Think Bigger Maryland. Doug Duncan set to announce bid for Governor.

[Moooooo]

Well, its almost official.  Doug Duncan will announce that he is running for Governor tomorrow.

I received a letter from Mr. Duncan today via snail mail.  Inside the letter was a secret code that can be used to access his new campaign website and view his first TV spot.

Check it out:  www.ThinkBiggerMaryland.com
Email:  Use your own.
Password:  A9A8

EDIT:  You can just skip the whole password/login.  Click Here:  http://www.thinkbiggermaryland.com/video.htm

[TheresNoMoney]

O'Malley has star quality and I expect him to get the nomination.

[Moooooo]

In other news.  Former Mayor Kurt Schomke endorsed Duncan today.  That makes O'Malley 0 for 2 w/ former Baltimore City Mayors.  State Comptroller and former Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer has already announced he is backing Duncan.

[King]

Go Duncan

[??????????]

In other news.  Former Mayor Kurt Schomke endorsed Duncan today.  That makes O'Malley 0 for 2 w/ former Baltimore City Mayors.  State Comptroller and former Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer has already announced he is backing Duncan.

Oh yeah, being endorsed by Schmoke and Schaefer is really a good thing. Two of the worst mayors Baltimore ever had. But they are somewhat better then that joke of a mayor they have now.

[Moooooo]

I support O'Malley, not that it means much seeing that i live in Ohio.

I personally think Duncan would make the best Governor out of O'Malley, Duncan, and Ehrlich.  However, Im not convinced that he can compete with Ehrlich in the B-More suburbs.  Maryland elections are decided right in that region and I think O'Malley will do significantly better there than KTT.  Right now, put me down as undecided.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I was at Duncan's candidacy announcement this morning at his childhood home in Rockville.   He had Rep. Al Wynn introduce him, which is funny, since Wynn introduced the candidate at the last political rally I was at (for John Edwards)....at least he has good taste.  I was hoping Chris Van Hollen would also be there, but Duncan said he had to be in DC at the last minute to fight the Republicans on some gun control bill.  But most other elected officials in Montgomery, and many in PG were also there.

Duncan has a huge family...five children himself, and twelve brothers and sisters.  Two of his brothers look almost exactly like him....I almost went up to speak to one of them before realizing at the last minute it wasn't Doug.

Duncan made it clear he will focus his campaign on education, and will be making his first major policy proposals on that subject next week.  This is clearly designed to be a jab at Martin O'Malley, whose biggest failure in Baltimore is the school system....Montgomery has one of the best public school systems in the US, and Baltimore one of the worst. 

He never mentioned O'Malley, but made some not-so-subtle attack by saying that we have a responsibility to discuss Baltimore's problems and not just gloss over them.   He did mention Ehrlich directly, attacking him mostly for his slots advocacy and PR stunts....coincidentally, attacks he could have leveled at O'Malley.   

Doug obviously knows he's the underdog, and seems to have developed an interesting strategy to close the gap.  He did talk about his achievements in downtown Silver Spring,  which I hope will get more focus in the campaign if the media can get past O'Malley's charisma.

[Jake]

Duncan would no doubt be a more effective Governor than Ehrlich or O'Malley. I tend to agree with Nick though. I just don't see him racking up the numbers in the Baltimore suburbs that will carry the state. For what it's worth, I don't see O'Malley doing it either.

[Moooooo]

I doubt anybody can go head to head with Ehrlich in Baltimore County.  However, if you look at KKT's numbers in Baltimore, Howard, and Anne Arundel County they were horrible, yet she still managed to pull 48% of the vote statewide.  I know that both O'Malley and Duncan will improve on her numbers.  Im just not sure if it will be enough.  O'Malley has the better shot though. 

TOTAL:
Ehrlich 51%
KKT 48%
Other 1%

Anne Arundel County:
Ehrlich 64%
Townsend 35%

Baltimore County:
Ehrlich 61%
Townsend 38%

Howard County:
Ehrlich 55%
Townsend 44%
     
Ehrlich also did well for a Republican in the following areas:

Baltimore City:
Ehrlich 24%
Townsend 75%

Montgomery County:
Ehrlich 38%
Townsend 61%

Prince Georges County:
Ehrlich 23%    
Townsend 77%

Ehrlich/Steele also pulled around 15-17% of the black vote.  W/O Steele on the ticket in 2006, you can expect this number to drop to around 8-10%.