyle Lierman a Watch
This is just a brutal Google ad purchased by House 16 candidate Ariana Kelly targeting Google searches on her rival, Kyle Lierman.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Kelly Takes a Risk
The conventional wisdom in round-robin races is that candidates should not go after rivals because that creates opportunities for third parties to go up the middle and win. But District 16 House candidate Ariana Kelly has rolled the dice with this bold new contrast mailer.
Kelly is now saying through the mail what she has said online twice: she believes she is better qualified to go to Annapolis than Kyle Lierman. An independent poll of which your author has become aware shows that Kelly and Lierman are virtually tied for the district’s third Delegate seat. Perhaps Kelly’s mailer is an attempt to move those numbers. But will it move them in her direction, Lierman’s direction or no direction at all? We’ll find out tomorrow night – unless this contest goes to absentees and provisionals.
Campaign Finance Fun Facts
Here’s a few tidbits from the immense State Board of Elections campaign finance database!
1. Marc Elrich has long disavowed development industry contributions and Duchy Trachtenberg told Progressive Neighbors that she was also turning them away. But Elrich took $3,000 from the Maryland Realtors PAC on 8/13/10 and Trachtenberg took $3,000 from them on the same day. Aren’t realtors part of the development industry since someone has to sell all those buildings the developers put up?
OK, reasonable people can disagree on that question, but Trachtenberg also took $1,000 on 5/11/10 from HBW Group of Rockville, a “commercial real estate and construction company.”
Now that is indisputably development money. So Trachtenberg snowed Progressive Neighbors and got away with it since they endorsed her. Do they have the balls to retract their endorsement or are they just going to lie down and get played?
2. Our informants are baffled by Duchy Trachtenberg’s spending. She started the year with $289,198 – far more than any other candidate and mostly raised out-of-state in four-digit checks. Since then, she has spent more on tracking polls and consulting ($35,000) than she has on printing, direct mail and postage ($33,817). Contrast her printing, mailing and postage total to those of Senator Mike Lenett ($129,378) and Delegate Saqib Ali ($104,876), each of whom is running in a district that is one-eighth of the county. Trachtenberg’s ads in Bethesda Magazine, Washington Jewish Week, Leisure World News and Takoma Park Voice – purchased for a combined cost of just $7,230 – have been no substitute for the robust mail program she could have afforded. She has done just one mass mailing and was, incredibly, beaten to the mailbox by Becky Wagner.
As of August 29, Trachtenberg was sitting on $209,629 with just sixteen days left to spend it. Television could consume that amount of money rapidly, but we have seen no sign of any such ads. And it’s getting late – VERY late. Some sources are speculating that she is so sure of victory that she is saving the money for a County Executive run. Unless she has a grand strategy that has not shown up in her finance reports, she could very well be the richest loser in MoCo history.
3. County Executive Ike Leggett and Marc Elrich have long been political allies even if they have had occasional disagreements. So Ike kicked in $2,500 to his campaign account on 8/19/10.
Well, just twelve days later, Elrich filed an affidavit to help 9:30 Club owner Seth Hurwitz obtain a temporary restraining order against Ike’s pet project, the Fillmore in Silver Spring. The Executive Branch was blindsided and immediately began investigating whether Elrich broke the ethics law by aiding a lawsuit against the county.
How’s that for gratitude? Is it too late for Ike to get his money back?
4. Speaking of the County Executive, he may not have a Democratic primary opponent or a slate, but he has given money to a number of candidates this year. They are:
Vanessa Atterbeary: $300 on 4/21/10 (given as an individual)
Bo Newsome: $6,000 on 7/8/10
Craig Rice: $3,000 on 7/12/10
Judy Docca: $1,000 on 8/2/10
Jay Hutchins: $1,000 on 8/3/10
Martin O’Malley: $4,000 on 8/10/10
Pat O’Neill: $1,000 on 8/11/10
Bonnie Cullison: $1,000 on 8/15/10
Marc Elrich: $2,500 on 8/19/10
Craig Rice: $250 on 8/22/10 (from Catherine Leggett)
Rona Kramer: $3,000 on 8/23/10
Mark Winston: $2,500 on 8/27/10
Bo Newsome: $250 on 8/29/10 (from Catherine Leggett)
One curiosity: A month after contributing to Atterbeary, Leggett endorsed the District 18 Democratic Team.
Another curiosity: Bo Newsome contributed $600 in “rent” to Leggett on 8/19/10.
5. Kyle Lierman reported having just $6,298 in the bank on 8/29/10. Ariana Kelly, his principal rival for the District 16 open Delegate seat, reported having $51,025. (That’s what self-financing can do for you!) Lierman had to replenish his coffers somehow, and we won’t find out how until after the election.
6. Senator Nancy King (D-39) paid $8,000 to Momentum Analysis of Washington, DC, the same polling firm that worked for Big Daddy’s tobacco-financed slate, on 8/12/10 as a “consulting fee.” The timing is interesting since the payment was made about two weeks before King launched her attack website against Ali. If this payment was indeed for a poll, did it say something that prompted King to go negative?
7. Here are the biggest recipients of campaign contributions (excluding loans) this year in MoCo.
Council Candidates
Hans Riemer: $171,392
Nancy Floreen: $146,838
George Leventhal: $111,338
Marc Elrich: $87,435
Craig Rice: $84,173
Senate Candidates
Nancy King: $116,105
Saqib Ali: $76,866
Brian Frosh: $54,623
Roger Manno: $53,769
Jamie Raskin: $51,251
Delegate Candidates
Kyle Lierman: $106,191
Mark Winston: $62,580
Hoan Dang: $56,723
Heather Mizeur: $55,718
Craig Zucker: $49,054
8. Here are the biggest spenders of campaign money this year.
Council Candidates
Becky Wagner: $126,119
Hans Riemer: $122,241
George Leventhal: $112,418
Nancy Floreen: $105,047
Duchy Trachtenberg: $94,709
Senate Candidates
Saqib Ali: $180,591
Mike Lenett: $174,185
Rob Garagiola: $134,139
Cheryl Kagan: $87,152
Nancy King: $84,322
Delegate Candidates
Vanessa Atterbeary: $129,780
Kyle Lierman: $99,893
Dana Beyer: $98,825
Hoan Dang: $89,195
Craig Zucker: $69,906
9. Here are the biggest self-funders of the cycle. This statistic includes contributions and loans to self from 2007 on, but does not include self-funding for the 2009 special election.
Council Candidates
Becky Wagner: $95,000 (from husband)
Hans Riemer: $50,000
Robin Ficker: $22,358
Jane de Winter: $17,115
Ilaya Hopkins: $12,500
Senate Candidates
Mike Lenett: $200,713
Rich Madaleno: $30,000
Michael Griffiths: $6,200
Delegate Candidates
Vanessa Atterbeary: $107,250
Ariana Kelly: $85,381 (includes $6,266 from husband)
Dana Beyer: $75,000
Charlie Chester: $55,000
Jay Hutchins: $47,772 (includes $2,635 from wife)
We’re sure there is a WHOLE lot more, but it’s time to go back to posting negative mail!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
More Chester TV
Here are two fifteen-second television spots by District 16 House candidate Charlie Chester.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Chester TV
District 16 House candidate Charlie Chester is the only MoCo candidate we know of who has been running television ads. Here is a 30-second spot that has run on MSNBC.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Campaign Finance Reports, Pre-Primary 2
On September 3, all campaign finance reports for the period of 8/10 through 8/29 were due. These are the last reports available before the primary. Here’s a quick roundup by race.
County Council
In District 1, challenger Ilaya Hopkins was not that badly outclassed by incumbent Roger Berliner. Hopkins had $79,986 in receipts for the year, while Berliner had a combined $135,553 in starting cash balance and new receipts. But Berliner’s combination of incumbent status, name recognition and endorsements along with his financial advantage will prove to be too much for Hopkins. In District 2, Craig Rice has big edges in every finance metric against Royce Hanson and destitute Sharon Dooley. The Teachers are also going to work hard on his behalf.
In the at-large race, the incumbents and challengers Becky Wagner and Hans Riemer all have enough money for at least four county-wide mailers to regular primary voters each. Elrich may just be able to do three, while Floreen may be able to do five or even six. Alternatively, the candidates could do more targeted mailers going to selected groups of voters. As of this writing, the decisions have been made and every campaign is merely executing.
Our sources are puzzled by Duchy Trachtenberg’s spending decisions. We’ll have more on that tomorrow.
District 14
We have always assumed that Senator Rona Kramer would draw on her family’s fortune to overwhelm challenger Karen Montgomery in a tidal wave of mail. So far, that has not happened. Kramer has not loaned her campaign any money after giving herself $105,000 in her first run back in 2002. As a result, Montgomery has outraised and outspent Kramer and had a larger cash balance on 8/29. Montgomery is getting serious help from liberal groups who have told us that they have knocked on 5,300 doors and made 7,500 phone calls on her behalf. Kramer is now hitting Montgomery hard with negative mail, but is it too late?
In the Delegate race, Anne Kaiser and Craig Zucker look solid and Eric Luedtke appears to have done enough to win the third seat. The other candidates got in late and have not done enough to compete.
District 15
Senator Rob Garagiola has no primary opponent and is moving his money to other parts of the state. Delegates Brian Feldman and Kathleen Dumais will be reelected and will likely take teammate Aruna Miller with them.
District 16
Senator Brian Frosh has no primary opponent and will crush any Republican challenger. Delegate Bill Frick has good financing, Delegate Susan Lee has great financing and both have every endorsement that counts. Kyle Lierman and Ariana Kelly are in a real dogfight for the third seat, with Lierman raising more non-self financed money than any other Delegate candidate in the county and Kelly tossing herself $75,000. This race may come down to how active MCEA is in poll coverage for Kelly, since they have priorities in other parts of the county.
District 17
Senator Jennie Forehand and challenger Cheryl Kagan both have enough money to run good races. Their contest will be decided on other factors. The Delegates have no Democratic challengers.
District 18
Challenger Michael Griffiths has not been able to mount a credible race against Senator Rich Madaleno despite having the same campaign manager as Delegate challenger Dana Beyer. The main thing going for the two serious House challengers is the gigantic amount of self-funding they have each poured into the race. Beyer has put in $75,000, about the same amount as she spent last time, and newcomer Vanessa Atterbeary has put in $107,250. Atterbeary is the leading self-funder of any House candidate in MoCo in this cycle. Her money comes from her father, who employs her at his company. (Disclosure: The author is the Treasurer of the District 18 Democratic Team.)
District 19
Senator Mike Lenett loaned himself $200,000 at the start of the year and looks as if he will spend every penny. By any measure, he is running one of the biggest and most aggressive campaigns of any kind in the county. Challenger Roger Manno cannot outspend Lenett, but he is known in his district and has enough resources to compete. House candidate Sam Arora is a fundraising machine, putting in $45,000 of his own money and raising $84,628 more. His operation is on a different level than the other contenders and he looks like a winner. Incumbent Delegate Ben Kramer is the second-biggest self-funder in MoCo over the last decade (behind only Lenett). He has put in $40,000 of his own money so far and should be reelected. Bonnie Cullison has less money than Jay Hutchins, but she has the Post’s endorsement(!) and her union, MCEA, will move heaven and earth to get her elected. Hoan Dang has a lot of money and is showing some presence on the ground. Our sources do not expect him to win, but he might have a shot at fourth.
District 20
All the incumbents will be reelected. Period.
District 39
Senator Nancy King and challenger Saqib Ali are together drowning the district in negative and contrast mail. Their race is going to be remembered up there, and among MoCo political junkies, for a long, LONG time.
Delegates Charles Barkley and Kirill Reznik look safe primarily because the challengers are not of high enough caliber to take them out. Shane Robinson has lots of endorsements, no money and no name recognition. Bob Hydorn has some name recognition in Montgomery Village, which accounted for about one-sixth of the cards cast in the district in 2006, as well as the Post and Gazette endorsements. But he is almost as cash-strapped as Robinson. The open seat race is one of midgets shooting craps.
That’s the last money update prior to the election, folks, but we’ll have some fun facts on miscellaneous finance issues tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
