By Adam Pagnucco. (Editor’s Note: As always, this post–and endorsement–reflects the views of the author. No broader support or opposition to David Moon is meant by this post or note.)<\/em><\/p>\n I still remember the day I first met one of the great masterminds of MoCo politics.<\/p>\n It was March 2008.\u00a0 A group of us gathered at SEIU Local 500\u2019s headquarters to discuss how to help Nancy Navarro win the upcoming Council District 4 special election.\u00a0 The room was full of progressive activists, ace operatives and labor people, most of whom had lots to say.\u00a0 Your author, not being shy, ranted and raved with the best of them.\u00a0 Off at the end of the table sat a quiet, scrawny little guy who looked like he weighed about 80 pounds.\u00a0 He stared into his computer and said almost nothing during the two hour meeting.\u00a0 I elbowed the attendee next to me and asked, \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cOh, that\u2019s David Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n Moon was already a household name among MoCo activists at that point, having been the campaign manager behind Jamie Raskin\u2019s 33-point State Senate victory<\/a> two years before.\u00a0 But he was just getting started.\u00a0 Moon\u2019s skills were put to the test during the two special elections that followed as he endured a close loss by Navarro the first time, followed by an even closer win the next year.\u00a0 I had been involved with union organizing and political campaigns during my time in the labor movement, but I had not met many campaigners of his caliber before.\u00a0 Moon was simultaneously creative and disciplined \u2013 a rare combination for anyone.\u00a0 He would do the tedious, mind-numbing work of producing the walk sheets and handling the follow-up data entry, and then turn around and come up with something new on the fly.\u00a0 He could think big picture and then slap Apple Ballot stickers on lit all night.\u00a0 He seemed to live on Diet Coke and junk food.\u00a0 If you wanted to find him, the best way was to locate the largest pile of empty cans and wrappers and see who was sitting in the middle of it.\u00a0 Most remarkable of all, Moon was almost without pretense.\u00a0 All campaign managers have egos and some are unbearable.\u00a0 But Moon would meet any suggestion, whether brilliant or stupid, with a shrug and grab the good ones while quietly disposing of the clunkers.<\/p>\n The David Moon of today was still evolving in the 2008-2010 period, but even then you could see where he was headed.\u00a0 Most operatives are motivated by some combination of the thrill of winning, wanting a job with the victorious candidate, wanting to run for office themselves or just the fun of the game.\u00a0 None of that was enough for Moon. \u00a0He had a Plan, and it was wildly ambitious.\u00a0 He wanted to build a base for true progressivism in Montgomery County.\u00a0 And by that I don\u2019t mean just electing people who toss goodies to liberal interest groups while trying to move up the ladder.\u00a0 Moon\u2019s vision was to combine the political and economic forces of new residents, economic development, labor rights, people of color, environmentalism, smart growth and political reform into a movement for real change.\u00a0 For a while, he did that through running other candidates\u2019 campaigns and working with organizations like Action Committee for Transit, Communities for Transit, Casa de Maryland and FairVote.\u00a0 But like most good quarterbacks, he eventually called his own number and ran for office himself.\u00a0 He outwitted, outlasted and outplayed a number of capable opponents on his way to Annapolis.<\/p>\n As a Delegate, Moon has not backed away from any of the causes he supported early in his career, but he picked a focus: social justice.\u00a0 Most freshman Delegates regard the House Judiciary Committee as a backwater.\u00a0 They have to deal with the dominance of crusty old committee chair Joe Vallario and they can\u2019t get the fundraising connections that members of other committees can (especially Economic Matters).\u00a0 But Moon wanted<\/em> to be on Judiciary; in fact, he actively lobbied for it because it is the place where criminal justice issues are decided.\u00a0 And that\u2019s where Moon has planted his flag.<\/p>\n Moon has been nothing less than a prophet on unfairness in the criminal justice system.\u00a0 When he was running for Delegate, he wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n It’s time for a grown-up conversation about our criminal justice system. Maryland leads the nation in marijuana arrests, and black residents of Montgomery County are over 3 times more likely to be arrested for possession than white residents. This costs us between $100-$200 million a year and ruins the lives of young people by barring them from employment, student loan eligibility and more. Let’s look at the evidence and start rolling back the failed “War on Drugs” in Maryland.<\/em><\/p>\n Months later, the Baltimore riots erupted partly as a result of these issues.\u00a0 Moon has been advocating on them ever since.\u00a0 He has introduced numerous bills to rein in justice system excesses.\u00a0 In 2015, he passed a bill through the House that would have excluded possession of a small amount of pot as a reason for parole violation<\/a>.\u00a0 (It died in the Senate.)\u00a0 He has proposed letting voters decide whether to legalize marijuana and fought against efforts to recriminalize it.\u00a0 Slowly but surely he is helping criminal justice reform advance, and in the years to come, the work of Moon and his allies will pay off.<\/p>\n Moon also returned to his political reform roots by teaming up with Republican Delegate Kathy Szeliga on a bill that would stream live video of General Assembly sessions<\/a>, something that the Montgomery County Council has been doing for years.\u00a0 He opposed tens of millions of dollars of corporate welfare given to Northrop Grumman<\/a> even while many Democrats (including some from<\/a> Montgomery County<\/a>) supported it. \u00a0His greatest triumph was passing a constitutional amendment<\/a> that would allow special elections for U.S. Senate, Comptroller and Attorney General vacancies.\u00a0 (This is subject to approval by voters.)<\/p>\n Moon\u2019s work on criminal justice has produced something that\u2019s uncommon for MoCo legislators: growing collaboration on a key priority with lawmakers from the City of Baltimore and Prince George\u2019s County, who often co-sponsor his bills.\u00a0 Moon has also helped create an informal group of cooperating progressives who resist reactionary bills no matter their source \u2013 even including the Democratic leadership.\u00a0 A progressive caucus is a long-time dream of the left, but Annapolis leaders have always prevented it through a combination of pressure and cooptation.\u00a0 Such tactics do not work on the indefatigable Moon.\u00a0 He will not and cannot be deterred.<\/p>\n David Moon is an unusual elected official.\u00a0 His experience as one of MoCo\u2019s top campaigners has given him the ability to pursue big picture goals through patience, methodical assemblage of leverage and the implementation of tactics designed to build momentum.\u00a0 He has demonstrated that capacity throughout his entire career, both in office and out.\u00a0 He has worked on nearly the entire spectrum of progressive issues.\u00a0 His priorities are perfectly in line with District 20 Democrats, who are probably the most progressive constituency in the entire state.\u00a0 He is the natural heir to Jamie Raskin.\u00a0 While I can appreciate the perspective of those who would like to appoint a caretaker<\/a> to serve out the rest of Senator Raskin\u2019s term and there are other good people available, the prospect of sending Moon to the upper chamber has too much upside to resist.<\/p>\n David Moon for Senate.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Adam Pagnucco. (Editor’s Note: As always, this post–and endorsement–reflects the views of the author. No broader support or opposition to David Moon is meant by this post or note.) I still remember the day I first met one of the great masterminds of MoCo politics. It was March 2008.\u00a0 A group of us gathered … Continue reading David Moon for Senate<\/span>