Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced that he is joining the Maryland gubernatorial race.
Kamenetz, a Baltimore County resident, tweeted Monday morning that he would be running for governor, and he later declared his candidacy in Towson in front of about 100 people, The Washington Post reported.
I don’t like to beat around the bush: today, I am announcing my candidacy to be Maryland’s next Governor: https://t.co/A6PUkovDWj
— Kevin Kamenetz (@kevinkamenetz) September 18, 2017
The 59-year-old Democrat has previously criticized Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, particularly for his veto of a requirement for businesses with at least 15 employees to provide paid sick leave, as well as a 2017 bill that limited cooperation between police and immigration enforcement efforts, The Post reported.
[Read more: Democrat Krish Vignarajah becomes first woman to enter race for Maryland governor]
Kamenez said he should be governor because he will stand up to Hogan and challenge President Trump’s “harmful policies and shameful rhetoric,” The Baltimore Sun reported.
“I think people are frustrated that we aren’t doing big things any more in Maryland,” he said. “They’re scared by what’s taking place in Washington and they’re frustrated by the lack of progress in Maryland.”
In November 2016, Kamenetz said he would support five Baltimore County colleges in their efforts to protect the status of students who came to the United States as undocumented children.
“It is imperative that our nation’s leaders protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program instituted by President Obama in 2012, allowing students to pursue their education without fear,” Kamenetz wrote in a letter to University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert Caret. “I am urging members of Maryland’s congressional delegation and our State leaders to oppose any effort by incoming President Trump to rescind the DACA program.”
Kamenetz is completing his second term as Baltimore County’s county executive and serves as president of the Maryland Association of Counties, a nonpartisan nonprofit that communicates the needs of local government to the Maryland General Assembly.
Previously, Kamenetz has served as the Baltimore County Council chairman and a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, The Post reported.
[Read more: PG County Executive Rushern Baker will run for governor]
