Strange Bedfellows

Kathy Szeliga, Republican Sen. Andy Harris’ chief of staff, said she will put her House of Delegates campaign on hiatus for about six weeks after her fundraiser Wednesday night.

Szeliga, who is running as a Republican, came under fire last week by Democrats who claimed her campaign violates personnel rules for legislative staff, which prohibit employees from running for office while employed by the General Assembly.

Szeliga has announced her intention to run for the House of Delegates in the 7th District. Since May, Sezeliga has raised more than $43,000 and has more than $34,000 cash on hand. Her Web site declares her intentions. It should be noted that Harris, who is running for Congress, is Szeliga’s campaign finance chair.

Democrats balked, saying Szeliga regularly meets with lobbyists as part of her job and could use her position to leverage campaign contributions — sometimes called pay-to-play. (more…)

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Kratovil maintains a nearly 2-1 advantage in cash on hand over his challenger, Republican State Sen. Andy Harris, according to campaign fund raising filings filed Sunday with the Federal Elections Commission.

Harris reported a slight advantage in fund raising over the period of Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 raising about $267,000 — or about $30,000 more than Kratovil. (more…)

County Executive Jim has been quiet about his political future since announcing in October that he was moving from his Reisterstown home of 40 years to Cockeysville in order to keep open the possibility of running for the state senate in the 7th District.

But reporter Alan Brody of the Gazette of Politics and Business reports that Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller told a ballroom of elected Democrats and party faithful that Democrats were going to take three to five senate seats from Republicans this year including the 7th District seat currently held by Sen. Andy Harris.

And Miller’s Democrat candidate is a certain outgoing county executive.

You can read Brody’s story here.

Two weeks ago I wrote that Al Redmer is close to announcing a return to  politics and is considering a run for the 7th District Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Andy Harris.

Redmer sent an e-mail to supporters Monday, alerting them to a “no-cost, campaign kick-off” event on Nov. 11.

But for what?

Redmer, a Republican former delegate and state insurance commissioner, won’t say.

I pointed out an e-mail he sent to supporters in which he asked them to hold off on donating money to candidates in the 7th District Senate race. In a post here two weeks ago, Redmer confirmed that he wrote the e-mail in which, in part, states, “Make no mistake, the Senate race in D7 is critical to the state and to the Republican party.”

Redmer wouldn’t budge.

“I want to preserve some of the mystery,” Redmer said.

Isn’t that kind of like the political equivalent of putting pasties on Blaze Starr?

Redmer laughed.

“Maybe,” he said.

Al Redmer appears to be within weeks of officially making his expected entrance into the 7th District senate race.

In a September e-mail to potential supporters, Redmer wrote:

“As you have no doubt heard, I have been considering my own bid for the State Senate in District 7.  My announcement and kickoff will  occur in the next four-six weeks. (more…)

Four Baltimore County legislators were not on the list of 155 senators and delegates who gave up at least one day’s pay as part of a voluntary program in January.

That doesn’t mean all of those four kept the money. Two, in fact, Del. Bill Frank and Sen. Andy Harris, both Republicans, announced they would give up the pay — just not to the state.

Instead, they both said they would make a donation to charity.

Patuxent Publishing Co., publisher of this Web site, is asking the 29 legislators who represent Baltimore County to voluntarily release information showing how many days pay they gave up in January. The House of Delegates and Senate declined to provide that information when asked last month, saying the information was a personnel matter. (more…)

Del. J.B. Jennings will give up the District 7 House of Delegates seat he has held since 2002 and will instead run for that district’s state Senate seat in 2010.

Jennings, a Republican, confirmed his intentions in an interview. He made a more formal announcement at his fundraiser Friday night, an annual event that includes a polo match.

Sen. Andy Harris, who currrently represents the district, announced earlier this year he will give up his Senate seat for a rematch against Rep. Frank Kratovil, a first-term Democrat.

Jennings is the only officially-announced candidate for the Senate district that stretches from Cockeysville and parts of Perry Hall and Middle River to part of western Harford County.

Two others, Democratic Councilman Vince Gardina and Republican former delegate and state Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer, are also said to be considering campaigning for the seat.

Al Redmer, the former state insurance commissioner and Republican state delegate from Perry Hall, has everything he needs for a 2010 political campaign save one — an office to run for.

Redmer, who now lives on the Middle River waterfront, acknowledges an interest in the upcoming campaign season. Last week he had brochures printed with a brief biography. He plans to start handing them out door to door within the week. (more…)

Republican Del. Pat McDonough says that despite rumors, he is not interested in the 7th District state Senate seat held by Sen. Andy Harris.

“I’m definitely not,” McDonough said.

“I’ve not uttered one statement (about the senate seat) publicly or privately,” McDonough said.

“It’s either county executive or House of Delegates,” McDonough said. (more…)

Republican State Sen. Andy Harris has been leading the charge against the screening of a triple-X rated movie on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park but he’s not the only county elected official who is concerned.

County Executive Jim Smith issued a brief statement April 2 via Twitter condemning the screening of Pirates II: Stagnetti’s Revenge. (more…)