Chrys Kefalas, an openly gay former aide to former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R), on Tuesday officially entered the 2016 race for the GOP nomination for Maryland’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Kefalas, the grandson of Greek immigrants, announced his candidacy during an appearance on On the Record with Greta Van Susteren on FOX News, telling Van Susteren that he was running to “restore the American Dream, a dream that inspired my grandparents to come to the United States, settle in Baltimore and raise a family.”
“Marylanders have needed a different direction for a long time. Thirty years of failures they’ve dealt with,” he said, a reference to the 30-year career of retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D), whom he is seeking to replace. “…I’m going to run for the United States Senate to represent the people of Maryland, who deserve more jobs, fewer funerals.”
Kefalas, who currently works for the National Association of Manufacturers, previously served as deputy legal counsel to Ehrlich, a speechwriter for Attorney General Eric Holder and a lawyer for the Department of Justice under the Obama administration. In his FOX News interview, he cited current Gov. Larry Hogan (R) as an example of how a Republican can win in a Democratic-leaning state like Maryland.
Asked about his status as an openly gay Republican, Kefalas told Van Susteren that the issue doesn’t come up when he speaks to voters, saying they prefer to ask about how to create more jobs, strengthen the middle class, and improve national security.
In his bid for his party’s nomination, Kefalas will face Del. Kathy Szeliga, the minority whip in the Maryland House of Delegates, Richard Douglas, a former Pentagon official, and Anthony Seda, a Navy veteran. Among those, Szeliga — who was first elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010– holds the edge, due to her connections as a member of House leadership, and her former position as chief of staff for then-State Sen. Andy Harris (R), now a U.S. congressman and one of the most hard-line conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A Baltimore Sun/University of Baltimorepoll of the potential Republican primary field from last month showed Szeliga leading with 15 percent, followed by Douglas with 9 percent, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman, who is considering a campaign, with 8 percent, Kefalas with 5 percent and Seda with 4 percent. But 59 percent of Maryland Republicans have still not decided whom they will support. Whomever emerges from the fray will likely face an uphill battle against the winner of the Democratic primary, as Democrats hold a 2-1 registration edge in the state. The battle for the Democratic nomination is currently being waged between U.S. Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards.
Chris Pappas, one of Congress's few out LGBTQ members, reportedly has plans to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in April, following three-term U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's announcement that she will retire at the end of her current term in 2026.
Pappas, a Democrat who currently represents New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, recently told the Valley News about a listening tour he launched visiting all ten of New Hampshire's counties, a step that usually precedes an official campaign announcement.
"We're getting out there and having lots of conversations with folks in all corners of the Granite State about what the path forward should look like, and I really trust and value the feedback of this state," Pappas told the paper. "After all, I've lived here my entire life. I have a small family business here. I'm grounded in the people, places, and values of New Hampshire, and I want to do what's right for our great state and our future."
Democrats in the U.S. Senate blocked a Republican bill attempting to ban transgender athletes from women's and girl's sports at educational institutions.
The bill, S. 9, sought to rewrite Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs or activities, by explicitly stopping federal funds from going to institutions that allow transgender athletes to compete on female-designated competitive or elite sports teams.
The prohibition would not apply to co-ed or intramural sports leagues, nor does it prevent cisgender females from being allowed to try out for male-designated sports teams if their school does not offer that sport for females.
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