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Four years ago, Marc Elrich and David Blair finished 77 votes apart in the race for Montgomery County executive.
A poll released on Friday shows that 鈥� with the all-important Democratic primary just days away 鈥� the pair could be headed for another photo finish.
According to Data for Progress, a San Francisco-based firm, Elrich and Blair are tied at 34%, with County Councilmember Hans Riemer at 20% and 11% undecided. Candidate Peter James, who ran for congress as a Republican in 2012, has one percent support. Early voting ended on Thursday and the primary is July 19.
If the poll is an accurate reflection of the electorate, it suggests late momentum for Blair, who is trying to thwart Elrich鈥檚 bid for a second term. A聽聽by the same firm showed Elrich with a commanding lead, 41% to 20%, with Riemer at 18% and 20% undecided.
Since the first survey, the Washington Post聽聽Blair. In addition, voters have received numerous mailers and the airwaves have been saturated with ads. Blair has loaned his campaign $4.8 million, according to the most recent campaign finance report. Independent groups funded by business interests 鈥� including the聽聽鈥� have spent millions more on anti-Elrich ads.
Elrich, who has never been a prolific fundraiser, is participating in the county鈥檚 public financing system for candidates.
罢丑别听聽was funded by Jonathan Robinson, an affordable housing advocate told Maryland Matters last month that he 鈥渋s personally not a fan of Marc Elrich but I am not supporting any candidate.鈥� He has donated to Riemer.
In early June, Elrich had a favorable/unfavorable rating of 55/26. In the new poll, his numbers have dropped to 48/42. He retains strong support among women but is underwater (44% favorable, 51% unfavorable) among men.
In an email on Monday, Larry Harris, a principal at Mason-Dixon and an Elrich supporter, said Blair has 鈥渇ailed to make the case for change, as Marc receives strong marks for his handling of key issues of concern.鈥�
鈥淏lair鈥檚 millions and the millions contributed by billionaire real-estate magnates is tantamount to聽petty oligarchs聽buying this seat and I believe this is not sitting well with a critical mass of democratic voters,鈥� he added.
Riemer鈥檚 campaign manager, Aziz Yakub, said the poll suggests that 鈥渧oters are clearly calling for change.鈥� He called the race 鈥渇luid.鈥�
鈥淸M]ost voters are still making up their minds. I would be shocked if progressive voters will actually vote for a former Republican who鈥檚 trying to buy himself this seat,鈥� he added, a reference to Blair.
On July 7, a survey of 504 likely Democratic voters by Blair鈥檚 pollster, Garin-Hart-Yang, showed Elrich鈥檚 lead down to one point, 29% to 28%, with nearly a quarter of the electorate undecided. Blair鈥檚 campaign manager, Adrienne Christian, said that the poll showed that 鈥淢ontgomery County voters expect better and know David is the only candidate who can deliver.鈥�
Data for Progress queried 446 Montgomery Democrats between July 8 and July 12. The survey has a 5% margin of error. The firm has a 鈥淏鈥� rating from fivethirtyeight.com. It boasts that it correctly predicted this year鈥檚 hotly-contested New York City mayoral primary.
Mizeur launches Jan. 6-focused ad
Heather Mizeur, a Democrat running for U.S. House in the 1st District, has released a new ad following news that incumbent Rep. Andy Harris (R) was聽聽ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
罢丑别听, titled 鈥淐ome Clean,鈥� states that Harris 鈥減lotted in secret to mount an insurrection, overturn a legal election, and keep Trump in power.鈥�
Mizeur and Dave Harden, a former Foreign Service officer, are funning for the Democratic nomination in the district in Tuesday鈥檚 election. Both聽聽in the meeting earlier this week.
鈥淎ndy Harris schemed in secret to thwart the will of the voters, undermine our democracy, and overthrow our freely elected government,鈥� Mizeur said in a statement Friday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a traitor to our nation, and when I send him into retirement this November, First District residents will once again have the dignified leadership they deserve.鈥�
Noting that Harris said he didn鈥檛 watch the hearing because he was working on 鈥�,鈥� Mizeur said in a statement: 鈥淧ersonally, I can鈥檛 imagine anything more important than upholding and defending our democratic system. But as his actions before, on, and after January 6 show, Andy Harris clearly has no regard for America鈥檚 ideals.鈥�
Perez campaign workers unionize
Workers for a second Maryland gubernatorial campaign have unionized.
The campaign for Tom Perez and Shannon Sneed ratified a contract with the Campaign Workers Guild on Thursday, according to an announcement from the union.
Perez is among leading candidates for Maryland governor. Other frontrunners include Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot and former nonprofit CEO Wes Moore.
Franchot鈥檚 campaign workers聽聽earlier this month.
The agreement reached by the Perez campaign workers includes pay raises and a guarantee on weekly time off, as well as unique provisions including post-employment support from campaign leadership and protections for workers regardless of the result of next week鈥檚 primary election.
If Perez wins the primary, the contract would remain in place through the November general election.
The guarantee that Perez and Sneed will support workers in identifying future employment opportunities is the first of its kind in any Campaign Workers Guild agreement, according to the group.
鈥淚 am very proud of our unit鈥檚 unique severance package. Tom and Shannon鈥檚 extensive networks in public service and the Democratic Party provide both security and immense opportunity for the unit members and our families. The unit鈥檚 ability to come to a creative bargaining agreement is a testament to the strength of this union,鈥� Daniel Sagrera, a member of bargaining team, said in a statement.
The union members who ratified the contract include ten members of the campaign staff.
District 39 mailer draws ire
Democratic groups in Montgomery County this week condemned a mailer recently sent in support of a slate of General Assembly candidates in District 39.
The Association of Black Democrats of Montgomery County, Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County, and Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats of Maryland spoke out against the mailer, which was sent to voters by the District 39 Team slate.
The mailer includes a photo of all four of the candidates, above a list of accomplishments in Annapolis by the 鈥淒istrict 39 Team,鈥� listed as 鈥淪enator Nancy King, Delegates Lesley Lopez, Kirill Reznik and Clint Sobratti.鈥�
The first three candidates are incumbents. Sobratti, a union activist, is trying to unseat Del. Gabriel Acevero, who currently represents the district.
The mailer implies that Sobratti is an incumbent lawmaker.
鈥淭he misinformation from the slate has the effect of erasing the work of Delegate Acevero whom we have all endorsed. Democratic primaries should be about honest dialogue and the District 39 Team mailer fails to meet that mark,鈥� the Democratic groups said in a statement. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inaccurate and is sure to confuse voters. In our view, it is unacceptable.鈥�
Current and former elected officials also joined on to the statement, including former County Executive Ike Leggett, County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, former County Councilmember Valerie Ervin and former Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez.
In a statement, Acevero said he was 鈥渦nphased鈥� by the mailer.
鈥淚n a district as diverse as 39, it is reprehensible that Democrats would knowingly attempt to fool and subvert the will of the voters,鈥� he said in a statement.
Reached by phone, King said the implication that Sobratti was an incumbent 鈥渨as not at all intentional.鈥�
She said she respected the opinions of the political groups and elected officials who issued statements condemning the literature.
鈥淲ould I take it back? Of course I would. We don鈥檛 operate that way,鈥� King said.
It is not the only controversial campaign literature to circulate in the district this cycle.
An earlier mailer from the Democratic Socialists of America Solidarity PAC unfairly attacked the records of Lopez, Reznik and King in Annapolis, Lopez said.
Acevero is part of a small group of young democratic socialists in Annapolis who occasionally find themselves at odds with legislative leaders.
