Good News for Democrats
A note from the Chair on Taylor Mehmet's win in Texas State Senate District 9
I woke up this morning to the news that Taylor Rehmet had won a special election in Texas’ 9th State Senate district by 14 points. We’ve heard about Democratic wins in special elections before, but this one hit me differently, not just because it’s a district that Trump won by 17 points in 2024 and that the Republican candidate had won that seat by 20 points in 2022, but because I grew up not far from that district in Denton, Texas. I’m not going to pretend that the situations in TX Senate 9 and Harford County are exact parallels, but the swings in multiple other special elections in areas across the country point to widespread opportunities for Democratic candidates.
So my message to the Democrats of Harford County is this: if a district as red as Texas’ 9th is vulnerable to be flipped Blue, then so is every seat in Harford County. That includes our Delegate seats, including 7A, 34B, 35A, and State Senate seats 7 and 35. It includes all of the County Council seats currently held by Republicans (Districts B, C, D, and E).
There are many reasons to get into a race, the thought of the thrill of victory being only one of them. Among some others:
You can run to make Republican candidates spend time and effort defending their seats - money and effort that might otherwise be spent elsewhere.
You can run to spread your message - is there an issue that you care deeply about that you want others to know about?
You can run to stand up for your values. Don’t agree with your current representation? There’s no better way to show what you stand for than by running on your own values.
But we cannot win those seats if we don’t field a candidate, and we still have races that are wide open. You can check at the Maryland Board of Elections website for the current candidates. If any of those apply to you, there’s still time to build a campaign and file. Please let us know by filling out our Candidate Interest Form!
If you’ve already filled it out and haven’t heard from us, you may be in a district where a Democrat has already filed, and we’re focusing on getting candidates into currently empty slots. We hope to hear from you soon.
Yours,
Sandy Gibbons, Chair
Upcoming Events
Harford County Council Meeting - Tuesday February 3 and February 17, 7:30 pm. You can advocate for the county-wide issues you care about by signing up to make a public comment! Speakers get 3 minutes to speak on issues of their choice.
Harford Democratic Club Meeting - Feb. 4, 7 pm, Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen. The topic of discussion will be “The Power of Community: Unveiling the Importance of Local Government”
VAN and Field Operations Training for Candidates and Campaign Staff – Thursday, Feb 5, 6-8 pm – Justin Butler, Party Affairs Coordinator for the Maryland Democratic Party, will be offering a free online session for Harford County Candidates for local and state offices. Register here to attend: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/WoqU4t_rSDqrfWAht-9A_g
HCDCC Vacancy Application Deadline - Feb 11. We are seeking a female or non-binary member to fill a vacancy on the Committee until the completion of this Term in November. Details for application process are on the front page of our Website.
HCDCC Regular Business Meeting - Feb. 18, 7 pm. Location TBD. Agenda will include filling the vacancy and the HCDCC budget/spend plan for 2026. Attend on Zoom by registering here.
Candidate Filing Deadline - Feb. 24. Learn more about the filing process at harfordvotes.gov, at the Maryland Board of Elections website. Remember that candidates filing for state offices (including Delegate and Senator) must do so in Annapolis, so plan ahead. See below for additional training resources.
Online Candidate Training Resources:
Online trainings on a broad variety of topics – from basic running for office to advanced training in communications, field operations, and strategy are available at www.traindemocrats.org
Maryland Democratic Party offers numerous online resources for new candidates at www.contesteveryseatmd.com