Charles Duffy of Political Pulse landed a nice scoop in his interview with Council Member Valerie Ervin. And we have the video to prove it!
Duffy noted the fact that Ervin had endorsed at-large County Council challenger Hans Riemer and asked her which at-large incumbent she was not going to endorse. Remember, all four are running again and if Ervin is supporting one challenger, by implication, she must want at least one incumbent gone. Ervin responded:
I am not going to endorse any other incumbent candidate or any other candidate. What I did for Hans was to say to Hans I believe in you. I think that other elected officials like myself need to encourage and get behind younger candidates. I’m not going to serve for fifty years. I mean, I think that the party needs a pipeline of new, talented people wanting to serve the community. And so that’s why I did it.
As an added bonus, Ervin compared Riemer to other progressive candidates she has endorsed, including Congresswoman Donna Edwards, Council Member Nancy Navarro and District 20 Senator Jamie Raskin – all of whom won.
This is obviously good for Riemer. Ervin’s endorsement is valuable, and it is even more valuable now that it is exclusive. But this is risky for Ervin herself.
That is because at least three – and possibly all four – at-large incumbents are going to return. Those who do are going to remember this with an evil eye and a sharpened blade. Moreover, the coalition of five who supported Nancy Navarro in last year’s District 4 race and installed Nancy Floreen as Council President may find it difficult if not impossible to all work together in this year’s election. So who benefits the most from all this? Riemer? Marc Elrich? Or Duchy Trachtenberg?
We’ll see.