Lieutenant Governor Brown holds a commanding lead in polls for the Democratic primary for Maryland governor. A Washington Post poll released June 10 shows Brown leading with 46 percent, while state Attorney General Douglas Gansler got 23 percent and Del. Heather Mizeur got 16 percent. The current governor, Martin O鈥橫alley, has served two terms, and cannot run again.
The primary is June 24, and analysts predict Brown will win both the primary and the general election, barring a major mistake. Brown was tasked with overseeing the launch of Maryland鈥檚 health insurance exchange, which had major problems. But many voters say they excuse that, given the problems with the federal site, HealthCare.gov.
Brown鈥檚 political rise is worth noting, as he would be Maryland鈥檚 first black governor. Brown graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, and is the son of a Jamaican father and Swiss mother. His mixed-race, Ivy League profile is reminiscent of Obama鈥檚 鈥� the two overlapped at Harvard Law 鈥� though Brown can鈥檛 be considered a political 鈥渃hild鈥� of Obama. Brown entered politics in 1998, winning a seat in the Maryland state legislature, long before Obama became a household name. Before launching his political career, Brown had a career in the Army.
