Maryland State Senate
All 47 members of the Maryland State Senate are up for elections of those 32 are Democrats and 15 are Republicans. Of the 32, 8 State Senate, seats are up in Montgomery County.
- Minimum Age – 25
- State Citizen/Resident – 1 Year
- A resident of District – 6 Months
- The term in Office – 4 Years
- Filing fee – $50.00
- You Must have a Treasurer before you can raise money or file to run.
Before you announce, it’s important to talk to your spouse, your family and close friends. Let them know you are thinking about running. RED FLAG: If your spouse isn’t on board with your plans, then you don’t want to run. It will lead down a rough and bumpy road.
After you’ve gotten the blessing to run for office from your spouse and family, your first task is to find a campaign treasurer. You can’t run without one, and you’ll want to find someone who is detail-oriented, because you don’t want to be late with filings. Your treasurer’s name will be on every piece of political material you put out, from your website to tee shirts. A good rule to follow is that when in doubt, put the authority line on it. I will address the authority line in a later column.
After you decide to be a candidate and you have your treasurer, you need to go to Annapolis to file.
You should make a day of it and take plenty of pictures and videos on the day you file. Consider doing a Facebook Live right after you file – just something brief.