WJZ's 2018 Gubernatorial Candidates Guide
The 2018 Maryland gubernatorial primaries are June 26 and the election is November 6. Here's a comprehensive list of who's running, along with their running mates.
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
- Elected governor in 2014
- Won 20/23 Md. counties
- The state's second Republican governor in 50 years
- prior to entering politics he was a small businessman
- Served under former Gov. Bob Ehrlich as secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services
- Running mate - Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford
- Rutherford was administrator for the U.S. General Services Administration prior to being elected lieutenant governor
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
Prince George's Co. Executive Rushern Baker
- Elected Prince George's County executive in 2010. Won reelection in 2014
- Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates. Represented Prince George's County from 1994 - 2003
- Graduated from Howard University/Howard University Law
- Running mate - 2016 Baltimore mayoral candidate Elizabeth Embry
- Embry ran an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Baltimore in 2016
- Embry currently serves as chief of the Criminal Division of the Maryland Attorney General's Office
Rushern Baker did not answer WJZ's questionaire
Baltimore Co. Teacher Ralph Jaffe
- Self-described as the leader of the movement to stop corruption in government
- Long-time teacher in Baltimore County
- Previously ran for Maryland governor in 2010 and 2014 and also for U.S. Senate in 2016
- Running mate - sister Freda Jaffe
Ralph Jaffe did not answer WJZ's questionaire
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous
- Civil rights leader/youngest president and CEO of NAACP
- Former investigative journalist and a Rhodes scholar
- Currently an investor for investment firm Kapor Capital that invests in companies working to create progressive social change
- Running mate - Susan Turnball
- Turnball was previously vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party
- Turnball also served as an senior adviser to several members of Congress
James Hugh Jones II
[No photo available]
- Resident of Baltimore City and a business owner
- Running mate - Charles Waters
James Jones did not answer WJZ's questionaire
- State senator from Montgomery County
- Legislative career started in the House of Delegates in 2007
- Would be the first openly gay person to be elected governor of Maryland
- Running mate - Luwanda Jenkins
- Jenkins is a Baltimore native who was a aide to former Gov. Martin O'Malley
- Jenkins was also COO of the Greater Baltimore Committee's Leadership Program
Alec Ross
- Author and tech entrepreneur from Baltimore
- Worked as a political appointee in the Obama administration
- Running mate - Julie Verratti
- Verratti was born and raised in Silver Spring
- Verrati worked for the Small Business Administration and is co-owner of a craft brewing company
Jim Shea
- Baltimore attorney and former chairman of the University of Maryland's Board of Regents
- Former chairman of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance
- Running mate - Brandon Scott
- Scott is a Baltimore City Council member representing Northeast Baltimore since 2011
- Scott is chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee
Krish Vignarajah
- Served as policy director for former First Lady Michelle Obama
- Was also a senior adviser at the State Department
- Running mate - Sharon Blake
- Blake is a former Baltimore City teachers and was president of the Baltimore Teachers Union
- First all-female ticket for Maryland governor since 1994
READ MORE ABOUT KRISH VIGNARAJAH
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Editor's Note: Valerie Ervin was removed from this guide when she dropped out on June 13. Kevin Kamenetz was also removed from this guide following his death. Kamenetz will remain on Maryland's ballot.
