Political Notes: Elrich Backs Perez, Brandon Scott’s High Ratings, Mosby’s Video and More

The leader of vote-rich Montgomery County has endorsed former Maryland and U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez in the race for governor.

County Executive Marc Elrich (D) made the announcement on Tuesday.

“Tom has shown he has a heart and mind that understands justice and equity, and he clearly has the experience to actually implement and govern,” Elrich said in a statement. “That’s exactly the combination we need in our next governor — and it’s why I am proud to endorse him today.”

Perez and Elrich are both Takoma Park residents and former members of the county council. Their relationship goes back at least 16 years, when Elrich taught Perez’s older daughter fifth-grade math at Rolling Terrace Elementary School.

Elrich, the head of Maryland’s largest jurisdiction, joins his predecessor, County Executive Ike Leggett (D) in endorsing Perez, former head of the Democratic National Committee, and his running mate, former Baltimore City Councilwoman Shannon Sneed (D).

“I’ve known Tom Perez for decades. Whether it’s been his service here in Montgomery County or representing Maryland on the national stage, he’s always been a thoughtful, compassionate, and driven public servant. And he always will be,” Leggett said in a statement. “Tom is ready to deliver results as governor.”

Perez is also endorsed by County Council President Gabe Albornoz, and County Council Vice President Evan Glass.

(For a list of prior endorsements in the gubernatorial race, click here.)

Scott polls well, Mosby struggles

Baltimore may be beset by high crime, a slow economic recovery, and dismal prospects for the Orioles season, but few (34%) seem to be blaming Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) for any of it.

A recent poll obtained by Maryland Matters shows Scott with fairly high job approval ratings from just about every segment of the city’s electorate. He scores far better than the City Council or the city government’s two other citywide elected officials, City Council President Nick J. Mosby (D) and Comptroller Bill Henry (D).

Overall, 54% of Baltimore voters said they approve of the job Scott is doing as mayor, compared to 34% who disapproved. The telephone poll of 527 registered voters was taken Feb. 17 to March 11 by OpinionWorks LLC, an Annapolis-based firm, and had a 5-point margin of error. It was commissioned by Sugar Free Kids Maryland, a coalition working to protect Maryland children from Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay.

Scott, who took office in December 2020, had a 56% approval rating among Black voters, while 33% said they disapproved. Among white voters, his job approval rating was 51% to 38%. Two-thirds of voters classified as “other” racially or ethnically viewed him favorably, while just 24% viewed him unfavorably.

Among men, Scott’s job approval rating was 53% to 40%, and among women voters it was 55% to 30%.

Low-income Baltimoreans, with annual incomes below $25,000, had the least favorable view of Scott, but he was still above water: 49% to 42%. His favorable to unfavorable rating was 52% to 33% among those earning $25,000 to $49,000; 57% to 30% among voters earning $50,000 to $74,000; 72% to 23% among those earning $75,000 to $99,000; and 59% to 30% among those earning more than $100,000 a year.

By contrast, the City Council was viewed favorably by just 40% of voters and unfavorably by 45%. The numbers were almost identical among Black and white voters — 41% to 45% and 40% to 46%, respectively. And 39% of “other” voters viewed the council favorably, compared to 40% who did not.

Mosby, whose wife, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby (D), has been indicted on federal perjury charges, and who has been caught in some of the same investigations for financial dealings as his wife, fared even more poorly in the poll than the council he leads. But there was a distinct disparity of opinion between Black and white voters.

Overall, Nick Mosby was viewed favorably by 34% of voters and unfavorably by 44%. But he was up among Black voters, with 42% saying they approved of the job he was doing and 37% disapproving. Among white voters, the favorable-unfavorable rating was 23% to 59%, and among voters classified as “other” it was 39% to 41%.

Henry was the least well-known of the citywide elected officials, though his numbers were pretty positive. In the poll, he was viewed favorably by 38% of the electorate and unfavorably by 23% — numbers that were pretty consistent across the board. Among Black voters, the numbers were 40% to 23%, compared to 37% to 21% among white voters and 34% to 24% among those classified as “other.”

Mosby releases re-election video

Marilyn Mosby published a campaign video announcing her bid for re-election as state’s attorney on Tuesday.

The three-minute video, entitled “We’re Built For This,” includes footage of Mosby walking among a crowd on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and of the 2015 uprising after the death of Freddie Gray.

The video is set to the soundtrack of “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West.

“Over the past few years, we have seen both good and bad in our city,” Mosby said in the video. “But the one constant is the unwavering resilience in the fight of the great people who call Baltimore home.”

Mosby had not officially filed for re-election through the State Board of Elections as of 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

She is embroiled in a federal lawsuit, facing two counts of perjury for falsely claiming a COVID-19 hardship on an application to withdraw money from her retirement account and two counts for allegedly making false statements on mortgage applications for her Florida vacation homes. She pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

Mosby’s trial is set for Sept. 19, 2022 — two months after the primary election. Other candidates filed to run are former Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah (D) and defense attorneys Ivan J. Bates (D), Roya M. Hanna (D).

Both Bates and Hanna have served as assistant state’s attorneys in Baltimore.

Mosby is set to appear at a hearing in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore Thursday morning.

Enviros back Mizeur in 1st District

The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund endorsed Democratic 1st District congressional candidate Heather R. Mizeur on Tuesday.

“Heather Mizeur has a long record leading the fights for climate action and protecting our democracy in Maryland and we are thrilled to support her campaign for Congress so she can continue this work for the Eastern Shore communities,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of the action fund, said in a statement.

The League of Conservation Voters is the latest among scores of advocacy groups and elected officials — including Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation — who have endorsed Mizeur’s bid against incumbent U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, the state’s lone congressional Republican. Harris scored zero on LCV’s 2021 congressional scorecard and he has a lifetime score of 3% from the environmental group.

The rest of the Maryland delegation scored between 95% and 100% in the congressional scorecard. All are Democrats.

Bennett Leckrone contributed to this report.

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