Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III recently revealed that he is seriously looking at running for governor in 2018.
Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III
On the Sept. 23 edition of “The Kojo Nnamdi Show” that is broadcast on WAMU 88.5 FM, Baker responded to an inquiry on whether he will run for Maryland’s top elected position in two years.
“I am talking to my family and after the presidential election, I will make a decision,” he said.
Baker said he “wanted to use time and talents to help the state” and that the Nov. 8 General Election is a priority at this time.
“I want to help Chris Van Hollen win the Senate seat, Anthony Brown to the U.S. House of Representatives and Hillary Clinton to be the next president of the United States,” he said. “After the election, I will have time to think about 2018.”
Baker is one of several politicians reported to be interested in being the state’s next chief executive. There is talk among Democratic circles about former Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and former Howard County Executive Ken Ullman, who was Brown’s running mate in 2014 during the Democratic Party primary.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has not publicly announced for re-election but is expected to do so.
Former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey told the AFRO that Baker running against Hogan will be an uphill battle.
“Larry Hogan is popular, and Rushern will have a tough race,” Ivey said. “If he runs, he will have a lot of work to do and he will have to raise a ton of money.”
Nevertheless, Ivey said Baker has a shot at the governor’s mansion.
“He has done a good job as county executive and the county is definitely on the move,” he said. “There is a decline in crime and school test scores have risen.”
While Ivey is positive about Baker’s performance as county executive and thinks it gives him a good shot at being governor, not everyone is convinced.
“I am on the fence about Rushern Baker running for governor,” Rodney Dickerson, a resident of Glendale, Md., told the AFRO. “I want to see who else is running before I make a decision. It makes no difference to me that he is the county executive here in Prince George’s County. I want to see who has the talent to lead the state of Maryland.”