Baltimore County Republicans are looking for a credible candidate to run against County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, and time is running out.
The incumbent holds a very strong hand. The Democrat’s cards include a million dollar war chest. He presides over a county that is becoming increasingly Democratic. And Kamenetz is running on a record that even a Republican, Councilman David Marks, says is pretty good. “The overall record of taxes I’m very pleased with,” Marks says. “And I’m very pleased with the investments the county is making in terms of its schools and its infrastructure.”
At a recent meeting of the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee, Chairman John Fiastro said they are talking to people about challenging Kamenetz. Fiastro says whether the Republicans can field an electable candidate is the wrong question to ask. “The question really is does Kevin Kamenetz have a record that is defendable, and my answer is no,” Fiastro said.
Fiastro is most critical of Kamenetz’s support of storm water management fees, dubbed the rain tax by opponents. Fiastro says four years ago, the party’s nominee, Ken Holt, ran a strong race against Kamenetz, winning 46 percent of the vote. He also looks back on the 1990 race for county executive for inspiration. In that contest, Republican Roger Hayden beat incumbent Democrat Dennis Rasmussen.
“It’s not an easy thing to win in Baltimore County,” Fiastro says. “But every 20 years, sometimes the issues line up in our favor.”
But it’s reality check time for the Baltimore County GOP. Hayden had been a lifelong Democrat before switching parties in 1990 to take on Rasmussen, who was unpopular. And four years later, Hayden was defeated by Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger. Since then, Democrats have had a lock on the seat.
Additionally, Democratic voter registration has increased.
In 2000, Democrats outnumbered Republicans in Baltimore County by more than 2-1. From 2000 to 2012, Democrats added more than 47,000 voters. The Republicans added only about 21,000 registered voters during that period.
In addition, more African Americans, who vote overwhelmingly Democratic, are moving to Baltimore County. U.S. Census figures show the county’s African American population increased from around 20 percent in 2000 to about 26 percent in 2010.
No matter. Former county GOP committee chairman Tony Campbell says he intends to file for the race later this week. Campbell, who is black, says Kamenetz won in 2010 because he rolled up big numbers in western Baltimore County. “So if you can solve that puzzle between Route 40 and Greenspring, I think any Republican has a chance,” Campbell says.
Campbell resigned as chairman of the county GOP in 2011, after months of tension between him and members of the committee. But he says that will not hurt his run for county executive. He says several members of the committee have said they’ll support him.
The only other Republican who has filed is Gregory Prush, a relative unknown who finished last in a 2010 House of Delegates race.
In the meantime, Kamenetz says he enjoys the job and wants another four years. “My practice has always been if you do your job during the four years, in the election year things take care of themselves,” he says.
Without a strong Republican candidate, the re-election thing has a good chance of taking care of itself. The deadline to file for the primary is February 25.