Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Montgomery County Democrats will have six candidates to choose from in the June 26th primary for county executive.

All six are strong candidates according to Maryland Matters editor Josh Kurtz, but he said most observers of county politics would probably agree that it’s a two person race between Montgomery County Council member Marc Elrich and Potomac businessman David Blair who recently picked up the endorsement of the Washington Post editorial board.

“Could it change in the next month, maybe, but I think that’s gonna be harder as we get closer to the, to the primary date,” Kurtz said.

The Post’s endorsement is an important one according to Kurtz. Even though the paper’s editorial board has endorsed Elrich in his campaigns for county council, Kurtz was not surprised the board didn’t endorse him this time around.

“The Post editorial board, at least, has always been very skeptical of some of the groups that are behind Marc Elrich,” said Kurtz specifically citing his support from labor unions.

According to Kurtz, if the other four candidates – council members George Leventhal and Roger Berliner, Del. Bill Frick and former Rockville mayor Rose Krasnow – want their campaigns to gain traction, they will have to figure out how to attract voters beyond their normal bases.

Kurtz believes micro-targeting and running negative campaigns ads are two ways the other candidates could potentially pull ahead.

Berliner has already started running an ad that compares Blair to President Donald Trump calling him “another rich guy with zero government experience spending his millions to buy this election.”

Kurtz said Blair has the deepest pockets and has used his own money to run more ads than the other candidates, which has helped him get the name recognition he lacked when the race started.

Candidates are also trying to differentiate themselves from the pack by highlighting their life experiences and familiarity with the issues.

Leventhal put out an unconventional ad that resembles a movie trailer to stand out. In it, he is referred to as “Avenger MoCo.”

There will not be a Republican primary for county executive because attorney Robin Ficker is the only person running.

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