BREAKING: Former Congressman Frank Kratovil Weighing 2014 Maryland Attorney General Race

Anne Arundel County Councilmember Jamie Benoit reports that former Congressman Frank Kratovil is weighing a run for Maryland Attorney General in 2014. Kratovil is a Democrat who previously represented Maryland's 1st Congressional District. Last December Kratovil was appointed as a judge in Queen Anne's County, but it appears that the bench may not be where he wants to spend the rest of his life. See the breaking report below:

JAMIE BENOIT: Others and I are very aggressively recruiting Frank Kratovil into the 2014 Attorney General's race, and he's now considering it.

This report is also confirmed by Eastern Shore politico Arthur Hock. A Maryland Juice reader forwarded us the following message that was seen on Hock's Facebook page today:

ARTHUR HOCK: LATEST NEWS: FRANK KRATOVIL may consider running for Attorney's General of Maryland. Jamie Benoit and I have been talking to Frank about running and he says he will not rule the idea out. He has made no commitment but is willing to consider running.

More on the 2014 Attorney General's race soon!

JuiceBlender // Meet Judge Kratovil, MD Redistricting Lawsuit Rejected, Roscoe Bartlett Awakens & Van Hollen on Drug Tests

Here's a random blend of political tidbits from the last week, starting with more fallout from Maryland's 2012 congressional redistricting. Several months ago, Senator Rich Madaleno told Maryland Juice readers & viewers that the first major decision facing Democrats was which Republican to attack: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett in CD6 or Rep. Andy Harris in CD1. Over the course of the last few months, many of us watched the Dems quickly target Mr. Bartlett, leading to a parade of Republican and Democratic challengers in CD6. But whatever happened to former CD1 Congressman Frank Kratovil? Last week we learned that his story ends well, too.

Juice #1: Meet Judge Frank Kratovil: A few days ago, a Maryland Juice source forwarded us a press release with the following headline "Governor O'Malley Appoints Frank Kratovil to Queen Anne's County District Court." The statement noted: "Mr. Kratovil will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable John T. Clark, III.... Mr. Kratovil served as State’s Attorney in Queen Anne’s County from 2002 to 2009.  Mr. Kratovil left his post after he was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Kratovil served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in both Queen Anne’s and Prince George’s Counties and as Deputy State’s Attorney in Kent County.... More information about the nominating commissions can be found at www.gov.state.md.us (shortened)."

In comments to Easton's Star Democrat, Mr. Kratovil stated one of his reasons for wanting to be a judge: "When you're a judge every decision has to be impartial and I think a courtroom is one of the best places in the world to get to the truth."

CD1: Another Democrat Files Against GOP Rep. Andy Harris // Former Rep. Frank Kratovil One Step Closer to Judge

Delmarva Now reports that another Democrat has filed to run against Maryland's Tea Party Congressman Andy Harris. Notably, the new candidate, John LaFerla, highlights that Rep. Harris is more B'more than Shore:

John LaFerla of Chestertown and Wendy Rosen of Cockeysville have registered with the state Board of Elections for the Democratic primary, scheduled for April 3. However, only one of them will be able to face off with Rep. Andy Harris next November.

LaFerla, an OB/GYN at Corsica Women's Health with a master's degree in public health, said he wants to represent the Eastern Shore by promoting the health of the Chesapeake Bay and environmental stewardship, as well as job creation....

"I think the Eastern Shore was previously well represented when we had Wayne Gilchrest or Frank Kratovil because they lived on the Shore," said LaFerla. "Now we have a representative who lives just outside of Baltimore; it doesn't seem quite right."

LaFerla has served in public office before as treasurer and president of the Kent County Democratic Central Committee.

Speaking of Frank Kratovil, a Maryland Juice reader points out that two days ago, his name was formally sent along to Governor O'Malley in consideration for a judgeship. The vacancy was caused by the retirement of Judge John T. Clark, III of the District Court for Queen Anne's County.

Our source directed readers to the Maryland Courts website, which indicates on 12/6, Mr. Kratovil's name was transmitted to the Governor, along with three others:

2012 Redistricting: Sen. Rich Madaleno Explains Democrats' CD1 vs. CD6 Dilemma // TOPIC: Roscoe Bartlett vs. Andy Harris

Yesterday, we posted an interview with Maryland Senator Rich Madaleno, where he listed potential dark horse candidates for Governor in 2014 and explained some of the challenges facing the major candidates.

Today, we highlight Mr. Madaleno's illuminating responses on Congressional and State Legislative redistricting in Maryland. Below, he describes the nature of the debate going on within Democratic leadership, and he provides a preview of the impact the new districts may have. Once again, I chopped up the videos into the most interesting questions and responses.

One phrase from Mr. Madaleno might best sum up his view of Maryland's Congressional redistricting debate: "This is a battle between the heart and the mind of the Democratic Party."

SPOTTED: Garagiola & Ulman in Washington County // Redistricting Alert

MEGA-UPDATE: Below we discuss Kratovil's miserable fundraising numbers as evidence that the party won't push for CD1 in redistricting. The Baltimore Sun is now saying Kratovil has taken a new job with the Prince George's County State's Attorney! The article confirms Maryland Juice's suspicions: "...attention in Annapolis appears to have shifted to the 6th Congressional District, which is currently held by the state’s other GOP lawmaker, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett."

Hagerstown's Herald-Mail recently spotted State Senator Rob Garagiola and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman stumping for votes in.... Washington County:

Washington County Democrats on Thursday welcomed two potential Democratic candidates for governor and Congress.

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, considered to be a possible 2014 gubernatorial candidate, spoke at the annual Washington County Democratic Central Committee picnic.

He was followed by state Sen. Robert J. Garagiola of Montgomery County, the Senate majority leader, who is considering a 2012 bid for the 6th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Blog Preview: Redistricting, leadership battles and an early look at 2014.

As Maryland Juice prepares to launch, I thought I'd give a quick preview on the initial content we want to highlight. I've begun reaching out to elected officials and Maryland politicos for the inside scoop on what's not being covered, and there's a lot of juicy content out there! So here we go....

On the Radar:

• State legislative and local redistricting: [Bartlett vs. Harris] vs. [Kratovil vs. Democratic Party]
• An early snapshot of the 2014 races: Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, County Executive and more!
• Jockeying for leadership positions: What's happening to Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch?
• Random thoughts: Will the DC suburbs displace Baltimore as the anchor of political power in Maryland, curfew politics, and more.

If there are other topics you think we should be poking around on, please reply in the comments, or email david@marylandjuice.com.