ROYCE HANSON
TO RUN FOR
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
COUNCIL DISTRICT 2
"Shocking" Announcement No Surprise to
The Washington Post is reporting that former Montgomery County Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson (whom readers of this blog know as Dr. Yes) will announce his candidacy for the District 2 County Council seat early next week.
This is not a surprise to loyal readers here, because I predicted this would happen last year! On this very blog. The only difference is, I thought he would run At-Large, because Nancy Floreen would not have the audacity to run for reelection (the fact that the incumbents are all running again, with the records they have, qualifies as the only true shock of this election year).
So forgive me for not sharing the surprise of most people.
The stage is now set for a battle royale between two prominent Montgomery County politicians who both have decades of political activity: Royce Hanson, and Robin Ficker, the 99.9% certain Republican nominee for the seat currently held by Democrat Mike Knapp.
But wait, there's more. A majority of the Democrat establishment in Montgomery County has already annointed Del. Craig Rice as the next councilman from District 2, including the MCEA (before he had even filed!!) and Mr. Knapp himself.
Now what are they going to do? Stand by Craig Rice, thereby setting up a second battle royale in the primary? Or boldly drop Del. Rice and switch to the "sure thing," Dr. Yes?
If you have any interest in politics, this is going to be fascinating.
And possibly entertaining.
Don't forget, that despite her community involvement, prior run for the seat, and early head start in the race, the Powers That Be have already dismissed Sharon Dooley.
That leaves Rice and Hanson.
What will Del. Rice do now? Had a Republican stepped forward to run in District 15, the Rice seat would have been in jeopardy, as he only beat the late Jean Cryor by about 50 votes. So, at the time, the switch to the council race was probably a smart one.
Especially because it must have been communicated to him that he would receive a bounty of endorsements and money, were he to run. I have met Del. Rice during the 2006 campaign, and I was impressed by him and his campaign staff, who seemed like very nice people. He's certainly a politician with a long future ahead of him in Montgomery County and the state of Maryland. But still, I think even many Democrats were taken somewhat aback by the torrent of endorsements for a one term delegate.
So now that the media was positing Rice as the guaranteed winner (although Robin Ficker and the voters might have something to say about that), why would the Establishment put Hanson forward at the 11th hour?
Rice represents the future of the Democratic party, and we have already witnessed this generational and ideological struggle in the Saqib Ali-Nancy King matchup. Progressives, and especially younger progressives, are actively supporting Ali in that race.
Now the "unlimited development" faction of the party (think Steve Silverman, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Mike Knapp) is stepping in. If you want "smart growth," meaning unlimited development, Hanson is your man. Just remember, he was not only the guy behind the current plan to urbanize suburban neighborhoods, but he was also the mastermind behind Carmageddon West (Science City) and Carmageddon East (White Flint). You know, the master plans that say, don't worry about infrastructure, we'll accept 9 mph as a top speed(!!).
And Hanson is man who apparently causes that faction to bow when he enters a room.
But here's another interesting point... Not only would Rice be the stronger candidate among the new voters who went to the polls for the first time in 2008 (they tend to be younger and the name Royce Hanson doesn't ring a bell for them), but consider something else:
Craig Rice has done something Royce Hanson never has: WIN!
Hanson lost two elections decades ago, one of them to the legendary Gilbert Gude for Congress.
If the Powers That Be can somehow negate the wide lead Rice has with endorsements, I can imagine Hanson receiving the endorsements of the Post and Gazette.
Older Democrats will supposedly swoon with nostalgia upon hearing of Hanson's announcement. Will they negate the younger voters in the primary?
Del. Rice must now be wondering if he actually left a sure reelection and wandered into what can only be described as a battle royale. Will he be instructed by the party to withdraw and file for delegate again? With, surprisingly, no Republican answering the call of a competitive seat in District 15, the way is pretty clear for Rice's reelection.
Or will he stand his ground and take on the challenge of what could be one of the biggest primary showdowns in county history (like the Leggett-Silverman 2006 race)?
If you can put partisan politics aside, and are a politics fanatic, prepare to enjoy all the intrigue of a classic political showdown; it's sure to be a race for the ages. And a win for the developers, if the Powers That Be can just go ahead and "take the controls."
But is it a fight for the future of the Democratic Party? Or, with Royce Hanson running on legend and nostalgia, is it a fight for the past?
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