Craig wins Young Republicans Gubernatorial Straw Poll, thanks supporters
From the Maryland Young Republicans:
The Maryland Young Republicans conducted the first Straw Poll for the 2014 Gubernatorial Election at their annual convention in Annapolis today.
Harford County Executive David Craig finished first with 25% of the vote. Former Lt. Governor and RNC Chairman Michael Steele finished second with 21%, followed by former Secretary Larry Hogan with 13% of the vote. The entire vote total is listed below.
The Straw Poll was held in conjunction with the 2012 Maryland Young Republicans Convention held at the Doubeltree Hotel in Annapolis today. Young Republicans from across Maryland came for this annual event to hear from great Republican speakers, network, and organize for the 2012 General Election.
Speakers included 2nd Congressional District Candidate State Senator Nancy Jacobs, 3rd Congressional District Candidate Eric Knowles, U.S. Senate Candidate Dan Bongino, 4th District Congressional Candidate Faith Loudon, 5th District Congressional Candidate and House Minority Leader Tony O’Donnell, Howard County Board of Education Member Brian Meshkin, and Phil Bell from the Maryland Republican Party.
“We were so pleased that so many great Republican candidates and leaders took the time to come to Annapolis and talk with our folks,” said Maryland Young Republicans Chairman Brian Griffiths. “So many dismiss our generation as the future of the Republican Party. These leaders recognize that we are the present of the Republican Party, and that the Young Republicans are integral to the success of our party both here and nationally.”
The Maryland Young Republicans also recognized the following distinguished award winners:
– Club of the Year: Montgomery County Young Republicans
– Man of the Year: Jason Papanikolas, Prince George’s Young Republicans
– Woman of the Year: Rachael Gingrich, Montgomery County Young Republicans
– Lifetime Achievement Award: Heather Olsen, Prince George’s Young Republicans
2012 Maryland Young Republicans Convention
2014 Gubernatorial Straw Poll Results
– Harford County Executive David Craig: 25%
– Former Lt. Governor Michael Steele: 21%
– Former Secretary Larry Hogan: 13%
– Frederick County Commissioner Blaine Young: 8%
– Corrogan Vaughn (write-in): 8%
– 2010 Congressional Candidate Charles Lollar: 4%
– 2010 Gubernatorial Candidate Brian Murphy: 4%
– Pat Daly (write-in): 4%
– MDYR Chairman Brian Griffiths (write-in): 4%
– Former U.S. Senate Candidate Alan Keyes (write-in): 4%
– Undecided: 4%
Former Senate Minority Leader Marty Madden and Delegate Pat McDonough were listed on the ballot, but received no votes
Governor O’Malley Visits Maine; County Executive Craig Clears Through the Smoke and Mirrors of the O’Malley Administration
From the Friends of David Craig:
As Mainers meet Governor O’Malley, they will undoubtedly be impressed by his charm, his wit, and his seemingly impassioned speeches about helping the middle class. Marylanders have fallen victim to that trap too. But voter beware, because as our experience in Maryland has shown there is little substance behind that campaign persona.
Despite criticizing his predecessor for not looking out for the middle class, Governor O’Malley has become a champion of extremist liberal policies that have crippled the progress of Maryland’s working families. I dare say that for the past six years of the O’Malley administration, Maryland’s middle class has been under attack.
It is clear that Governor O’Malley is out of touch with reality when he tries to claim that his tax policies only impact the wealthy.
Like coastal Maine, Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay is home to many watermen, who make their living by waking up early and working hard all day. These aren’t the so-called wealthy that Martin O’Malley claims he is targeting. They are honest, salt of the earth people struggling to get by and make an honest living. Yet Governor O’Malley proposed tripling the registration fee they pay on their workboat.
No one has been impacted more by high gas prices than middle class Americans in rural and suburban communities, who have to commute every day to make a living. And, while the amount that a worker clears in his weekly check continues to decline, Martin O’Malley proposed increasing the cost of getting to work by adding a 6% sales tax on gas on top of the normal gas tax that is currently levied.
In 2008, he increased our sales tax by 20%. Increasing the sales tax is regressive; its impact is felt hardest by the middle class and low-income earners. Any parent who is responsible for the household shopping knows how that their job gets harder when prices go up, but O’Malley didn’t care.
He proposed adding a tax on adult care when more and more families are struggling to take care of their aging parents.
The trend is clear. Time after time, the O’Malley administration has resorted to solving its financial problems by making them the problems of our working families. And the impact of these actions are hurting Maryland. People are leaving Maryland to get away from its unbearable tax burdens. And it’s not just millionaires that are leaving, middle class families are opting to move just across the state line to Virginia or Pennsylvania to save money.
According to a recent column in the Wall Street Journal, “a family of four earning $250,000 a year can save $6,000 a year by relocating across the Potomac River to Virginia.” In my County, families often choose to move north the Pennsylvania, where homes are more affordable due to a lower property tax.
Maryland’s tax burden is so unbearable that leaving Maryland is considered a smart move to preserve income in retirement. It is a sad state of affairs when a retirement coordinator, from the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (a state government agency), starts his retirement planning seminar by advising you to leave the state when you retire to save on taxes. But it is prudent advice that many people are forced to heed.
Martin O’Malley paints himself as a progressive champion of the middle class; reality is that he will stop at nothing to fund the pet projects of his liberal special interest friends. Just ask a Maryland waterman, a commuter at a gas pump, a mom shopping for children, or a retiree looking to move away from the place they’ve called home, who Martin O’Malley’s tax policies have been hurting. The answer will be clear: the middle class.
Marc Eaton says
Shouldn’t that be a RINO straw pole. The thought of you being the Governor scares the hell out of me.
PISSEDON says
Amen. Just another hater of public employees. If you are a public employee and you vote for David Craig, you are an idiot.
James Kilmore says
David Craig would be an outstanding Governor. He is quite conservative, but at the same time pragmatic. The thought of another democrat scares the hell out of me. Craig is our guy.
Marc – Do you have someone you prefer? I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone as qualified.
RichieC says
Craig is a good guy.
Go Dagger…………
Marc Eaton says
No, Craig is a do nothing RINO liberal.
Original Observer says
Given the choice between doing nothing and having more and more of my pittance of an income stolen by the tax-and-spend crowd in Annapolis — almost all Democrats, since Maryland keeps electing this hegemony, and currently led by a bar band singer who claims he’s moving Maryland “forward” — forward to where, oblivion!? — I’ll take do nothing, thank you. At least doing nothing doesn’t dig deeper into my extremely shallow pocket.
batman says
After Ehrlich, as well as with the changing demographics of our state, its highly, highly unlikely that Maryland will elect a Republican governor in the coming years.
ALEX R says
Batman,
If that is true could it be because we have so m,any illegal, oops, sorry, undocumenteds voting in Maryland?
FORMER HCPS Teacher says
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black (King David calling OweMalley “out of touch with reality).
Shame!!! says
Just ask Mr. Craig who is hurting under HIS policies- the mom in the grocery store, the public servants, the schools, the TEACHERS picketing on streets- the police, librarians….. Pretty much the middle class!
one more former student says
David would be a great governor,, lot’s of new places to develop with his buddy Clarkie Turner.. More teachers to screw over. Plus, he could really start the bickering with the general assymbly, more people than he had when he started feuding with the county council.. And we could forget about preserving farmland, fixing roads and such nonsense like that. But his family could get some new jobs……..
ALEX R says
Actually MOM is not only out of touch with reality he is often out of touch with his job. Even the Washington Post is counting how many days he is gone from Maryland supporting O’Bama and the Democratic Party and Barrett in Wisconsin, etc. Oh, I’m only partly complaining. The more he is gone the less damage he can do here. At least I hope so.