David Blair's "grass roots" campaign for Montgomery County Executive: A slice of life from the trail.

Earlier this evening, there was a knock on our door from a young man wearing a David Blair T-Shirt and carrying campaign literature.  I opened the door, and gently explained to him why I was not going to vote for Mr. Blair for Montgomery County Executive:  That Mr. Blair had no public sector experience; no history of social engagement in the County (or anywhere else); had not demonstrated any history of public service; had not voted in Democratic primaries; and, indeed, had been a Republican.  And that while I thought it unfair to morph him into Donald Trump in TV ads, I really had no way to judge him – in contrast to the other candidates, who have long records of public service which I could examine.

The young man seemed a bit dazed, and I felt a tiny bit badly about not giving him a chance to make his pitch.  So I apologized, and asked him to present his reasons why he thinks Mr. Blair should be elected County Executive. 

He responded that he really did not have anything to say, that he was new at this job.  I then asked why he was taking the time to go door-to-door for Mr. Blair.  He said that he was friends of Mr. Blair’s family.  I said that that was nice, but asked why he thinks we should elect Mr. Blair to be County Executive.  No answer, but it turned out that he was being paid.

I complimented him on getting involved in civic affairs, and urged him next time to examine the candidate and the issues before campaigning. 

The conventional wisdom is that the Washington Post endorsement of Mr. Blair gives him the edge in the race against five long-time office holders, particularly since it only takes a plurality to win the nomination.  Maybe so.  But this encounter with Mr. Blair's "grass-roots" operation reinforces my belief that nominating him would be a mistake.  I will vote for the best candidate who appears to be most likely to secure the plurality.

(NB:  I think this year's experience shows that in Montgomery County, we need to have run-offs in the primaries, if no one gets a majority.)