A Message from Gubernatorial Candidate George Owings:
On January 6, I embarked on a journey that would lead me all around our state, offering myself up as an alternative choice for the Democratic nomination for Governor. Speaking to as few as two law enforcement officers in Cambridge, to groups of people in Baltimore County, to a handful of people in Frederick, to Doni Glover’s audience on WOLB in the City, to a couple hundred in Prince Fredrick and beyond, I was out and about.
Yes, the lack of fund raising and limited speaking engagements were ever present, but that was anticipated, as I was taking on “the machine”. Be that as it may, I was fully prepared to go the distance with what limited opportunities were presented and with what little money I had available. Then, three days after a very successful fund- raiser in my home town of North Beach, the words as Robert Burns penned in his poem, “To A ‘Mouse”, rang true; “the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”
At 6 a.m. on May 25, I was admitted to Baltimore/Washington Medical Center where a serious emergency surgical procedure would take place at 8 a.m. Without a great deal of fanfare or detail, suffice it to say that after three days in intensive care and a bit longer in the hospital, I was sent home to recover. While I had every intention of mending quickly and getting back on the trail, my surgeon informed me that would not be the case, that a full recovery will take three months.
While my heart and mind remain focused and committed to the campaign, the reality is that limited energy and stamina, coupled with restricted travel, leave me without the ability to function at a level necessary to pull off what would have been an historic upset in Maryland politics. Accordingly, it is very difficult for me to announce my withdrawal from the race today, but it is the only option left to me.
From the mountains of Western Maryland to the beaches at Ocean City and all points in between, so many people need to be thanked for their tireless efforts, for donations, for volunteering and for support in general. They know who they are and I know they will accept a simple thank you as payment enough. I am deeply grateful and in their debt for all they have done on my behalf. Lastly and outside of this exercise we engage in every four years, I wish to thank my vascular surgeon, Marshall Benjamin and his team, for extending my life.
Now, let us all sit back and enjoy what will no doubt be a very, very hot summer, politically speaking.
Best,
George