Democrats Line Up for House Seat
Thursday, May 4, 2006; Page GZ02
Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr.'s (D) decision to run for the state Senate has set off a scramble to replace him as one of the three District 18 House members.
Madaleno, 40, is the only candidate who has indicated his intention to run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Sharon M. Grosfeld in the district that includes Chevy Chase, Kensington and parts of Garrett Park.
"It was an excellent opportunity to move up to the Senate and take my unique skills to the Senate," said Madaleno, a first-term delegate who lives in Kensington.
Madaleno, whose been endorsed by Grosfeld, plans to run with Dels. Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jane E. Lawton on a slate. But there is a free-for-all for the third delegate seat from District 18.
According to party insiders, at least a half dozen Democrats are considering entering the race.
They include: Jeff Waldstreicher , a lawyer and precinct chair, Al Carr , a member of the Kensington City Council; Dana Beyer , a leader in Teachthefacts.org, an organization dedicated to teaching a progressive curriculum in county schools; Noah Grosfeld-Katz , Grosfeld's 21-year-old son; Oscar T. Ramirez , a Capitol Hill staff member for Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.), lawyer Daniel Farrington and Alan Banov , a member of the central committee.
Mahoney to Bow Out
In the end, lawyer John P. Mahoney apparently decided he couldn't put politics before his job.
Mahoney, the former president of the Maryland Young Democrats, announced last week that he is withdrawing from the delegate race in District 19.
Mahoney said an in e-mail to supporters that his law firm recently won a big federal contract that will require him to work hard over the next several months.
"This new client in the months ahead, in addition to preparing for the arrival of my family's third child in June, make it impossible for me to continue to run for the House of Delegates in the effective way that I would want to do so," Mahoney said.
It's the second time in the past two months that Mahoney, 36, has dropped out of a race.
Last year, he announced he would run for the Senate in District 19, which includes Leisure World and parts of Aspen Hill, Olney and Colesville.
