After losing a close race in 2010, Republican Steve Waugh feels battle-tested and prepared for his next campaign. The Lusby resident and Marine veteran recently filed for the Maryland State Senate seat in District 29, which represents St. Mary’s County and the southern portion of Calvert.
The seat is currently occupied by veteran lawmaker Roy Dyson, a Democrat, who would be seeking a sixth four-year term in the Maryland General Assembly’s upper chamber.
One other Republican, St. Mary’s County Commissioner Cindy Jones, has also announced that she will be running for the state senate in District 29. Neither Dyson nor Jones has formally filed to run but both have scheduled campaign events this month.
In 2010, Dyson defeated Waugh by 1,278 votes. Waugh took the Calvert County portion of the district by nearly 700 votes.
The tone and tenor of Waugh’s celebratory campaign event at D.B. McMillan’s in California Thursday evening, Nov. 14 clearly indicated that Maryland Republicans will be running against the policies of President Barack Obama and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in 2014.
“This year is going to be a victory for our party,” St. Mary’s County Commissioner Dan Morris predicted. While Morris affirmed he is not a candidate in 2014, he pledged to raise money for Waugh and other GOP candidates.
“Steve is young, bright and intelligent, a wonderful problem-solver,” said Calvert Commissioner Susan Shaw, who told the audience she has gotten a vivid picture of the workings in Annapolis through her involvement with the Maryland Association of Counties. Shaw described the Maryland General Assembly as “a sewer—we need people like Steve to go there and clean it up.”
Several political leaders from both counties were at the Nov. 14 event, including Jones.
Three state party leaders—Maryland GOP Chair Diana Waterman, Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley of District 4 and Senator Joseph M. Getty of District 5—also attended the event and urged the party members to work hard in 2014.
“We will turn the tide if we have great candidates,” said Waterman, who encouraged the attendees to “write checks” in support of the Republican office-seekers. “Dig really deep.”
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