Former Md. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele Considers Gubernatorial Bid
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- There's more buzz about the Maryland gubernatorial race. Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele used a national platform to talk about entering the race.
Political reporter Pat Warren has more on the 2014 primary.
The current lieutenant governor, Democrat Anthony Brown, is in the race.
The former lieutenant governor, Republican Michael Steele, is considering his own bid.
"I love the idea of service," Steele said Monday on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown." "I think we can move the state in a different direction."
Steele talked about the Maryland race the same day Harford County Executive David Craig, a Republican, announced his candidacy for governor.
Tuesday, Anne Arundel County Delegate Ron George, also a Republican, told WJZ he's entering the race.
There's a theme here, with Republicans pointing to job loss and economic hardship.
"We have people who are hurting, people who need jobs," George said.
"We've lost 30,000 employers over the last eight years," Steele said Monday.
"It's not working for our middle and working class taxpayers," Craig told a Dundalk audience. "It's not working for our small businesses."
As lieutenant governor, Brown can expect to take heat from the Republicans as part of the O'Malley administration--but he has to win the primary first.
Democrat and Attorney General Doug Gansler is making plans.
"And then when it becomes the appropriate time to announce running for governor, that will be when we do that kind of thing," Gansler said. "You want to wait."
On the Republican side, the field continues to grow.
"You know, I concentrate on my own race," George said when asked about the kind of race this is shaping up to be. "I'm not a negative type of guy."
George will officially announce his candidacy Wednesday.
The primary isn't until June 24, 2014, but candidates who are announcing early hope those announcements will give them a competitive advantage.
Steele says he has until the end of the year to decide. A spokesperson told WJZ any further announcement now would be premature.
