Old Line Elephant Maryland Conservative Blog

On 2014 GOP Contenders, Media Bias

In 2014, we have a general idea of who may run on the Republican side: Pat McDonough, Brian Murphy, David Craig, Blaine Young, Larry Hogan, Marty Madden, and Charles Lollar. The Gazette ran a piece on the potential 2014 contenders that discussed Murphy, Craig, Hogan, Madden, and Young. You could potentially argue that these may be the frontrunners, but I could see Lollar gaining some footing in some circles with his eloquent speaking ability and power to inspire voters. That said, read through the piece and you'll see something - how little time is spent on everyone but Madden.

Craig is called a frontrunner, then called a moderate. Hogan is spoken of more at length than Craig with emphasis on how hard of a time he'll have with Tea Party voters. Young is discussed, with a heavy focus on how hard a time he'll have among moderate voters. Murphy is said passingly as someone who got "pummeled by Ehrlich..." in 2010. Then comes Madden. They talk about how Madden is unsure if he's running. How he could appeal to moderate voters and how conservatives in the primary may have a hard time with him. The whole second half of the piece appears devoted to talking Madden and building him up. I feel like he's already the media's favorite, or at least the Gazette's favorite Republican. Not sure how I feel about that scenario.

In my opinion, Craig may be the guy already for 2014. He's got a fairly solid record as a County Executive, is not as moderate as the author of that piece thinks, and seems to be doing all the right things early on to establish himself as the frontrunner. I am a big Murphy fan - voted for him in the primary in 2010, do not regret that decision. I'd consider supporting him again - but honestly, I think it would be better for him to consider a bid for Comptroller. Him versus Campbell could turn into an interesting slug-fest, especially since I really like both of them. That said, both are qualified and both could give any Democrat a run for their money in an open race in the general election. What I know of Young's politics, I like. What I see as the big monkey that'll be on Young's back in terms of baggage, I'm worried about. I don't mind Hogan, I just was never all that excited about his candidacy when he almost ran in 2010. I felt he put forth a few good ideas, then chickened out when it looked like Ehrlich was running. Honestly - if you believe you are the best person for the job, run. If you don't, then don't even pretend to run like Hogan did in 2010. That's my opinion, though - feel free to disagree.

I wouldn't vote for McDonough for Governor and, frankly, I doubt he'll run. He always plays this game of, "I might run...or I might not..." for random offices every so many years. He never pulls the trigger, so don't hold your breath. I love Charles Lollar and think he will be an important face in the party for years to come. Do I think he'd make a good Governor? Possibly. Do I think it might not be his time for a bid for Governor? Possibly. I'm not sure - and part of me wanted him to try another bid for Congress this year. Regarding Madden - I really know nothing about Madden besides how the Gazette piece seemed to be ready to puff him up as a candidate. But, we shall see.

2014 isn't here yet, so all this is wild speculation. That said, it's fun and will be interesting to see what happens. Opinions welcome.