Alsobrooks' GOP Opponent Drops Out of County Executive Race
It appears that Angela D. Alsobrooks' bid to become Prince George's County Executive has just gone from cakewalk to coronation.
Jerry Mathis, her Republican opponent, has declined to accept his party's nomination, according to paperwork filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections.
As a result, Alsobrooks, the county state's attorney who is already a heavy favorite to succeed Rushern L. Baker III by virtue of her victory in the Democratic primary, may lack for even token opposition in November.
Angela D. Alsobrooks
Mathis, a real estate agent and community activist, filed withdrawal papers on Aug. 24, just days before the deadline for candidates to decline their spot on the ballot.
In an email to Maryland Matters Tuesday, Mathis declined to comment. His campaign website -- https://www.voteforjerrymathis.com -- makes no mention of his apparent change of heart.
By law the Prince George's County Republican Party has 10 days to replace Mathis on the ballot.
Reached by email, party Chairman Brandon Cooper offered only "no comment" in response to a reporter's inquiry.
The candidate's withdrawal does little to alter the trajectory of the race for county executive. Alsobrooks is a rising star in the Democratic Party and a prolific fundraiser, having raised more than $1 million so far. She out-paced former Rep. Donna F. Edwards and two others in the June primary.
There are 455,926 registered voters in Prince George's County. Nearly 80 percent of them are Democrats. Fifteen percent are unaffiliated and just 7 percent are Republicans.
Former state Del. Aisha Braveboy (D) is also a guaranteed winner in the race to succeed Alsobrooks as state's attorney. No Republicans filed in that race, and Bruce A. Johnson Jr., an independent candidate, failed to gather the number of signatures needed to get on the ballot, according to the state Board of Elections website.
While the Prince George's GOP has hit hard times of late, it wasn't always this way. The first county executive, Wayne W. Gullett (1970-74) was a Republican, as was the third, Lawrence J. Hogan Sr. (1978-1982), father of the current governor.
Former lieutenant governor, Republican National Committee chairman and MSNBC commentator Michael Steele got his start in politics as chairman of the Prince George's Republican Party.
bruce@marylandmatters.org
