It's Official: Blaine Young Announces for 2014 Governor // MD Tea Party Fanatic Pushed English-Only Law, Frederick Sprawl

Drawing of Blaine Young from his website.

It's official -- Frederick County's attention-seeking Tea Partier, Blaine Young, has launched a bid for Maryland Governor in 2014. Mr. Young is the head of Frederick's Board of Commissioners, and Maryland Juice has previously written about some of his controversial actions.

He recently ensured that Frederick passed a useless law declaring English the official language of the County, and Frederick residents previously tried to launch a movement to recall him over his war on government employees. His hard turn to the right began after he was linked to an area Madame's prostitution scandal, in an incident that locals refer to as Blaine Young's "Black Book Scandal."

You can catch a television report of the announcement at Your4State.com, but The Frederick News-Post carried a print report (excerpt below):

FREDERICK NEWS-POST: Blaine Young says he will seek the Republican nomination for governor in 2014. In an announcement sent to media outlets today from his Yellow Cab email address, the Frederick County Commissioners president stated he has filed a statement of organization with the Maryland Board of Elections to create Blaine Young for Maryland as the first step in his gubernatorial bid....

Blaine Young for Maryland has fundraising and speaking engagements scheduled over the next 120 days, according to the announcement, with a goal of securing commitments of at least $300,000 in campaign contributions.

In a follow-up report, the News-Post provided additional context (excerpt below):

FREDERICK NEWS-POST: In the last half century, Maryland has elected only two Republican governors: Robert Ehrlich in 2003 and Spiro Agnew in 1967. Of the state's 3.5 million registered voters, almost 1.97 million are Democrats and close to 940,000 are Republicans, according to an April report by the state board of elections....

When asked about the timing of his announcement, Young said, "It is about money."

The 40-year-old businessman plans to raise funds during a number of speaking engagements....

"I pledge to you right here and now that as your Governor, I will veto any bill that comes across my desk that includes any new tax or fee increases," he wrote in his statement, which he emailed from a business address to media outlets Saturday morning.... 

"I'm tried of hearing folks saying they are moving to other states because they're friendlier toward retirees," he said Saturday.

Supporters say they are ready to get behind Young's agenda.

They include Steve Gottlieb, the county's Republican Central Committee chairman....

Commissioners Billy Shreve and Paul Smith agreed. Both men said Saturday that they support Young's decision to run....

Money and party affiliation are not the only challenges Young faces. A run for statewide office could resurrect interest in the 1999 "Black Book" scandal, in which the then-Frederick alderman was the only public official listed in a call-girl madam's address book....

Image from Blaine Young's website.