Friday, November 30, 2012

VIDEO: Doug Duncan for MoCo Executive & Greg Hall for District 24 Delegate? // Maryland Juice Weighs In on News 8

This morning, Maryland Juice appeared on Bruce DePuyt's News Channel 8 show Newstalk. The two of us had a free-ranging conversation about two hot topics in Maryland politics right now:
  1. Former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan's decision to run for Exec again in 2014
  2. The stalled appointment of Greg Hall for the District 24 State House vacancy
For those who are unaware of these stories, let me quickly catch you up. First, MoCo's 2014 County Executive race is heating up, and the newest combatant is former County Exec Doug Duncan. Earlier this week he announced he would be entering the race for the Democratic nomination. In the interview below, I suggest that Duncan surely starts with some name recognition but may have a harder time in a modern MoCo primary than some are acknowledging.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Prince George's County, the fate of the District 24 House seat formerly held by Delegate Tiffany Alston is up in the air. Alston copped a plea after facing charges that she used her State House budget for private purposes. The powers that be have decided that means she was suspended from the legislature. She's lawyered up and is challenging that view. But even still, the vacancy appointment process has proceeded, and a group of elected Prince George's Democratic leaders met to select Alston's replacement. The group's Chair Terry Speigner battled local activist Greg Hall for the appointment, but Hall won by a hair. Shortly thereafter, news reports surfaced of the newly nominated Delegate's violent past. Decades ago, Greg Hall was involved in a drug-related shootout that resulted in the death of a child, though Hall's bullet was not the cause of death. Some are now expressing second-thoughts about his nomination, while Hall's backers make the case for his new life and for belief in "redemption." Governor Martin O'Malley, in the meantime, has asked the P.G. Dems to retract Hall's name. Hall too is has now lawyered up to seek a temporary restraining order. The next decision point should come on Tuesday.

Below Maryland Juice comments on both stories (watch video below):

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