Political Notebook: Endorsements for Governor, Replacement for Norman

Two more endorsements in the Democratic primary for governor:

Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery) is the choice of a prominent union, the Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council, an affiliate of LiUNA, the Laborers’ International Union.

Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr.

Former NAACP president Benjamin T. Jealous has won the backing of 350.org Action, an organization started by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben.

LIUNA endorsed now-Gov. Ralph Northam (D) last April in the Virginia gubernatorial race, as he faced off against former congressman Tom Periello in the Democratic primary. Northam went on to win the nomination, then trounce Republican Ed Gillespie by a wider-than-expected margin.

David Allison, the business manager of the Baltimore-Washington Laborers’ District Council, said of Madaleno, an advocate for paid sick leave and a $15 an hour minimum wage: His “record of delivering strong, progressive policies for Maryland’s working families in unparalleled.”

Several large unions have endorsed Jealous. There are 3,000 LiUNA members living in Maryland, the organization said.

In its endorsement of Jealous, 350.org Executive Director May Boeve said he is “committed to protecting communities around the world facing greater risk everyday as the planet warms. [He is] already helping to build the fossil-free future we know is possible.”

Jealous was one of first two endorsements that 350.org Action has made this election cycle; the other was a Democratic congressional candidate in New Mexico.

Norman’s Widow Expected to Complete His Term

The Republican central committees of Harford and Cecil counties have recommended that Linda Norman, widow of state Sen. H. Wayne Norman (R), fill the remaining 10 months of his term. The GOP committees forwarded the recommendation to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan (R) on Monday.

The 62-year-old senator died unexpectedly at his Bel Air home on March 4.

Senate Minority Leader J.B. Jennings (R), whose district includes a piece of Harford County, said Linda Norman was the perfect candidate to finish up her husband’s term.

“As a legislator, your closest confidant is your spouse,” he said. “When I go home at night, my wife knows about every bill I’ve got, every issue, every bill hearing. There’s no doubt Wayne told her about all those issues, so she knows them inside and out, better than anybody else, because she was truly Wayne’s best friend.”

Jason C. Gallion is taking Norman’s place on the June 26 Republican primary ballot. But as Maryland Matters reported last week, it’s more likely that Del. Teresa Reilly will wind up taking Norman’s Senate seat in 2019, in a delicate maneuver, with Gallion ticketed for the House.

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