In print: Large field lining up for state GOP chair

I love it when they get the name AND the website right:

“For a party that everybody thought was kind of dead on Election Day, there’s a lot of people that sure want to lead it,” said Michael Swartz, a member of the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee who operates Monoblogue, a conservative political blog.

This is one of the lead paragraphs in a story by writer Alan Brody in the Gazette this morning. I spoke with Alan yesterday afternoon as he apparently was putting the piece to bed.

It is sort of amazing that, when you speak for almost 23 minutes (according to the timer on my cel phone), you only get a couple good quotes out of the deal. Having done a little bit of journalism myself, that aspect of the business still makes me shake my head. And certainly that’s no criticism of Alan, who I think did a nice job of selecting my money quotes; it’s just my observation on the process.

I was impressed with what young Sam Hale said on the subject of Mary Kane, which unknowingly served to bolster my point that Kane is the favorite – well, it’s hers to lose anyway.

But one point I made in my conversation with Alan is that each candidate will likely have a bloc of voters they believe they can count on – Kane is probably working from the base of Montgomery County and their 48 allotted votes, a number which dwarfs other county delegations but is just a fraction of the nearly 300 who will be voting on December 11.

This also allows me to work in a tidbit I learned from Audrey Scott’s “Message from the Chair” yesterday:

We have 131 new (county Central Committee) members and 139 returning members for a nice balance of old and new. This represents a 48% turnover, which is roughly half and an ideal situation for continuity and fresh ideas.

The number is only elected members; some counties have a few vacancies which still aren’t filled. At ‘full strength’ the number is about 290 members. Also unknown is how many ‘new’ members are returning after a hiatus; for example our Central Committee has a ‘new’ member who was previously in office during the 1990’s. My best guess is that around 100 of the newbies have those ‘fresh ideas’ Scott speaks of. Now THAT is a formidable voting bloc!

Personally, I think by the time all is said and done we will have between two and four candidates to choose from. Some of the nearly one dozen names we’re dropping right now won’t have the support they think they have once December arrives while others will say “thanks, but no thanks” in the next week or two as the Gazette story recounts Larry Hogan did. But it likely won’t be a walkover like we had with Audrey Scott being elected midstream a year ago; this one may be more like the RNC election of Michael Steele with multiple candidates and ballots.

All I know is that we’re going to have a spirited convention, which belies the perception of a party that was “kind of dead on Election Day.”

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

4 thoughts on “In print: Large field lining up for state GOP chair”

  1. I saw this article this morning and posted it to the MDPolicy twitter feed using your quote as the lead. It’s a very good point that you bring up; it will be interesting to see what happens with the election.

  2. I want to take issue with one point in your story: “Kane is probably working from the base of Montgomery County and their 48 allotted votes.” What makes you think she has a base of voters here? Thus far, I have seen no consensus chairman candidate from a Montgomery County perspective. In fact, what I’ve seen is a quiet caution from MOCO members because they don’t like picking it wrong (with Wargotz and Kane both being contenders). Moreover, Mary’s statement that Republicans will lose for 40 years (until 2050) is no help and all of us noticed in Montgomery County that her “conventional wisdom” was wrong that Ehrlich-Kane would win 42-44% in MOCO when the truth was 31%.

    If there is any statement coming out of Montgomery County, it’s that some on the committee are just worn out from the ra-ra and perpetual campaigning. Some central committee members gave their whole hearts and time to the Ehrlich-Kane team and I think all of us were shocked at the 31% result. The bottom line is that Ehrlich-Kane would have needed 79% of the vote in MOCO to win statewide (with all other counties being the same total).

    Also, what has not been stated is that Bob Ehrlich was an excellent candidate and remains so. He, however, was supported by an exceedingly weak MDGOP and a near-terrible chairman Audrey Scott. (Remember the “running on all cylinders” video and a promise to have candidates on the ballot everywhere, including AG?) Even Mark Uncapher was mad about no AG candidate, which should have been Audrey’s job #1, and his. How difficult would it have been for Audrey Scott to have persuaded Jim Rutledge into running for AG? Each would have been a “Republican team player” by doing what was right for the Party against 100%-pro-gay-marriage Gansler. Further, did anyone notice the pathetic showing of Republican candidates in PG county? That was supposed to be Audrey’s #1 strength: her ability to draw votes in Democratic-dominated places like her former home county of PG. She couldn’t even find a county executive candidate in PG!

    What makes me sad about Ehrlich, is that there has been no mention that Bob won 75% of Maryland’s counties: 18-6. Thus, O’Malley won with only 6 counties, including a scant victory in Baltimore County. Therein lies the #1 problem of Maryland’s GOP: How will the Party stop the electoral bleeding in Montgomery County, PG County, Baltimore City, Howard County, and Charles County? When we vote at the convention, ask the members of the counties what they are doing to improve the voting totals in those counties and I think you will be astounded at the bizarre level of idiotic and unpersuasive group-think occurring among them. In those five counties, I fear the GOP is being relegated to a mere social club with minimal openly challenging discussions. (Trust me, the Democrats are laughing at the GOP therein, if they even notice the GOP at all!) Where are the “Red Dog Republicans” in those 5 counties who will change the “culture of losing” rather than always agreeing with leadership (when then vote)? It’s those 5 counties that are ruining the Maryland GOP, not the rest of the 18 winners!

    Citing one perfect example: At the MCRFW meeting this month, the keynote speaker declared that Chris van Hollen will win in 2012, and it was right in front of Christine Thron and Mike Phillips (two 2010 candidates for congress). It was quite a thrill to pay $40 to attend a local women’s event and listen to their keynote “Republican” speaker declare that victory is impossible! And the event was for all the MOCO local 2010 candidates, too! Let me assure you that that speaker is 100% pro-Mary Kane and he will be happy to declare us victorious in 2050! Again, let me assert that MOCO is not unanimous behind Mary Kane.

  3. Whig man said

    It’s those 5 counties that are ruining the Maryland GOP, not the rest of the 18 winners

    Here Here!

    but do me a favor, add the word running to ruining. These 5 counties filled with sniping and weak minded petulant individuals are ruining and running the rest of us. Their CC’s are a joke and they should be run out of any party leadership positions on a rail.

    Meanwhile for those that are paying attention we have a game of vote splitting going on in the background. To the one who is acting on behalf of another, just remember, a double agent once revealed is never trusted again by either side.

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