Floreen Pressing Forward with Independent Campaign
Councilwoman Nancy Floreen announced Wednesday she would pursue an independent candidacy for Montgomery County executive, the latest step in an already tumultuous 2018 election.
Floreen’s decision comes two days after the Montgomery County Board of Elections completed tallying absentee and provisional ballots in the Democratic primary for the county executive’s race.
With all the ballots counted, Councilmember Marc Elrich of Takoma Park defeated health care executive David Blair of Potomac, 37,529 to 37,449, each garnering about 29 percent of the Democratic vote total.
To qualify for the Nov. 6 ballot, the four-term county councilmember needs to present the elections board by Aug. 2 nearly 7,000 valid signatures of Montgomery County registered voters.
Floreen had few details about how she would do that.
“The plan is being put together as we speak,” she said. “This whole effort has been put together in a very short time.”
Floreen filed her intent to run as an independent on July 2, while the elections board was still tallying the votes from the previous week’s primary. The state elections board accepted her candidacy July 9.
“I appreciate the support I’ve received from an unbelievable range of people. It’s kind of humbling and I say that from the heart,” she said.
Meanwhile, Blair wrote his supporters asking anyone who voted for him using an absentee or provisional ballot to contact the campaign.
“We will work with you to verify the status of your vote. If your vote was improperly rejected for any reason, including the errors by the MVA, we will work to ensure the error is corrected and your vote is counted,” the email reads. A computer glitch at the Motor Vehicles Administration forced 80,000 voters to use provisional ballots because updates to their registration were not recorded.
Elrich did not return a call seeking comment.
In her prepared statement announcing her independent candidacy, Floreen said neither Elrich nor Blair had a mandate.
“The critical interests of Montgomery County families are ill-served when any candidate can prevail with barely 29 percent of the one-third of Democrats who turned out, the Republicans had no choice at all, and the county’s 150,000 independent voters were prevented by law from voting in either contest,” Floreen wrote in a prepared statement.
“There is no mandate here. Most county voters have yet to be heard from.”
She said she was determined to give the county a third, independent choice.
In a telephone interview, Blair said his supporters were asking him to pursue a recount of the Democratic primary ballots.
He said he hadn’t heard about Floreen’s decision to run as an independent in the fall.
“I haven’t spent one iota about the November election,” he said. “I’m keenly focused on getting the June primary completed.”
I am concerned that Floreen’s entry in the race will result in more county Republicans and pro-business independents voting
than would otherwise. They might not have voted because they figure Hogan is a shoo-in. However, they will now vote making it harder for Jealous to win. I am also concerned that Floreen’s agenda is so pro-business that ignores many of our social goals such as quality education for all, adequate housing for all, etc.