The face of campaigning in Maryland is changing
By Kirstin Ellison
Posted on Wed Jun 07, 2006 at 05:25:39 PM EST
Fundraising in Maryland used to be much like fundraising anywhere else; candidates gather hundreds of supporters at big blowout events.
These days, however, candidates in Maryland are going about their political business a little differently, by hosting small private, invite-only gatherings at private residences and properties. Today's Baltimore Sun has an in-depth look at what this means for a local campaign for Howard County executive, and Common Cause Maryland places it in the bigger picture of money in politics:
Merdon, who is the Howard County Council chairman, raised $142,000 at the Gould event, which featured an appearance by Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. That put his fundraising well over the $300,000 mark, which is more than any other executive candidate has raised for a campaign in previous years.
Now, I'm certainly not an expert on Maryland politics, and perhaps someone out there can help me out and explain this to me - but what in the world does a candidate for county executive need over $300,000 for?
As for the larger implications of such amounts and strategies:
The public won't get a peek at who is donating all the cash until August, when the next round of campaign finance disclosure reports are filed.
That's a problem, according to Bobbie Walton, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, a nonprofit public interest watchdog group.
Private fundraisers aren't illegal, she said, but they serve to conceal from the public "information the public has a right to know." The time gap between the January and August filings is too long, she said.
"In the best of all possible worlds, they would have contributions posted on their Web sites so the public can see," Walton said.
And can I mention again that it's $300,000 for a county executive race?
Tags: Maryland, In the States, Howard County, fundraising, money in politics (all tags)
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