Why Gansler's patient waiting gives him a shot at the Democratic nomination, & more.

We've all watched the Brown-Ulman hype over the past month. It certainly puts them ahead of the pack compared to Gansler and Mizeur, but as "exciting" as it may seem for Democrats, that hype is dying down, and will continue to do so. There are no more surprises for that ticket, which means the media leaves Brown alone for a while. 

So what does that mean? Well, it could mean Doug Gansler has a serious shot now. 

Brown waisted all his leverage in just a few weeks. He's already made his announcement, and revealed his running mate. Now he has no surprises for the media, which means no surprises for the voters.

Some say the early bird gets the worm, which is true. But slow and steady wins the race.

Here we have Gansler, who has done absolutely nothing, which is great for him. 

Yes, Brown still has the advantage, but Gansler now has the leverage, so to speak. Gansler can announce his candidacy whenever he wants. When he does, the media will be all over him. Gansler can reveal his running mate, whenever he wants. Then too, will the media be all over him.

In this case, Brown is left in the dust. Not only will Gansler have some media attention, but he's sitting on a 5-6 million dollar war chest. Brown may catch up by then, but who cares. All eyes are on Gansler.

On the Republican side, you have David Craig, who literally stole the limelight from Brown in June. Craig's Announcement Tour gave him some serious momentum going into the fall. And I guarantee you, Team Craig as more up their sleeve. They've got an entire series of "Listening Tours" coming in the fall. Not to even mention the fact they haven't even revealed their running mate yet! The media will be all over Craig as well.

Like they say, Patience is a virtue.

If Michael Steele enters the race, the GOP gubernatorial primary is set to be a War.

 

As of right now, David Craig is leading the GOP Gubernatorial field. He clocked in at 52% this month, putting him well ahead of Charles Lollar. He also finished a well famed "Announcement Tour" where he gained some serious attention in the media. However, in the event of Michael Steele entering the race, would numbers shift?

 

Earlier this year, we saw what happens when a candidate leaves the field. The "Post-Bongino" landscape allowed Craig to surge to front-runner status. How would a Steele entrance effect the race?

Well, it's quite simple. One thing we have noticed is that Lollar's base is extremely loyal. So far, they've stayed with him the whole way. They make up about 30-35%. In the event of a Steele entrance, Lollar would lose little or none.

Craig has a base, but not as large as his 52% or so. Remember now, a lot of his newer supporters were former "Bongino hopefuls" who defaulted to Craig. They're still up for grabs.

Whether or not Steele could win over that group is a mystery. But if he were to, he'd gather a good 15-20%. Enough to make him competitive.

The monoblogue recently published an article elaborating on possible exit strategies for the other gubernatorial hopefuls,  looking at the possibility of a Steele win in the long run.

Although this may seem plausible, it's hard to imagine Steele getting anywhere in this race. He hasn't been quite as active in Maryland since he lost his Senate bid in 2006. All the while, the other candidates have been building a reputation of their own. Steele was busy at the RNC. That was, until Priebus knocked him off.

Now if you're wondering about how the "territorial politics" would play out, the outcomes are likely predictable. If Steele gets in, Young stated that he would back out of the race. If that happens, Steele would  most likely get Frederick county's support, along with Washington, Allegany, and Garrett. Where would he go from there? He could definitely target Carroll and Baltimore counties, where he has a chance of expanding his popularity. After that, he has no where to go. Craig has locked Harford and the Eastern Shore, Lollar has the South, and who knows where Ron George would be. With all that division, what do you get? A GOP primary war.

That's exactly what the Maryland Republican Party needs right now. A party left in ruins, and weak for the general election. It's best Steele stays out of this race.

BREAKING NEWS: Craig emerges as GOP gubernatorial front-runner in June.

 
Fresh off the campaign trail, Harford County Executive  David R. Craig handily won our Md.Republicans' Poll this month, receiving a solid 52% (181 votes), comfortably ahead of Charles Lollar, who received 38% (133 votes).

Craig expanded his lead, securing nearly all of the Eastern Shore counties, part of Western Maryland, Baltimore County, Carroll County, and of course his home county of Harford according to this month's poll.

Team Craig finished up their announcement tour Wednesday, only to gear up for the campaign trail again, preparing for another series of tours, scheduled for September and October.

The “Listening Tours”, as Craig stated in an interview, will last for 3-4 days, where he'll travel across the state to hear the peoples voices on issues.

At a Blogger Event in Annapolis, Craig suggested that he will have an announcement for Lieutenant Governor by the end of summer. He said he's looking for someone with experience. Some believe that Craig is likely to select a woman. Possible running mates could include Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman, Delegate Kelly Scultz, Delegate Jeannie Riccio, Delegate Kathy Szeliga.

 

Here's what a few respondents said about Craig this month:

- "David is family man, a proven lifetime leader, and by far the most qualified. He has the experience Maryland needs, and he can win. It's time we take back this state once and for all. No more petty politics. Let's do this as a team, and get the job done!"

-   "I was at Craig's event in HDG monday. He's giving the right message. There is a political monopoly in Annapolis. They've raised taxes 40 times, and driven businesses out of Maryland. Our state in in serious jepoardy. We need DAVID CRAIG FOR GOVERNOR 2014. He can turn this state around!"
 

- "Mr. Craig is the only candidate that is qualified to perform his duty. He has balanced the budget in Harford County for the past 10 years, and has done this without raising taxes."

 

- "He's done a great job with Harford County. They're thriving and creating jobs. He's had 8 years of balanced budgets. He's the epitome of a public servant."

 

- "He is the best candidate for the Republican party. Capable. Experienced. The only candidate with campaign structure in place. He has the ability to raise $$ to mount a campaign in MD." 

 

 Charles Lollar, who finished in 2nd place this month, still held ground in Southern Maryland.

Here's what a few respondents said about Lollar this month:

- "Best chance of winning over Baltimore City, Montgomery and Prince George's counties which are critical for a win...and I love Charles Lollar! Every time I've heard him speak I have been inspired and I relate to him on nearly every issue. He is a Marine!"

- "Mr. Lollar best represents my conservative beliefs . We need MD put back on the right track . O'Malley and his liberal policies are ruining my state . I pray we can elect a conservative like Charles Lollar to try and put our state back on the right track . If not my family and I will will move to Va. once my youngest is out of high school ( 3 years)."

- "Charles Lollar is the only Republican candidate who has a chance of winning Baltimore City, which I think is doable. I worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner for 14 years in Baltimore City, with mostly MA families. With explanations, many of these people would be open to a conservative candidate."

 

See Results by County
 


 

Craig wraps up Tour on Eastern Shore.

Team Craig finished up their announcement tour Wednesday, only to gear up for the campaign trail again, preparing for another series of tours, scheduled for September and October. The “Listening Tours”, as Craig stated in an interview, will last for 3-4 days, where he'll travel across the state to hear the peoples voices on issues.

At a Blogger Event in Annapolis, Craig suggested that he will have an announcement for Lieutenant Governor by the end of summer. He said he's looking for someone with experience. Some believe that Craig is likely to select a young woman (age 30's - 40's) whom is currently holding elected office. Possible running mates could include Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman, Delegate Kelly Scultz, Delegate Kathy Szeliga.

Craig also says he's used to primary elections.In recent years, one of the problems affecting the party has been turnout. Voters who favored a candidate that lost the primary have tended to distance themselves from being active in the general election. Craig emphasized the importance of teamwork. A coalition of grassroots volunteers, donors, conservatives and moderates alike working together will be crucial if the GOP aims to win the Governor's mansion in 2014.