Rushern Baker had one desire this summer: He simply wanted to debate Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson before voters chose between the two men in the Sept. 12 primary.
Baker, a former two-term representative from Cheverly, once asked Johnson to debate by hand- delivering a letter to his opponent’s fifth-floor office at the county’s Upper Marlboro headquarters. In a plaza outside the county building, a person in a chicken suit squawked up to Johnson through a megaphone and sympathized with him for not wanting to meet Baker face to face.
Later, closer to Election Day, Baker ran a television ad juxtaposing Johnson’s face with a fluffy, yellow chick and again asked why Johnson would not meet to discuss county issues such as crime, education and growth.
Baker continued to attend a series of candidate forums, with some billed as debates, before the election. He never met Johnson at any of the events and either ended up on stage alone or with Johnson’s chief of staff, Michael Herman.
A few more than 5,000 votes ultimately separated Baker’s dream of leading Prince George’s away from electing Johnson to a second four-year term. Baker, as well as several other candidates, called for an investigation into irregularities at the polls and during the vote count.
But nothing came of the requests, and Johnson easily won the Nov. 7 general election with no opposition from the Republican party.
Baker, an educational consultant, continues to circulate on the political scene despite his loss. He was last seen on inauguration day, but not in Prince George’s. Instead, he helped Montgomery County celebrate the installation of Ike Leggett as its first black county executive.
