2014 RUMBLE: Anthony Brown Attacks Doug Gansler on Death Penalty // PLUS: HoCo Candidate Highlights Incumbents' Votes

The 2014 campaign season is just beginning to develop, right as the current Maryland legislative session is beginning to wind down. But already we are seeing signs of the battle royale ahead. In the last few hours, Maryland Juice has received two interesting email blasts from candidates in the upcoming Democratic primaries. Both candidates are contrasting themselves with their opponents by highlighting their own opposition to the death penalty:

EMAIL BLAST #1: ANTHONY BROWN ATTACKS DOUG GANSLER FOR SUPPORTING DEATH PENALTY - This morning Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown launched an email blast highlighting an an op. ed. he recently published in support of death penalty repeal in Maryland. But Brown's message also slammed rival gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Doug Gansler for his continued support of taxpayer funded executions (excerpt below):

ANTHONY BROWN: Last week the Maryland Legislature passed legislation abolishing the death penalty. I believe the time has come to repeal the death penalty because it is racially biased, demonstrably unreliable, and not an effective deterrent....

Supporters of the death penalty often rely on false or incomplete information to make their case. Attorney General Doug Gansler is a supporter of the death penalty and he recently attempted to argue that the death penalty was administered in a "fair" and "race neutral" manner. Regrettably, the facts show that the death penalty is anything but fair and race neutral...

Attorney General Gansler suggests that the death penalty is race neutral by stating that in the majority African American jurisdictions of Prince George's County and Baltimore City, the State's Attorneys haven't "traditionally" sought the death penalty. That is simply wrong. In Prince George's County alone, they have sought the death penalty at least 11 times over the last 20 years....

Attorney General Gansler describes the threat of the death penalty as a "wonderful tool for prosecutors" to get a confession and perhaps an eventual plea bargain from a defendant. However, the reality is when presented with the choice of confessing or being sentenced to death, even an innocent person may rationally choose to "confess." The 2008 Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment – led by former U.S. Attorney General Civiletti – found that confessions alone can be unreliable....

EMAIL BLAST #2: HOCO DELEGATE CANDIDATE CLARENCE LAM HIGHLIGHTS D12 INCUMBENTS' SUPPORT FOR DEATH PENALTY - This morning, Maryland Juice also received an email blast from Howard County Democrat Clarence Lam, a candidate for District 12 House of Delegates. Notably, D12 is currently represented by retiring Delegate Liz Bobo (a progressive) and her more conservative colleagues: pro-death penalty Democratic Delegates Steve Deboy and Jim Malone.

In addition to voting against death penalty repeal, Delegate Steve Deboy also voted against the Dream Act and marriage equality, while Delegate Jim Malone also voted against the Dream Act. But D12 has been recently redistricted to increase the influence of the liberal voters in Columbia, Maryland. Clarence Lam has apparently taken note of this fact, judging by his latest email blast (excerpt below):

CLARENCE LAM: Last week, the Maryland General Assembly voted to end the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment against criminals in our state.  As a strong proponent of the repeal of the death penalty, I applaud the delegates and senators who voted to abolish this inhumane practice.  (Click here to see how your state delegate or senator voted.)  My reasons for supporting the repeal are clear and straightforward. 

As a physician, I swore an oath to “do no harm” and committed to saving the life of everyone under my care, regardless of whether the patient was a convicted felon or accused of a heinous crime.  The death penalty is fundamentally at odds with my duty to provide life-saving care to all individuals unequivocally....  For these reasons, many advocacy groups in Maryland such as the ACLU, League of Women Voters, and the NAACP have all expressed support for the repeal of the death penalty.... I’m proud to live in a state where our progressive values continue to be enacted and urge you to support our elected officials who voted in favor of repealing Maryland’s death penalty.... 

Seeing as how neither of the Delegates seeking re-election in Clarence Lam's district supported death penalty repeal, I think his message is loud and clear.


More on the battle for 2014 soon!

Maryland District 12 to Become More Progressive in 2014 // Columbia-Based District Creates New Electoral Dynamics

For those Democrats who live in State Legislative Districts 12A (currently represented by Delegates Steve DeBoy and James Malone) and 12B (currently represented by Delegate Liz Bobo), there will be a fairly significant change in the 2014 election cycle.

As you are likely aware, in the Maryland House, legislative districts have varying numbers of elected officials in them. Some voters only vote for a single member of the House of Delegates in a small district, while others may vote for up to three members in much larger districts.

District 12A is currently a two-member District, which includes parts of Baltimore and Howard counties. District 12B, on the other hand, is a Howard-based district that is dominated by the more liberal community of Columbia, Maryland.

Under the 2012 legislative district plan, all three seats in D12A and D12B are now merged into a three-member-district. Maryland Juice has heard rumors of interest from potential D12 candidates, but I couldn't figure out the impetus. Now it makes sense --  it appears as if liberal Columbia voters may make up a majority of the Democratic Primary population in the new D12 in 2014. Notably, the three Delegates currently representing D12 do not see eye to eye on every issue.

See the before and after maps below: