Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News
Oakland —
OAKLAND — The battle for the District 1A seat in the Maryland House of Delegates won’t be fought until the general election, but both candidates have already hit the campaign trail.
Incumbent Republican Wendell Beitzel and Democrat challenger James “Smokey” Stanton are immersed in preparations and early campaigning efforts, looking ahead to Nov. 2.
Stanton said he’s spent about 10 months, before and after formally declaring his candidacy, talking with people and speaking before different organizations and civic groups.
Those talks have convinced him of a few things.
“The first is that people really are upset with the effectiveness of our representation in Annapolis,” Stanton said. “That shows in their concern about taxes, highway user revenues, concerns about not being effectively listened to by our elected officials.”
As part of his outreach Stanton has a website and also maintains his own Facebook page where he regularly posts information on events he plans to attend. He uses Facebook as a medium for people to contact him directly, something he said he’ll continue if elected.
“The nice thing about something like Facebook — the person who is sitting in their living room on their computer can make a comment or ask a question on their schedule,” he said.
Beitzel, too, has a campaign website and a Facebook page that is maintained by a campaign supporter.
He said the conversations he’s had with constituents show that people are most worried about the economy and how it will come home for them.
“There’s concern about the potential loss of jobs, and the potential, since the economy is on the downturn, that the government will seek to raise taxes,” he said. But Beitzel said he’s firmly against any tax increases.
As the sitting delegate, Beitzel said his No. 1 priority continues to be providing constituent services and answering complaints, despite the impending election.
As for his constituents’ feelings about their representation in Annapolis, Beitzel pointed to some of his major campaign donors as evidence of the effectiveness of his work. His war chest includes substantial contributions from coal companies, an industry he often defends in the statehouse. He strongly opposed a movement to eliminate the state’s coal tax credit.
“When you see who’s been my major supporters, it’s a clear indicator that they feel I’ve been responsive to their concerns and the issues that influence that particular segment of the economy,” he said. “They apparently feel that I've been an effective representative in Annapolis for legislative issues.”
Both candidates were required to submit their first campaign finance reports by Aug. 17.
Beitzel’s reported contributions totalled $9,875, plus nearly $1,000 from Maryland political action committee accounts. Stanton reported a paltry $210, all in individual donations, but explained that his campaign fundraising efforts had only recently gotten under way.
The candidates’ second campaign finance reports are due Sept. 3.
Both candidates said they plan to ramp up their campaigning and fundraising efforts after the Sept. 14 primary.
Contact Megan Miller at mmiller@times-news.com.
