A highly-anticipated political ritual of the fall has been postponed due to the latest spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Western Maryland Democratic Political Action Committee announced Thursday that the Western Maryland Democratic Summit, originally scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25 at the Rocky Gap Resort outside of Cumberland, is being postponed until May 13 and 14 — six weeks before next year’s June 28 primaries and just a month before early voting begins.
The summit, particularly as an election year is approaching, is a must-attend for Democratic candidates and activists, and features a straw poll of gubernatorial contenders. Hundreds of people traditionally attend.
The decision to postpone the event “was based on the current resurgence of COVID cases in Maryland, and particularly Western Maryland,” the PAC said in a statement. “The Board regrets any inconvenience this postponement may cause, but feels that this decision is in the best interest of public health.”
The PAC promised “an exciting and robust Democratic Summit next May.”
This is the second big political gathering in Maryland that’s been postponed because of the pandemic. The J. Millard Tawes Clam Bake and Crab Feast in Crisfield, traditionally held in mid-July, is now taking place on Oct. 13. So far, all systems are go for this event, which draws thousands of seafood lovers and hundreds of political leaders.
Josh Kurtz
Founding editor
Founding Editor Josh Kurtz is a veteran chronicler of Maryland politics and government. He began covering the State House in 1995 for The Gazette newspapers, and has been writing about state and local politics ever since. He was an editor at Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, for eight years, and for eight years was the editor of E&E Daily, which covers energy and environmental policy on Capitol Hill. For 6 1/2 years Kurtz wrote a weekly column on state politics for Center Maryland and has written for several other Maryland publications as well. Kurtz regularly gives speeches and appears on TV and radio shows to discuss Maryland politics.
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