Democratic Governor candidate George Owings sent this mailer to business owners on Friday. In it, he says:
Small Businesses are not anywhere near a priority for Martin O’Malley. We all know that Maryland is a reliably blue state, and so there is a good chance that in November a Democrat will be back in Government House. Martin is licking his chops at a second chance to bankrupt our state and our families.Sheesh, folks, Owings is tougher than Ehrlich!
Last week, when former Delegate and Ehrlich Cabinet Member George Owings announced his Democratic primary challenge to Governor O’Malley, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan Turnbull responded with thumping criticism on the party’s blog. While we understand that the party apparatus often stands unofficially behind its incumbents, we believe that the Governor’s team is making a mistake by going negative against Owings so early.
George Owings is a conservative Democrat without a doubt. For many years, he represented a Delegate district that was part of Senate President Mike Miller’s Senate district (27) in Calvert County. During his time in the legislature, Owings sponsored a constitutional amendment to protect “the right to keep and bear arms,” a bill to allow individuals who complete safety programs to ride motorcycles without helmets, a bill to partially privatize transportation projects, five bills that would have eliminated the requirement for a “good and substantial reason for a handgun permit,” a bill prohibiting partial birth abortions, two bills prohibiting the use of fetal tissue for research, a bill granting an income tax credit for possession of a “gun safe” and the 1999 electricity deregulation law that has been heavily criticized ever since its passage. This is not the kind of record that will be happily received by liberal Democratic primary voters in Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties and it presents a tempting target to the Governor’s political team.
But the Governor must keep in mind Owings’ two advantages.
1. Media Attention
With Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith deciding against a run for Comptroller, the race for Governor will be the only statewide contest worth covering this spring and summer. Whether the media believes Owings is competitive or not, they will have little choice but to give him the free media exposure every underfunded candidate needs.
2. Personality
Every one of our sources who knows Owings says the same thing: regardless of his political views, they like him personally. “He’s a good old boy,” says one informant. “I disagree with him on almost everything but I love the guy.” Owings has been in politics longer than the incumbent Governor and understands how to work the press. He will be sure to make himself accessible, quotable and interesting – all things that the press craves.
The above two factors mean that if O’Malley and/or his surrogates respond to Owings too much, they will draw more attention to the challenger and get him more coverage than he would otherwise receive. Coverage of challengers is the last thing that any incumbent wants. A tit-for-tat with O’Malley or his supporters is exactly what Owings wants.
There is one additional problem with taking on Owings directly. While his record will not serve him well in a statewide Democratic primary, it may be closer to the views of many conservative Democrats and independents than is the Governor’s record. Those two groups will determine whether former Governor Bob Ehrlich or any other Republican has any shot at defeating O’Malley. If excessive criticism of Owings as too conservative makes O’Malley seem too liberal, the Republican nominee will benefit. None of this helps the Governor in the critical swing jurisdictions of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford Counties, which together decided the last two elections.
So Martin O’Malley’s team has little choice but to tout any positive aspects of his record and ignore George Owings for the moment. Direct engagement just draws more attention to the challenger and sets up a more difficult general election campaign in the fall.
Just as former Ehrlich Cabinet Member George Owings is announcing his run for Governor as a Democrat, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan Turnbull is declaring, "Game on!" Here's her comment on his candidacy, which we reprint from the party's blog.Who is George Owings?
Just one teeny-weeny question. Doesn't the party usually stay officially neutral during contested primaries?
As you might imagine, I’ve been getting some questions about George Owings and his candidacy for Governor of Maryland.
Despite the fact that I have been involved in the Maryland Democratic Party for more than 25 years, I don’t really know George Owings. What I do know is that he was a loyal appointee of Bob Ehrlich. He may be a nice enough guy, but to be honest no one in the state or especially the Democratic Party is clamoring for a return to the Ehrlich administration.
Most Marylanders know that Governor O’Malley is doing a good job leading the state forward in this very difficult time. In fact, from where I sit, Maryland is in much better shape than our neighbors and we can be really thankful we’ve had such a steady hand leading us. Maybe that’s why Governing Magazine chose Martin O’Malley as Governor of the Year in 2009.
George Owings’ conservative record on tobacco, choice, women, health care, guns and the environment have led to his close affiliation with the state GOP and Bob Ehrlich. Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan has even said that he and George Owings agree on most issues.
George Owings has said on the record that he was disappointed to lose his political appointment in the Ehrlich cabinet, and even admitted that he needed a “cooling off period” to get over his anger when Governor O’Malley won and appointed new cabinet secretaries. This “challenge” sounds a little too personal and it makes you wonder whether George Owings is still reading from Bob Ehrlich’s talking points.
One thing I have seen this year is that Democrats, be they conservative or liberal, are happy with Governor O’Malley and recognize that Maryland has stable, conscientious leadership.
Written by: Susan Turnbull on January 6, 2010.
In response to our post on former Delegate and current Governor hopeful George Owings' Facebook supporters, state teachers lobbyist Diana Saquella sent us the following remarks. Ms. Saquella is listed on Owings' Facebook page as a supporter.Maryland Politics Watch’s classification of me as a Facebook friend and supporter of George Owings gives the misimpression that I have endorsed his candidacy for governor. As chief lobbyist for and a professional representative of the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), it is my obligation to remain publicly neutral in any political race until my organization indicates who they endorse. I also have an obligation to continuously gather information on all candidates for all state offices, which is why I became one of Mr. Owings’ Facebook friends, not because I was declaring support for his candidacy.
In response to our post on former Delegate and current Governor hopeful George Owings' Facebook supporters, Delegate Dereck Davis (D-25) sent us the following remarks. Delegate Davis is listed on Owings' Facebook page as a supporter.George Owings is a good friend of mine whom I had the pleasure of serving with on the House Environmental Matters Committee for 8 sessions (1995-2002). I found him to be thoughtful, conscientious, and eloquent during his tenure in the legislature. It goes without saying that he was well-respected by his colleagues. That said, I have not endorsed anyone for Governor. Quite candidly, I think it is premature to endorse anyone until after the 2010 legislative session has been completed. Then, and only then, will I be able to make an informed decision about what’s best for the community I represent. I regret any confusion relating to Facebook. Generally speaking, I will accept a “friend request” from anyone whose name I recognize. There was nothing more to it than that.
Former Delegate George Owings III (D-27B), who represented Calvert County as a House Democrat but served Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is drawing some notable support on Facebook for his nascent campaign against Governor O'Malley. Here's a few of his Facebook fans who jump out for us.
Delegate Gail Bates (R-9A) from Howard County
Delegate Bob Costa (R-33B) from Anne Arundel County
Delegate Dereck Davis (D-25) from Prince George's County, Chair of the House Economic Matters Committee, who has not endorsed O'Malley for re-election
Chip DiPaula, former Chief of Staff for Governor Bob Ehrlich
Larry Hogan, former Cabinet Member for Governor Ehrlich and a potential Republican candidate for Governor
Gregory Massoni, former Media Advisor to Governor Ehrlich
Justin Ready, former Executive Director, Maryland Republican Party
Diana Saquella, lobbyist for the Maryland State Teachers Association
Delegate Mike Smigiel (R-36) from the Eastern Shore
Former Delegate Joan Stern (D-39) from Montgomery County
Maria A. Topper, staffer for Delegate Tom Hucker (D-20), who has endorsed O'Malley for re-election
Delegate Richard Weldon (I-3B) from Frederick and Washington Counties
On September 7, Owings told his supporters:Well, my Dear Friends, you joined this group for one reason or another and so to hold you here for a bit longer, let me bring you up to date. What has been going on is alot of travel; Baltimore, Ocean City, St. Mary's County, Prince George's County and a few other places as well. I am talking candidly ( as if there was any other way) about the state of the state, my ideas, suggestions, and when necessary, why what we have is just not working, in my opinion. All my life I've been told that "the tent" is large enough for all to enter. My entire political career has been just right of center ,but what we have seen these past three years has been too far to the left. It will be interesting to watch the evolution of and, in my case, the participation in, action under the big top. The website will be launched in 3-4 weeks so I do hope you stay tuned. I need not remind any of you about the seriousness of the next election, inclusively, it is about our future.
Does the Governor's staff know about this? Um... now they do.
Have a good night,
george
