County Councilmember Tom Hucker (D-5) has filed to run for county executive. Today he has to decide whether to stick with that chancy race or file for reelection. Positioning himself as a strong progressive, Hucker was first elected to the Council in 2014 after narrowly defeating now-at large Councilmember Evan Glass in the Democratic primary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The campaign’s January campaign finance report showed that he had $252,533.09 in bank. To my surprise, googling “Tom Hucker County Executive” did not produce a campaign website, so here is his twitter account<\/a>. (Thanks to a reader; it\u2019s tomhucker.com.) On the plus side, he represents the one-fifth of the county with the most Democratic primary voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hucker’s run for county executive has nevertheless always struck me as quixotic because I don\u2019t really see a lane for him. His core argument is essentially that he\u2019d be a more effective leader than Elrich, which is unclear and exactly what the other candidates claim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two candidates are competing for the same base. The major policy difference I see is that Hucker is ardently pro-Thrive, the proposed general plan for the next 30 years, which alienates a good section of Elrich\u2019s supporters. I imagine Hucker would contend that this makes him more progressive while others would say it aligns him with big business against ordinary residents of the county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elrich\u2019s supporters may also not appreciate his efforts to set himself up for the run by taking potshots on the administration while serving for a year as Council President. Meanwhile, Hans Riemer seems to have the ardent urbanist vote, such as it is, nailed down. Hucker doesn\u2019t have pots of money like David Blair and is not going to win business support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hucker also lacks the identity constituency around which so many Democrats align. While not a bad politician, he also doesn\u2019t have the sort of charisma that is getting Wes Moore a lot of positive attention in the gubernatorial race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike Councilmember Riemer, Hucker can still run for one more term on the county council before he runs up against term limits. At that point, the county executive\u2019s race would be open. It\u2019d still be a tough race but at least he\u2019d have more of an open lane. Labor is sticking with Elrich, who has already been endorsed<\/a> by MCEA and three SEIU locals. Progressive Maryland and Progressive Neighbors have too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several candidates have filed for Hucker\u2019s redrawn district, including Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart<\/a> Hucker has until 9:00pm to decide<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" County Councilmember Tom Hucker (D-5) has filed to run for county executive. Today he has to decide whether to stick with that chancy race or file for reelection. Positioning himself as a strong progressive, Hucker was first elected to the Council in 2014 after narrowly defeating now-at large Councilmember Evan Glass in the Democratic primary. … Continue reading In Lane 4: Decision Time for Tom Hucker<\/span> Porter<\/s> and Friends of White Flint Executive Director Amy Ginsburg. Hucker would still be the strong favorite. On the other hand, Hucker could also file for one of the at-large seats. Brandy Brooks\u2019s campaign is tanking<\/a>, so there is a real opening for a progressive candidate<\/a> for the open seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n