BACKGROUND: Before Maryland Juice begins writing more about a few of the interesting races going on in the state, I decided to remind folks once again that I am not an unbiased observer of politics. In fact, in the "Who Is Juice?" section of this blog, I state quite plainly that I have numerous political ties and strong views on policy. Indeed, I never intended to stop being involved personally just because I also write about politics -- and that's sort of the point of the Maryland Juice ethos.
DISCLOSURE: In any case, with respect to the District 45 House race in Baltimore and the District 12 House race in Howard County, I thought it was worth noting that I recently attended two fundraisers for Delegate candidates in those contests. My attendance (and paid admission) should not be regarded as an endorsement by this blog (as of now we don't do endorsements) or a statement about the other candidates in those races. Even still, I thought it was worth noting why I attended these two particular events. After all, without the constraints placed upon mainstream media writers, this blogger has typically romped around to all manner of overtly political events and gotten involved with issues, campaigns and candidates. Sometimes I have to buy a ticket to gain admission, but as it turns out, both McCray and Lam are also on board with moving a range of tough social & economic justice issues that stalled in Annapolis in recent months. Details below.
NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT: So when two Delegate candidates from outside of Montgomery County invited me to attend their fundraisers in the Silver Spring region, I couldn't resist the opportunity to dig deeper into their campaigns -- and so close to my home! Indeed, Maryland Juice has been following the campaigns of Cory McCray in D45 and Dr. Clarence Lam in D12. Both young Democrats, for example, spoke out about various controversial issues during the last legislative session (excerpts below):
CORY MCCRAY & CLARENCE LAM'S VIEWS ON STALLED JUSTICE ISSUES - Maryland Juice had the opportunity to prod both Cory McCray and Clarence Lam about their views on a range of stalled legislative issues, and as of now, both candidates for the Maryland House are on board to move the needle on some of the social and economic justice issues that failed in recent legislative sessions. Obviously things can change (this is politics, after all), but alongside opposing the Lockheed Martin corporate welfare bill, McCray and Lam both indicated support for the following reforms:
Democrat Cory McCray made it onto my radar many months ago when we started corresponding about his work helping form the BEST Democratic Club -- a Baltimore club which works to "promote, empower, and unite a new generation of young voters to participate in elections." McCray currently works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Democrat Clarence Lam is a physician who works at the Johns Hopkins School of preventative health and also works with Delegate Dan Morhaim in Annapolis. He's also been involved with the Young Democrats in Howard County.
Note that Maryland Juice's contributions to Lam and McCray should not be seen as any statement about the other candidates in the District 12 and District 45 House races. Indeed, in D12 there will be three open Delegate seats and in D45 there was a recent vacancy that was filled by the appointment process, so there is not currently an elected incumbent running for the open seat there.
FINAL NOTE - Lastly, it should be noted that I donated to my State Senator, Jamie Raskin, for his birthday celebration earlier this year. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, since I ran his very first campaign in 2006. Not to mention, he also had an interesting speakers line-up at his event, including Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Governor Martin O'Malley and Attorney General candidate Brian Frosh.
DISCLOSURE: In any case, with respect to the District 45 House race in Baltimore and the District 12 House race in Howard County, I thought it was worth noting that I recently attended two fundraisers for Delegate candidates in those contests. My attendance (and paid admission) should not be regarded as an endorsement by this blog (as of now we don't do endorsements) or a statement about the other candidates in those races. Even still, I thought it was worth noting why I attended these two particular events. After all, without the constraints placed upon mainstream media writers, this blogger has typically romped around to all manner of overtly political events and gotten involved with issues, campaigns and candidates. Sometimes I have to buy a ticket to gain admission, but as it turns out, both McCray and Lam are also on board with moving a range of tough social & economic justice issues that stalled in Annapolis in recent months. Details below.
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| Cory McCray at left; Clarence Lam at right (photos from Facebook) |
NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT: So when two Delegate candidates from outside of Montgomery County invited me to attend their fundraisers in the Silver Spring region, I couldn't resist the opportunity to dig deeper into their campaigns -- and so close to my home! Indeed, Maryland Juice has been following the campaigns of Cory McCray in D45 and Dr. Clarence Lam in D12. Both young Democrats, for example, spoke out about various controversial issues during the last legislative session (excerpts below):
CORY MCCRAY & CLARENCE LAM'S VIEWS ON STALLED JUSTICE ISSUES - Maryland Juice had the opportunity to prod both Cory McCray and Clarence Lam about their views on a range of stalled legislative issues, and as of now, both candidates for the Maryland House are on board to move the needle on some of the social and economic justice issues that failed in recent legislative sessions. Obviously things can change (this is politics, after all), but alongside opposing the Lockheed Martin corporate welfare bill, McCray and Lam both indicated support for the following reforms:
- Paid Sick Leave for Maryland Residents
- Minimum Wage Hike in Maryland
- Transgender Non-Discrimination
- Marijuana Decriminalization
Democrat Cory McCray made it onto my radar many months ago when we started corresponding about his work helping form the BEST Democratic Club -- a Baltimore club which works to "promote, empower, and unite a new generation of young voters to participate in elections." McCray currently works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Democrat Clarence Lam is a physician who works at the Johns Hopkins School of preventative health and also works with Delegate Dan Morhaim in Annapolis. He's also been involved with the Young Democrats in Howard County.
Note that Maryland Juice's contributions to Lam and McCray should not be seen as any statement about the other candidates in the District 12 and District 45 House races. Indeed, in D12 there will be three open Delegate seats and in D45 there was a recent vacancy that was filled by the appointment process, so there is not currently an elected incumbent running for the open seat there.
FINAL NOTE - Lastly, it should be noted that I donated to my State Senator, Jamie Raskin, for his birthday celebration earlier this year. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, since I ran his very first campaign in 2006. Not to mention, he also had an interesting speakers line-up at his event, including Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Governor Martin O'Malley and Attorney General candidate Brian Frosh.
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