Sarah Elfreth has declared her candidacy for the Senate seat possibly being vacated by long-time Senator John Astle. In a release sent out today, Elfreth said that there will be a more formal announcement in mid-July. We understand that the delay is to allow House Speaker Mike Busch to continue recovering from surgery so he can attend. Busch is a supporter of Elfreth.
According to her website, the main focus of her campaign will be jobs, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, improving schools, and strengthen South County’s economy.
In terms of background, Elfreth is a Towson graduate, and was named by then-Governor O’Malley as the student representative to the University System Board of Regents. She earned her Masters in Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University. Locally, Elfreth has served on the Board of the Ward 1 Residents Association and also was President of the D30 Democrat Club. Professionally she has held positions with Rep Steny Hoyer’s office on Capitol Hill, the National Aquarium, and most recently Margrave which is former Howard County Executive Ken Ullman’s company that is focused on redevelopment of College Park and Towson.
District 30 is a deeply divided district and Elfreth has some stiff republican competition already running for the office. Former Delegate Ron George has declared his campaign and has been raising money and finding supporters. Also, Delegate Herb McMillan is considering a run for the seat.
As Senator Astle explained to The Maryland Crabs, District 30 is tough as it is divided into two sections… A and B. A is Annapolis and the Senator feels she could win that. B is South County and is a different animal. (49:00).
Despite a slight delay in a formal announcement, Elfreth is not waiting to hit the ground running. She will be marching in the Fourth of July Parades in Annapolis, Galesville, and Shady Side.
