By Adam Pagnucco.
As part of its campaign to take out Senate President Mike Miller, SEIU Local 500 has released this video slamming him for accepting campaign contributions from the NRA.
Tag Archives: SEIU Local 500
Labor Pumps Money Into Anti-Blair Super PAC
By Adam Pagnucco.
Four labor unions and an immigrant advocacy organization have contributed a combined $90,000 to a Super PAC which opposes the election of David Blair as Montgomery County Executive.
The Progressive Maryland Liberation Alliance PAC is a Super PAC affiliated with Progressive Maryland. The Super PAC’s Chair, Larry Stafford, is Progressive Maryland’s Executive Director. The group has previously distributed anti-Blair flyers but now has the money to do a lot more than that.
The Super PAC’s campaign finance filings indicate that it was organized for the purpose of supporting gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous, State Senate candidates Jill Carter, Antonio Hayes and Mary Washington, State’s Attorney candidate Victor Ramirez and Delegate candidate Melissa Wells and opposing State Senator Bobby Zirkin, State’s Attorney candidate Ivan Bates and Blair. But the labor contributions to the Super PAC were explicitly designated to opposing Blair. Those contributions included $35,000 from MCGEO, $35,000 from the Laborers, $10,000 from UNITE HERE Local 25, $5,000 from SEIU Local 500 and $5,000 from immigrant advocacy group Casa in Action. All of these organizations except for UNITE HERE Local 25 have endorsed Marc Elrich for Executive, as has Progressive Maryland.
Of these contributions, $10,000 has been spent on a video opposing Blair. We imagine MoCo voters will be seeing that video soon.
With $80,000 remaining, the Super PAC has enough money to finance mailers and more. What’s unclear is how much more money it can raise with labor spending almost a million dollars to elect Ben Jealous as Governor and more than $600,000 to elect Donna Edwards as Prince George’s County Executive. Still, they are playing in MoCo and we expect them to play hard.
SEIU Local 500 Endorses “Take a Hike Mike” Candidates
By Adam Pagnucco.
As part of its campaign against Senate President Mike Miller, SEIU Local 500 has endorsed eleven State Senate candidates whom it believes will “change the leadership in the State Senate and, most importantly, change the way things are done in the legislature.” One of the candidates is Tommi Makila, Miller’s primary election opponent. The union has previously announced its support for some of these candidates, like Dana Beyer in District 18 and its own member, Aletheia McCaskill, in District 44. We reprint the union’s press release below.
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For Immediate Release
May 7, 2018
Contact: Christopher Honey
honeyc@seiu500.org,
SEIU Local 500 Endorses eleven “Take a Hike Mike” Candidates
Union is supporting candidates that support new leadership in Annapolis
(Gaithersburg, MD) Today, Service Employees International Union Local 500 announces it has selected its initial eleven candidates across the State of Maryland whom they believe will go to Annapolis and change the leadership in the State Senate and, most importantly, change the way things are done in the legislature.
“We need to elect people who will stand up against the status quo in the State Senate. That is why, today we are announcing our support for a team of Senate candidates who will do what it takes to get the people’s business done” said Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500.
“We will be supporting this team of candidates with our trademark boots on the ground, digital, paid mail and earned media. We intend to send the message loud and clear that a vote for these candidates is a vote for progress in Annapolis,” added President Cuttitta.
The following candidates are being endorsed today:
District 10 (Baltimore County) – Rob Johnson
District 11 (Baltimore County) – Sheldon Laskin
District 18 (Montgomery County) – Dr. Dana Beyer
District 23 (Prince Georges County) – Tim Adams
District 25 (Prince Georges County) – Delegate Angela Angel
District 27 (Prince Georges, Calvert and Charles Counties) – Tommi Makila
District 40 (Baltimore City) – Delegate Antonio Hayes
District 41 (Baltimore CIty) Senator Jill Carter
District 43 (Baltimore City) Delegate Mary Washington
District 44 (Baltimore City and County) – Aletheia McCaskill
District 45 (Baltimore City) – Delegate Cory McCray
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Fed-Up SEIU Launches “Take a Hike Mike” Website and Super PAC
By Adam Pagnucco.
SEIU Local 500 launched its anti-Mike Miller campaign on Lawyers Mall in Annapolis today. Attending the rally in addition to SEIU members were former Delegate Jill Carter, who is running for Senate in the district of the recently resigned Nathaniel Oaks; Sheldon Laskin, who is running for Senate against incumbent Bobby Zirkin; Mila Johns, who is running for Delegate in District 18; and of course Miller’s mortal enemy, Comptroller Peter Franchot. Daily Record reporter Bryan Sears streamed video of the event on Facebook. The union announced the launch of a new anti-Miller super PAC and a “Take a Hike Mike” website which we screen shot below.
SEIU Political Director Calls Miller “Piece of Excrement”
SEIU Local 500 Political Director Mark McLaurin has termed Senate President Mike Miller a “piece of excrement that calls himself the Senate President.” Not in my copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People but it’s one option. McLaurin loves a good feud like few others, so it’s not exactly shocking.
Complaining about the failure of “my bill” is a double-edged sword because it highlights McLaurin’s ineffectiveness as well as Miller’s opposition. After all, he hasn’t been able to find a way to get the bill through the Democratic Senate even as lots of other liberal legislation passed.
Adding the #buckletupbuttercup may prove more controversial as it’s slang for “a sensitive female” and the sort of insult normally associated with the hard right. Mike Miller probably cares less but it doesn’t provide the image I’d want for SEIU as a group that lashes out at people as sensitive or female.
See Adam Pagnucco’s piece from this morning for more information on SEIU’s no holds barred effort to go after Miller.