In our ten-year dataset of MoCo political contributions, business entities and PACs accounted for 27.1% of all receipts and labor PACs and political clubs accounted for 4.9%. Here are the leaders for each category.
Total Receipts from Business Entities (Including PACs but not Individuals)
1. Steve Silverman, County Council/Executive Challenger: $1,437,988
2. Ike Leggett, County Executive: $372,996
3. Rob Garagiola, Senator (D-15): $310,427
4. Sheila Hixson, Delegate (D-20): $206,779
5. Howard Denis, County Council: $187,102
6. Kumar Barve, House Majority Leader (D-17): $180,766
7. George Leventhal, County Council: $177,019
8. Herman Taylor, Delegate (D-14): $164,662
9. Nancy Floreen, County Council: $146,531
10. Brian Feldman, Delegate (D-15): $129,809
Percentage of Total Receipts from Business Entities (Including PACs but not Individuals)
1. Sheila Hixson, Delegate (D-20): 52.7%
2. Kumar Barve, House Majority Leader (D-17): 52.1%
3. Nancy King, Senator (D-39): 49.2%
4. Jennie Forehand, Senator (D-17): 46.6%
5. Luiz Simmons, Delegate (D-17): 46.4%
6. Steve Silverman, County Council/Executive Challenger: 45.8%
7. Brian Feldman, Delegate (D-15): 44.4%
8. Rob Garagiola, Senator (D-15): 37.8%
9. Steve Abrams, School Board/County Council Challenger: 36.6%
10. Cheryl Kagan, Delegate/Senate Challenger (D-17): 35.8%
61. Tom DeGonia, Delegate Challenger (D-19): 0.0%
61. Reggie Oldak, Delegate Challenger (D-16): 0.0%
59. Robin Ficker, County Executive/Council Challenger: 0.1%
58. Alec Stone, Delegate Challenger (D-19): 0.2%
57. Phil Andrews, County Council: 0.3%
56. Duchy Trachtenberg, County Council: 0.3%
55. Bill Frick, Delegate (D-16): 0.8%
54. Al Carr, Delegate (D-18): 2.0%
53. Dana Beyer, Delegate Challenger (D-18): 2.1%
52. Jamie Raskin, Senator (D-20): 2.7%
Many of the state legislators who lead in the business category have key positions in Annapolis. Sheila Hixson is the Chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which includes taxes and slots in its portfolio. Kumar Barve chairs the revenue subcommittee of Ways and Means and is the House Majority Leader. Brian Feldman chairs the banking subcommittee on the House Economic Matters Committee. Rob Garagiola is the only MoCo member of the Senate Finance Committee, which covers banking, insurance, slots and utility regulation, and is a possible future contender for the Senate Presidency. Howard Denis was the last Republican County Council Member and represented Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.
Total Receipts from Labor
1. Tom Hucker, Delegate (D-20): $92,427
2. Nancy Navarro, School Board/County Council: $68,231
3. George Leventhal, County Council: $62,949
4. Rob Garagiola, Senator (D-15): $53,123
5. Valerie Ervin, County Council: $45,072
6. Howard Denis, County Council: $41,350
7. Ike Leggett, County Executive: $34,040
8. Herman Taylor, Delegate (D-14): $31,450
9. Sheila Hixson, Delegate (D-20): $28,550
10. Mike Knapp, County Council: $26,340
Percentage of Total Receipts from Labor
1. Tom Hucker, Delegate (D-20): 49.3%
2. Valerie Ervin, County Council: 32.5%
3. Nancy Navarro, School Board/County Council: 27.8%
4. Laura Berthiaume, Delegate/School Board: 17.3%
5. Charles Barkley, Delegate (D-39): 15.4%
6. Marc Elrich, County Council: 14.2%
7. Henry Heller, Delegate (D-19): 13.7%
8. Roger Manno, Delegate (D-19): 12.8%
9. Nancy King, Senator (D-39): 10.6%
10. George Leventhal, County Council: 10.6%
Tied at 0.0%
Phil Andrews, County Council
Dana Beyer, Delegate Challenger (D-18)
Sharon Dooley, County Council Challenger
Robin Ficker, County Executive/Council Challenger
Guled Kassim, Delegate/County Council Challenger
Ben Kramer, Delegate/County Council Challenger
Cary Lamari, County Council Challenger
Reggie Oldak, Delegate Challenger (D-16)
Ryan Spiegel, Delegate Challenger (D-17)
Alec Stone, Delegate Challenger (D-19)
Craig Zucker, Delegate Challenger (D-14)
Tom Hucker founded Progressive Maryland and was its first Executive Director. He later worked for the Laborers Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizing Coalition. Valerie Ervin was a union member, organizer and educator for twenty-five years before becoming George Leventhal’s Chief of Staff. Nancy Navarro ran in two special elections in which the county’s public employee unions perceived that their contracts were endangered. Laura Berthiaume was MCEA’s choice to knock out former School Board member Steve Abrams. Elrich is an MCEA member and Elrich, Ervin and Leventhal were among the co-sponsors of the 2008 Prevailing Wage Law.
In most races, labor money has not been that significant. Labor’s strength comes from different sources, including MCEA’s powerful Apple Ballot, the unions’ ability to turn out volunteers and their efforts to communicate their endorsements to their own members.
We’ll look at self-funding tomorrow.