Last night I attended Courtney Watson's fundraiser at Shanty Grille. To be quite honest, I was not planning on attending until about 3 pm that afternoon. It has nothing to do with Courtney or who I support in what race. I just felt like staying in.
But after the enticement of a beer from a friend, I decided to make it out, and I'm glad I did.
I've been to a number of political fundraisers in this County. By my count, over the past four years, I've been to about 14. Some were for little known candidates without a chance of prevailing. Others were for big shot candidates that had no idea I was there. In either case, you normally see segments of what I like to call the "HoCo Politerati" in attendance. Each party has their own set. The Politerati are made up of business leaders, community activists, and, for lack of a better term, "party groupies" that attend every event on the calendar, order the same drinks, and stake out for enough appetizers to make a meal out of the event.
I like to hang out with this group. They know what's happening and always have a "you didn't hear this from me" story that I can't print, but enjoy hearing about all the same. (I especially like how big their eyes get when I ask "Can I quote you on that?").
The interesting thing about Courtney's event was that it was low on Politerati. The room was packed elbow-to-pocketwatch, but was made up of mostly new folks that I had not seen at other events. In fact, one of the other politicians I saw at the event looked like they couldn't find anyone to speak with. The Politerati would never let that happen.
Bottom line: It is still very early, but Courtney Watson's ability to bring in folks from outside of the political inner circle is going to be her biggest strength in 2014; in whatever context or opponent she may face. I've heard many say that the Redistricting Map imbroglio was all about making D1 enticing enough for Courtney to sit out the Executive race in 2014. That dog won't hunt. Courtney has a serious issue of winning over Columbia Democrats, but other than that, she will be a formidable candidate for any race she chooses.
Last night was impressive. And the beer was cold.
LINKS
In the contentious race for the Dem nomination in Congressional District 6, Gov. O'Malley has indicated that he will be endorsing State Senator Rob Garagiola. This race is very interesting for MD politi-watchers, as Garagiola's opponent, John Delaney, has the endorsement of Bill Clinton and Comptroller Peter Franchot. As noted in the piece, Delaney has also out-raised Garagiola "three-to-one."
The Mega Millions jackpot is causing many across Maryland to interrupt their commutes for a shiny pink ticket. You know, $10 million, pish posh. $500 million, now we're talking. WB gave me a ticket last night, which just so happened to have my lucky number "05 15" (long story, ask me later).
The Columbia Association has put together another great event in its speaker series, this time focusing on Cycling Innovations and Planning with Columbia Resident Jennifer Toole. I've seen Jennifer speak at a previous Connectivity work session and have been very impressed. I look forward to this event and will be blocking off the calendar.
Featured Blog Post of the Day: WB, rightfully, protests the fact that his independent ballot does not allow him the opportunity to vote for judges. In doing so, he has found himself in rare company of voters who want to vote for judges on the circuit court. Everyone else wonders why.
That's all for today. Have a great Thursday doing what you love!
