By Adam Pagnucco.
Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill once said that “all politics is local.” Council Member Evan Glass, who is running for county executive, apparently agrees. He is running on a variant of this in the campaign email reproduced below.
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Subject: Supporting our federal workers
Dear [Name],
Just yesterday Donald Trump and RFK Jr fired thousands of our neighbors working at the FDA, NIH and HHS. Just weeks before, they dismantled USAID and began gutting the Department of Education.
These attacks don’t make our country stronger. What they do is undermine the health, public education, and the livelihoods of Montgomery County families. The harm isn’t speculative –– it’s happening now.
Some say I should stick to local issues and not talk about Trump. But when 70,000 of our neighbors are federal employees, and tens of thousands more are contractors, there’s no line between national and local.
National politics are Montgomery County politics.
When Montgomery County Public Schools receive $112 million from the Department of Education to support low-income students and those with special needs –– national politics are Montgomery County politics.
When we’re the third-largest life sciences hub in the country thanks to nearby federal research institutions –– national politics are Montgomery County politics.
I ask you to join me in standing up against these harmful attacks on our residents, on our values, and on the fabric of our community.
Montgomery County is strong and resilient because we take care of each other.
I stand with you.
Your neighbor,
Evan Glass
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So Council Member Will Jawando is running against developers and tax breaks for development projects. Council Member Andrew Friedson is running against tax increases. And Glass is running against Donald Trump.
Dear reader, which strategy makes the most sense to you?