Kevin Kamenetz Announces Candidacy For Governor

BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) - Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has officially announced his candidacy for the 2018 race for Maryland governor.

Kamenetz took to twitter early Monday morning, saying he would be running, and later held a news conference to announce his candidacy.

Kamenetz has been county executive since December 2010, and has recently butted heads with current governor Larry Hogan on several issues including the sale of a county government center in Dundalk to a developer, the pace of installing air conditioning in Baltimore County public schools, and whether to use pesticides to combat midges on the Back River.

Kamenetz has also been an strong advocate against President Donald Trump and his policies.

The Democratic primary for governor is a crowded one for next year's election.

The field already includes Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, state Sen. Richard Madaleno and former NAACP president Ben Jealous also is running, along with former Michelle Obama aide Krish Vignarajah, entrepreneur Alec Ross and lawyer Jim Shea.

The primary is June 26.

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