Yikes! Tuesday morning, Maryland gubernatorial hopeful Douglas F. Gansler released a list of 41 Montgomery Co. politicians who endorsed his run. Unfortunately, two of those politicians, Del. Jeff Waldstreicher and Sen. Roger Manno, don’t actually endorse him. Waldstreicher has in fact endorsed Gansler’s main competition, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who Waldstreicher says “represents the same brand of progressive politics that I do.”
It was an honest mistake, apparently, and I guess it supports Gansler’s “outsider” persona. His measly 41 39 endorsements strike a huge contrast with Brown’s mile-long list. (Unfortunately, actually being the underdog — and not just striking an underdog pose — is a disadvantage by definition.)
The real silver lining is that this is by far the least embarrassing thing to have come up during Gansler’s campaign.
The backroom deals that accompany these endorsements are horrifying. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gansler had those endorsements until Brown’s promised them something at the last minute in exchange for them. That sort of thing happened all the time when I was (briefly) working on campaigns in Baltimore City.
Is therea position of State Clown he could run for?