For the first time in more than a half-century, Maryland Democrats say they have fielded a candidate for every legislative seat in the state this fall, part of a “compete everywhere” strategy that hopes to capitalize on dissatisfaction with the Trump administration.
Republican legislators in the State House on Wednesday did not appear fazed by the competition, saying they did not know how seriously the Democratic challengers should be taken in deep-red legislative districts.
Maryland Democratic Party Chair Steuart Pittman said the party’s “Contest Every Seat” campaign set out to encourage Democrats to run in every election, both at the state and local levels, in every district across the state. The last time that happened was 1974, he said.
Pittman, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said that with the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration, a lot of Maryland Republicans and independents are looking for a new political home, so now is the time for the Democratic Party to “compete everywhere.”
“This whole red-to-blue effort to be in every part of the state has been important for a long time, but this, we feel, is our opportunity,” Pittman said.
The campaign succeeded in getting at least one Democrat in every race for a congressional, legislative, or statewide office, like the governor or attorney general. The party was not able to find Democrats to run in every county race across the state, however.
Pittman said every candidate who put their name on the ballot had to have individual goals and visions for what they hope to accomplish during the campaign and, if elected, in office. Pittman also said that while some candidates don’t appear favored to win in their race, just running any opposition at all serves to hold the incumbent Republican candidate accountable.
House Minority Leader Jason Buckel (R–Allegany) said during an unrelated news conference Wednesday that no Democrat had filed to run against him, but the Democratic Central Committee eventually picked “someone out of the woods” to put on the ballot.
“That happens sometimes,” Buckel said. “I don’t know, politically, how seriously that should be taken.”
Buckel also said that despite the Democratic supermajority in the state, young people are leaving Maryland in record numbers; they aren’t starting families in Maryland, they aren’t finishing their education in Maryland, nor are they moving to Maryland.
“The state is headed for a reckoning,” Buckel said. “Democrats are great at politics in the state of Maryland. They love them some politics. Unfortunately, they’re terrible at policy.”
In response, Pittman said that the Democratic Party does politics in order to create policies that actually benefit Marylanders.
“They say we don’t have policies because they don’t agree with them,” Pittman said. “We are doing this because we believe in democracy. We believe that when you engage people in government and in the democratic process, you are strengthening the state and improving their lives.”