Rushern Baker, center, flanked by for Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, at the Calvert Democrats’ annual Goldstein Dinner earlier this year. Baker will be a candidate for governor in 2018.
Upper Marlboro, MD – Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III announced Wednesday, June 21 that he is running for Maryland governor. The announcement was made by way of a video message to news outlets and supporters. Baker is now the third Democrat to announce plans to challenge popular Republican Governor Larry Hogan, who will be seeking a second term in 2018.
Baker, 58, is a Georgia native who grew up in Massachusetts. He received two degrees from Howard University, including a law degree. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994. In 2002 and again in 2006, Baker ran unsuccessfully for county executive. He won election to that post in 2010 and was reelected in 2014.
Other Democrats in the running for governor are former NAACP chief Ben Jealous and tech entrepreneur Alec Ross. Other potential candidates have been rumored, including Congressman John Delaney, former attorney general Douglas F. Gansler, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com