Rep. David Troun’s campaign for the U.S. Senate got a potential boost from a major political force Thursday: the state teachers union.
Trone (D-6th) was recommended for approval by the representative assembly of the Maryland State Education Association. The state’s teachers union, which does not officially vote in federal elections, will promote Trone’s name to the National Education Association. The group’s political action board is scheduled to vote this month.
Maryland teachers union president Cheryl Bost said in a statement that her group appreciates Trone’s “strong track record” of supporting the provision of resources for teachers, students and schools.
“David Trone is willing to roll up his sleeves and do the hard work to deliver for our educators, but more importantly, he is ready and willing to listen to our concerns and take action to help us right away,” he said. Bost.
The support for Trone comes after the association, which has more than 75,000 members in the state, held its annual convention in Ocean City.
If elected, Trone said in a statement that he would push for expanded federal investment in issues such as school construction and special education and seek to increase per-pupil funding.
“As a child of a public school teacher, I have seen firsthand the sacrifices our educators make,” he said. “I understand the passion and commitment they bring to educating a new generation of Americans and empowering them to live their dreams.”
On the same day that Trone received the teachers’ union endorsement, the campaign of Angela Alsobrooks (D) of Prince George’s County released a round of endorsements from former state Democratic Party chairs.
These people are Yvette Lewis, Kathleen Matthews, Michael Cryor, Terry Lierman and Peter Krauser. Other former incumbents Susan Turnbull and former Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett attended a rally for Alsobrooks in New Carrollton when he announced in May.
Lewis, who stepped down as chairman last month, attended a rally for Alsobrooks on Oct. 23 in Baltimore, where Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced his support for the county executive.
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of these Maryland leaders who themselves have a track record of doing things on behalf of the Maryland Democratic Party and the state,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. “I want to make sure all Marylanders have what I want for my own family, safe communities, access to quality education, jobs and economic opportunity. The people of Maryland deserve these titles, and I believe that together we can make it happen.”
Another Democratic candidate, Anne Arundel County businessman Juan Dominguez, sent a campaign email Thursday promoting an interview on WUSA-9 television to highlight his background as an Army veteran and push for a $30-an-hour “living wage.”
“I am working hard to give all Marylanders – regardless of zip code, income or ethnicity – a voice in this fight and a leader they can trust in the Halls of Congress,” he wrote in his newsletter.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate John Teichert released a statement Thursday that he signed a US term limit pledge.
“Despite the unpopularity of Congress and the dysfunction that has become commonplace, Americans still vote to send politicians back to Washington every two or six years,” said Teichert, a retired Air Force brigadier general. “That’s why I’m committed to voting in favor of legislation that imposes term limits. because we need transformative change if we want to see leaders, not politicians, working on our behalf.”
Trone, Alsobrooks and Dominguez are scheduled to appear Friday at the 2023 East Coast Democratic Summit. The reception and forum in Cambridge will run from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.
‘So disrespectful’
A dispute that went public in May resurfaced on social media on Wednesday.
Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore), who also serves as speaker and second in command in the House of Representatives, posted a message for House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.
Sample-Hughes published a screenshot of a flyer promoting a reception for Jones to attend on December 5 at Blackwall Barn and Lodge in Gambrills.
The fundraiser with ticket prices starting at $250 each is to support House Democrats. Some of the Democratic representatives on the flyer include Judiciary Committee Chairman Luke Clippinger (Baltimore City), Ways and Means Chair Vanessa Atterbeary (D-Howard County) and Rules and Executive Nominations Committee Chair Anne Healey (D- Prince George’s).
Sample-Hughes’ name is not mentioned. She tagged Jones in a post airing her frustration.
“This is so disrespectful and wrong on so many levels,” Sample-Hughes wrote. “I am still the Speaker Pro Tem. But as you said, because I voted in the 2023 Legislature for the citizens of D37A, then is my TEAM membership revoked?”
Sample-Hughes did not respond to text messages Thursday for comment. Jones could not be reached for comment.
The rift occurred this year when Jones announced leadership changes, including Dell’s nomination. Dana Stein (Baltimore County), a white man, to be the speaker’s representative when the General Assembly convenes in January. Both Sample-Hughes and Jones are black.
CASA plans 5-day health care march
Immigrant rights group CASA is planning a 5-day march from Baltimore to Annapolis, as Immigrants from Maryland, to advocate for affordable health care for all Marylanders, regardless of citizenship or employment status.
Called the March of the Uninsured: Health for All, the 50-mile trek will take place Jan. 5 through Jan. 10, when CASA members and other residents will support legislation that reinstates the Access to Care Act by the 2023 Legislative Session.
The announcement was made at a press conference at the Multicultural Center in Hyattsville, with Spanish and English translations.
“CASA and our partners and so many people who are uninsured will be marching starting in Baltimore, our beautiful city of Baltimore, all the way to Annapolis,” Gustavo Torres, CASA’s executive director, said in a written statement.
CASA supporters held signs of support: “Illness does not discriminate,” “Dignity and respect for immigrants,” “No podemos espererar,” and “La salud es un derecho.”
During the previous legislative session, the Access to Care Act would have expanded access to health care for undocumented immigrants. The bill passed the House of Representatives but was not voted on in the Senate. CASA supporters hope the march will encourage Maryland lawmakers to consider the bill again in the upcoming 2024 session.
George W. Owings, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs, dies at age 78
George W. Owings III, a Southern Maryland political figure who spent 16 years in the House of Representatives and served two separate terms as secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, died of cancer Tuesday at age 78.
Owings, a conservative Democrat from Calvert County, was the son of a state legislator, George W. Owings II, and followed in his father’s footsteps after serving in the Marine Corps and seeing combat duty in Vietnam, earning several medals. He worked as a mortgage broker professionally and tried unsuccessfully to break into politics for a time, losing two races for a seat on the Board of County Commissioners. Governor William Donald Schaeffer (D) eventually appointed Owings to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives in 1988, and he went on to win four terms.
At a time when conservative Democrats often dominated Annapolis, Owings was very much in the political mainstream and spent a decade as House Majority. He was the primary architect of the bill to create the Department of Veterans Affairs, fought for veterans’ rights and better pay for first responders, and also pushed for the legalization of gambling. He was one of the funniest and most iconoclastic members of the General Assembly, though he also had a streak of controversy and grew wilder and more reclusive as the Democratic caucus moved to the left.
Owings left the Legislature in 2004 after Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R) named him Veterans Affairs secretary — a post he held through the Ehrlich administration and the first five months of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration.
Owings became so disenchanted with O’Malley’s liberal policies that he briefly launched a Democratic primary challenge for governor in 2010, but dropped the effort due to health problems. He attempted a political comeback in 2014, running for a seat on the county commission, but lost in the general election, with Calvert increasingly Republican.
When Republican Larry Hogan—who had served with Owings in Ehrlich’s cabinet—became governor, he returned Owings to the post of Veterans Affairs secretary, and Owings served there for Hogan’s entire eight-year tenure.
“As a sergeant in the Marine Corps who served our country in Vietnam, George’s commitment to those who wore our nation’s uniform was unwavering,” Hogan said in social media posts this week. “His leadership and dedication to our veterans and our state set a high standard for all who follow in his footsteps.”
But under Owings’ watch, conditions have worsened at Charlotte Hall State Veterans Home in southern Maryland, and the administration of new Gov. Wes Moore (D) is trying to make improvements there. But Moore’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony C. Woods, paid tribute to his predecessor this week.
“George, in many ways, embodied what veterans can do after completing their time in uniform and become leaders in their communities and across the state,” Woods said. “It’s safe to say that few people have had a greater impact on Maryland veterans than Secretary Owings.”
Funeral arrangements for Owings were not immediately available Thursday, and neither was a complete list of survivors. Owings was divorced and had one son, George W. Owings IV.
Danielle E. Gaines contributed to this report.