Del. Luiz Simmons to Run for Sen. Jennie Forehand's Seat // PLUS: Delaney Endorses Simmons & Cheryl Kagan Weighs Run

Maryland Juice received a  press release this morning (see below) indicating that Delegate Luiz Simmons will be vacating his District 17 Seat to run for the State Senate seat currently held by Jennie Forehand. Notably, Forehand announced last month that she was still deciding whether to run for re-election or retire, but it appears that Simmons is plowing forward anyway. Simmons today also announced the endorsement of Congressman John Delaney in his bid for Forehand's Senate seat.  Former Delegate Cheryl Kagan is also known to be weighing a State Senate bid in D17, and we note that she posted the following message to her website today:

CHERYL KAGAN - Dear Friends: Thanks for visiting my website! I have received many calls over the last several weeks, urging me to run for the District 17 Senate seat in next year's election. I am humbled that so many of you have thought of me.

Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Montgomery County face real challenges. We need an effective leader in the State Senate who will get things done and stand up for the values and interests of our communities.

I am looking at the race and will be announcing my plans shortly.

Stay tuned!

Cheryl

The departure of Luiz Simmons from the House of Delegates will trigger a race for his open-seat, and already a small number of challengers have been laying the groundwork to run for the D17 vacancy, including former Rockville Mayor Susan Hoffmann, former DNC and congressional aide Andrew Platt, and MoCo Young Dems Vice President Laurie-Anne Sayles. In any case, you can see the press release from Simmons below:

PRESS RELEASE

Del. Luiz Simmons To Run For State Senate, Receives Rep. Delaney’s Support

Rockville, MD  – Today, 3-term State Delegate Luiz Simmons announced that he will run for State Senate in District 17, which includes the cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg.

Since 2002, Delegate Simmons has been a strong voice for residents of Rockville and Gaithersburg. In the State Senate Simmons will continue to put his community first over status-quo politics, and ask the tough questions to find answers to the issues facing District 17 and all of Maryland.

“It has been a true honor and privilege to serve my community as a State Delegate.  We have accomplished a lot, but there is more to be done – more to do on education, more to do on domestic violence, more to do on our economy -- and I plan on getting right to work in the State Senate,” said Del. Luiz Simmons.  “I will always see to the needs of my community first. I hope to be a voice of reason and a voice for solutions.”

Del. Luiz Simmons launches his campaign for State Senate with the support of Congressman John Delaney (D-Maryland).

"For over forty years, Luiz Simmons has been dedicated to helping the residents of Rockville and Gaithersburg. His work as a local attorney and his tenure as Delegate show that Luiz is a committed public servant. I am proud to call Lou a friend and to support his candidacy for the State Senate. I am confident that he will place the needs of his constituents over politics, and continue to make Maryland a place we are all proud to call home,” said Congressman John Delaney (D-Maryland).

Simmons thanked Delaney for his support saying, “I am tremendously grateful for Congressman Delaney's support and his confidence in me. Congressman Delaney has been a true leader both in business and now in the House of Representatives.  Whether it is in the halls of Congress, fighting to fix our failing infrastructure, or standing up for our state's working families by leading the charge to increase Maryland's minimum wage, he is someone who we can count on."

To learn more about Del. Luiz Simmons and his campaign visit www.LuizSimmons.com.

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