Tag Archives: Max Socol

District 18, Maryland Senate

Fierce Senate Primary: Waldstreicher v. Socol, Part II

Socol’s central barrier to closing the sale with many voters will be the very left-wing stances that caused him to run. Waldstreicher’s record is broadly progressive, so Socol must thread the needle of making Waldstreicher appear too cautious and too conservative but without coming off as too extreme.

A member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Socol has given voters a strong contrast. For starters, Socol has attacked Waldstreicher for being too cozy with the police union and weakening police reforms during a political moment when it was possible to achieve them. He favors civilian-review boards and supports marijuana decriminalization along with “reparations for those communities most harmed by the war on drugs.”

Socol’s call to “get police out of communities” and shift funding to mental health will appeal to some but concern others who want a visible police presence in a time of rising crime. Socol has also aligned himself with Del. Jhenelle Wilkins in support of rent stabilization and rent control.

Socol is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement that is anathema among many voters, even those critical of Israeli policy. Like Peter Beinart, Socol’s views don’t stem from mindlessly following the progressive crowd but long engagement with Israel. Socol has lived in Israel, and worked for years for Jewish organizations.

Though Beinart and Socol are passionately and proudly Jewish, as is Waldstreicher, voters who associate BDS with vocal antisemites and opposition to the existence of Israel as a Jewish State may not care. Younger Jewish voters tend to be less focused on Israel and more open to BDS, but their elders vote at far higher rates.

Socol supporters argue that foreign policy isn’t relevant in a debate for the state Senate. But it is if voters care about it. The General Assembly has considered legislation requiring the state’s pension funds not to invest in companies that boycott Israel, which Socol would oppose. Waldstreicher calls BDS “antisemitic—full stop”, cosponsored an anti-BDS bill in 2017, and supports Gov. Larry Hogan’s anti-BDS executive order.

In short, voters in District 18 have a real choice.

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District 18, Maryland Senate

Fierce Senate Primary: Waldstreicher v. Socol, Part I

The race between incumbent Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher and challenger Max Socol is one of the marquee races in Montgomery County this year. Waldstreicher was first elected to the House in 2006 and after three terms moved up to the Senate in 2018. Toppling an incumbent isn’t easy, but Socol sure is making him work for it.

Socol’s central argument is that Waldstreicher is too conservative and not enough of a fighter for progressive causes for District 18. Enough seem to agree to fuel Socol’s challenge, including former Sen. Sharon Grosfeld and former Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, who served with Jeff in the House for three terms and endorsed Socol.

This race first caught my eye when a crew of local activists whose backing I would have thought Waldstreicher nailed down years ago announced their support for his opponent. Some held fundraisers or meet-and-greets in their homes for him in past elections. So why is Waldstreicher facing this strong challenge?

Essentially, some see Waldstreicher as a cautious politician rather than a progressive champion or formidable tactician in the manner of former Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Sharon Grosfeld or Rich Madaleno. In the House, Waldstreicher developed a reputation as a chameleon and unreliable among his colleagues. Though tough fights are the ones in which you make tight friends and allies, he was reluctant to take positions on divisive issues.

Sources I respect tell me that Waldstreicher has grown in the Senate. He has become a strong ally of Senate President Bill Ferguson, including taking some tough votes, and his colleagues regard him well enough. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. When I have seen him on the dais, he has struck me as intelligent and engaged.

Still, some politically active constituents remain frustrated that Waldstreicher won’t engage with people he perceives as critical or insufficiently supportive. He avoids most forums, especially those with his opponent. Make no mistake, Waldstreicher remains an extremely hard-working campaigner who knocks on doors relentlessly. No one should underestimate his focus and determination.

Max Socol has raised a credible amount of money, even if he lags well behind Waldstreicher and also faces opposition from the Senate Democratic Caucus. Highly personable, he comes across as authentic and someone who genuinely cares. Socol now works as a political and community organizer. He’s organized a strong campaign with many volunteers and even managed to pick off some support from interest groups.

Most notably, perhaps, Socol won the support of Pro-Choice Maryland, a real surprise against an incumbent who has strongly emphasized his involvement and solid support for pro-choice causes in this and previous campaigns. He also has the support of CASA in Action—useful in a district with many Latino voters—and Progressive Maryland. Of course, Waldstreicher still has the bulk of endorsements, including the powerful county unions complete with the Apple ballot.

So bottom line, how should you vote? Hold on for Part 2, which highlights issue differences that may help you make that decision.

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District 18

D18 Forum Tonight for Open Nomination

It has been a busy weekend in Legislative District 18, where Del. Al Carr’s surprise last minute decision not to seek reelection has left open a vacant nomination.

Maryland Matters reported the drama as two candidates tried unsuccessfully to register for the vacancy at the last minute. Ardy Kamali, the Legislative Director for Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher’s office, arrived in time to file but lacked the required Treasurer. Town of Chevy Chase Councilmember Joel Rubin, also a Waldstreicher supporter, arrived moments too late.

No one else interested in the seat heard about the vacancy in time. Waldstreicher would certainly benefit if an ally rather than a potential challenger took the seat. MM Editor-in-Chief Danielle Gaines captured an incredible photo of Kamali fruitlessly trying to register as Rubin stood just outside of the locked door.

If Kamali or Rubin want to run in what is effectively the oddest race for a full delegate term being held this year, they’ll now have to apply to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC), which can fill the vacant nomination. MCDCC has to make the appointment on Tuesday night.

The District 18 Democratic Caucus has organized a candidate forum for Monday night that will be moderated by Danielle Gaines. You can register to watch by going to bit.ly/d18-04-18. Kudos to the Caucus for organizing the forum.

So who is running? Or rumored to be running? Candidates have until 11:59pm on Monday to submit a cover letter and resume to MCDCC, so we won’t even necessarily know all the candidates in advance of the forum. But here are some of the names being floated:

Shruti Bhatnagar. She is an appointed member of MCDCC and a member of the Maryland Democratic Party Executive Committee. Bhatnagar ran for an at-large county council seat in 2018 and came in fifteenth in the Democratic primary with 2.1% of the vote (equivalent to 8.4% if you assume that everyone voted for four candidates). She is a past chair of the Montgomery County Group of the Sierra Club and the D18 Democratic Caucus.

Aaron Kaufman was elected to MCDCC in 2018 and chairs its Issues Committee. He is a Senior Legislative Associate at the Jewish Federations of North America. Long active in District 18, he is best known as an advocate for disability rights and inclusion. Way back in 2007, when this blog was called Maryland Politics Watch, I published his testimony on a bill on health insurance before the General Assembly. Then Sen. Richard Madaleno said “you could have heard a pin drop while he spoke” and that “he really had an impact.”

Michael Tardif was appointed relatively recently to MCDCC but has been organizing and greatly improving their communications over the past two years. An architect, Tardif is the managing partner of Building Informatics Group. Tardif was named Democrat of the Year at the Montgomery County Democratic Party Gala in 2021. He has served on the Host Committee of a fundraiser for Max Socol, Waldstreicher’s challenger. Active in the LGBTQ Caucus, he joined Socol in calling for stronger police reforms.  

Leslie Milano ran for the House of Delegates four years ago and came in fourth in the Democratic primary with 14.2% of the vote, 1,557 behind now Del. Jared Solomon. Currently, she is President of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club. She is the Chief Executive Officer at APIC Consulting Services, which specializes in “infection prevention and control solutions.”

Joel Rubin is a Town of Chevy Chase councilmember, an office he won unopposed three times. He ran for the House of Delegates in 2018 and placed fifth with 11.2% or 2,011 votes out of the money. In 2016, he ran for the open Eighth CD and won only 1.1% or 1,426 votes. A former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and frequent media commentator, Rubin has also worked at J-Street, as Bernie Sanders’s Jewish liaison in 2020, and is now Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress.

Other people mentioned include Max Socol and Natali Fani-Gonzalez, though I expect both candidates to stick with their current races.

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District 18, Maryland Senate

Grosfeld endorses Socol

Most Maryland Senate incumbents face their fiercest challenges from sitting delegates. They usually represent exactly the same people, which leads to many senators casting a wary eye on their partners in the House who can be opponents or slate mates.

Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18) appears to be facing a strong challenge from newcomer Max Socol. Yesterday, Sharon Grosfeld, who represented the same district previously for two terms in the House and another in the Senate, endorsed Socol:

Since hearing in depth about Max’s values, exemplified by his unwavering support for a woman’s right to choose, equal rights for LGBTQ+, advocacy on behalf of tenants rights and protecting the environment, coupled with his leadership positions fighting for racial justice, including criminal justice reform, it is my great privilege to officially endorse Max in his campaign to be the next District 18 state senator.”

Grosfeld was known as a staunch, liberal advocate, particularly on women’s issues. Her endorsement plays to Socol’s theme that Waldstreicher isn’t really a leader on progressive issues like his recent predecessors, Sens. Van Hollen, Grosfeld and Madaleno.

Still, it has been 20 years since Grosfeld last won an election in District 18. At this point, the prime endorsements that can move voters are those of Sen. Chris Van Hollen or Rep. Jamie Raskin. It will be interesting to see if they get involved in the D18 primary this year.

The real question is whether they endorse Waldstreicher or decide to give the race a pass. The incumbent would benefit greatly from their support–both are extremely well-liked in this district—and I imagine he will do his formidable best to secure them. But I don’t really see any benefit to them from it, as it seems more likely to divide or to alienate a bunch of existing supporters rather than gain new ones.

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2022 Demcratic Primary, District 18

Waldstreicher Challenger Gets Prominent Grassroots Support

Max Socol is running as a progressive challenger to incumbent Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher who is seeking reelection to the Maryland Senate after having also served three terms in the House of Delegates. That Socol is holding a fundraiser is hardly news.

The names on the invitation, however, grabbed my attention. All are well known in Montgomery County politics. Many are exactly the sort of people you’d think would be supporting an incumbent who touts himself as a “proud progressive” and “champion for justice” but are instead lined up squarely behind his challenger.

Former Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, who served with Waldstreicher for three terms in the House and ran on a ticket with him twice (!) is now working to defeat her former slate-mate. Always an alliance of convenience, I can’t say I find this shocking.

Brandy Brooks is making her second bid for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council. Like Socol, she is positioning herself as a progressive activist outsider. Brooks is considered one of the leading candidates in her own race.

Michelle Whittaker is a communications and campaign strategist. She is the former Communications Manager for Manna Foods and the former Director of Communications for FairVote among other organizations. She has testified for removing police officers from public schools and ranked choice voting. (She is also Brandy Brooks’s sister.)

Fran Rothstein, Diana Conway and Beth Tomasello are Past Presidents of the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County. An informant tells me Conway has previously hosted an event for Waldstreicher. An environmentalist, Conway has been very active in the fight against synthetic turf playing fields. Tomasello is an attorney who has advocated on criminal justice reform.

Laura Stewart is currently the First Vice President of the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County but probably better known as a PTA leader, an active supporter of County Executive Marc Elrich in 2018 and many other progressive causes.

Zola Shaw serves on Montgomery County’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board of the Montgomery County Chapter of Our Revolution Maryland. Michael Tardif was named Democrat of the Year by the Montgomery County Democratic Party in 2021.

Bottom Line

Whether Socol can build the coalition and the campaign needed to unseat Waldstreicher, a reelection-focused incumbent if there ever was one, remains to be seen. But the early strength indicates that Waldstreicher hasn’t nailed down his base even after sixteen year in the General Assembly.

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