Congratulations on your decision to run for elected office in Maryland in 2018. I have run twice myself, and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world. The offices we need to field candidates for in Maryland in 2018 include the entire State Senate and House of Delegates as well as 8 seats in the U. S. House of Representatives plus County Council/Commissioners, County Executive, Sheriff, and Registrar of Wills. On the state level, we will be working hard to re-elect Governor Hogan and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, an Attorney General and a State Comptroller, along with Circuit Court Judges and members of your local Republican Central Committees.
| Federal Offices | ||||||
| Office Sought | Age | U.S. Citizen | State Citizen/ Resident | District Resident | Term of Office | Election Year |
| President | 35 | Natural born Citizen | 14 years a resident within the United States | 4 years from January 20th | 2020 | |
| Vice President | 35 | Natural born Citizen | 14 years a resident within the United States | 4 years from January 20th | 2020 | |
| U.S. Senate | 30 | 9 years & US CITIZEN | Inhabitant of the State at the time of the election | 6 years from January 3rd | 2018 | |
| U.S. Congress | 25 | 7 years & US CITIZEN | Inhabitant of the State at the time of the election | 2 years from January 3rd | 2018 |
| State Offices | |||||
| Office Sought | Age | State Citizen/ Resident | District Resident | Term of Office | Election Year |
| Governor | 30 | 5 years & US CITIZEN | 4 years from 3rd Wed. in January | 2018 | |
| Lt. Governor | 30 | 5 years & US CITIZEN | 4 years from 3rd Wed. in January | 2018 | |
| Comptroller | US CITIZEN | 4 years from 3rd Wed. in January | 2018 | ||
| Attorney General | 10 years & US CITIZEN | 4 years and Practice law in MD for 10 years | 2018 | ||
| State Senate | 25 | 1 year & US CITIZEN | 6 months | 4 years from 2nd Wed. in January | 2018 |
| House of Delegates | 21 | 1 year & US CITIZEN | 6 months | 4 years from 2nd Wed. in January | 2018 |
| Circuit Court Judge | 30 | 5 years & US CITIZEN | 6 months | 15 years or until the age of 70 and Member – Maryland Bar | 2018 |
| County Offices | ||||||
| Office Sought | Age | State Citizen/ Resident | District Resident | Term of Office | Election Year | |
| County Executive | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| County Council | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| Co. Commissioners | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| County Treasurer | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| State’s Attorney | US CITIZEN | Subdivision 2 years – Member – Maryland Bar | 4 years | 2018 | ||
| Clerk of the Courts | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| Register of Wills | US CITIZEN | 4 years | 2018 | |||
| Orphans Court Judge | US CITIZEN | Subdivision 1 year | 4 years | 2018 | ||
| Sheriff | 25 | 5 years | Reside w/in subdivision | 4 years | 2018 | |
| Board of Education | US CITIZEN | Vary | 2018 | |||
| Baltimore City Offices | |||||
| Office Sought | Age | City Citizen/ Resident | District Resident | Term of Office | Election Year |
| Mayor | 25 | a resident and qualified voter of Baltimore City for at least 1 year preceding the election | 4 years | ||
| City Comptroller | 25 | a resident and qualified voter of Baltimore City for at least 1 year preceding the election | 4 years | ||
| President City Council | 25 | a resident and qualified voter of Baltimore City for at least 1 year preceding the election | 4 years | ||
| Member At Large City Council | 21 | resident and qualified voter of Baltimore City for 1 year preceding the election | 4 years | ||
| District Member City Council | 21 | resident and qualified voter of the district for which you seek office at least 1 year preceding the election | 4 years |
| Party Offices | ||||||
| Office Sought | Age | State Citizen/ Resident | District Resident | Term of Office | Election Year | |
| Central Committee | 4 years | 2018 |
These are Maryland’s 8 Congressional Districts
| Congressional District 1 – Represented by Congressman Dr. Andy Harris of MD-1 – Republican holds seat – No need for candidates to run in CD1. Vote Andy Harris for Congress in CD-1 and keep 1 Red. | |
| Congressional District 2 – Currently represented by Democrat Dutch Ruppersburger, who has represented MD-2 since 2002. He has voted for every single tax increase that has come down the pike. We need to find a good candidate to oppose him. This seat was previously held by former Gov. Bob Ehrlich and the late Rep. Helen Bentley. Let’s make CD-2 Red once more in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 3 – Represented by John Sarbanes, the Uber liberal son of Sen. Paul Sarbanes of Sarbanes – Oxley fame. John Sarbanes, like every other Democrat, supported Barack Obama’s radical agenda. Let’s make CD-3 Red in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 4 – Represented by failed Lt. Governor and gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown, who was elected in 2016, and joined the chorus of Trump haters in Washington. Let’s make CD-4 Red in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 5 – Represented by Rep. Steny “Tax, Tax, Tax, Spend, Spend, Spend Democrat” Hoyer. In 1992, Rep. Hoyer nearly had a heart attack when Gov. Hogan was the projected winner, but was saved by mystery boxes of ballots that managed to show up and put Steny Hoyer over the top. Let’s make CD-5 Red once more in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 6 – Represented by John Delaney who purchased this seat after corrupt Democrats in Annapolis Marty-mandered the congressional district which represented western Maryland. John Delaney is a carpetbagger and isn’t well liked by other Democrats. Let’s make CD-6 Red once more in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 7 – Represented by Elijah Cummings, who has held this seat since 1996. Many people suggest the Rep. Cummings should be in jail for the numerous ethics issues that have dogged him over the past several years. Let’s make CD-7 Red in 2018. | |
| Congressional District 8 – Represented by newly minted radical leftist Democrat Jamie Raskin who hails from Takoma Park, the town that declared itself a Nuclear Free Zone. TP is home to some of the most radical leftists in America. Let’s make CD-8 Red once more in 2018. |
In addition to this line-up, we will also have a U.S. Senate race in 2018 when radical leftist Democrat Ben Cardin is up for re-election. We need to find a great candidate for this slot, especially since there is speculation that Cardin will be retiring from the Senate. With the popularity of Governor Hogan, someone like former MD First Lady Kendell Ehrlich could pull off an upset and beat Democrat Ben Cardin or someone else. The open Senate seat would create an interesting dynamic, since some of the above congressional seats may become vacant.
Now that you’ve got the offices and districts that need candidates in mind, it’s time for the next step.
Let’s Start with the Basics
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 become a candidate and get a treasurer, you need to go to Annapolis to file. This is a cool location, and depending on which office you are running for, 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. Congratulations! You are now a candidate. My next column will cover do’s and don’ts for setting up your first campaign event and building a donor list.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Before you file and make the decision to run for office, depending on the office. If you are running for State Senate or State Delegate contact the Republican Caucus and spend a day with some of our great elected Republicans in Annapolis.
If you are running for Congress, contact Rep. Dr. Andy Harris, talk to his people and find out the pros and cons to see if this is something you actually want to do. Speak with the NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) as well as the MDGOP. When I first ran for House of Delegates, I spoke with Sen. Marty Madden and Larry Haines who were my political mentors during the 1994 race. I also spoke with Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and old family friend Rep. Peter King. If you are interested in running for county office, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh is a great resource, as are many of our Republican County Executives and County Council members around the state.
One more thing: If you’d like to run for office or need advice, feel free to email me at dwight@politicalarchitects.com . I have over 20 years of experience in managing and consulting to various campaigns.