Scott Rolle, the Republican state?s attorney in Frederick County, formally announced Tuesday that he is running for attorney general, with the active backing of both Gov. Robert Ehrlich and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele.
Rolle said he is campaigning on a strong “law-and-order platform” based on his 12 years as the top prosecutor in Frederick County. In an interview, he said his focus will be on “kids, gangs and guns.”
“We need to have comprehensive legislation against sexual predators,” he said, particularly crime based on the Internet. In Maryland, “we don?t have the tools to get some of this done,” and must turn over cases to federal prosecutors.
“There is really no anti-gang legislation whatever,” Rolle said, yet “the gang problem is affecting almost every community in Maryland. ? We?ve had to go to federal prosecutors for help.”
Rolle?s tough reputation as a prosecutor springs from high-profile child abuse cases, but his aggressive courtroom tactics have sometimes crossed the line into prosecutorial misconduct and his chatty way with reporters has angered some defense lawyers.
Rolle became the first candidate to officially enter the race after Attorney General Joseph Curran, 74, announced Monday that he would not seek a sixth term.
“Joe Curran has done very well” with his consumer protection division, Rolle said, adding he would like to see “if we can take it even further.” But he also said voters would “see a very pro-business attorney general.”
At least two Democrats are expected to get in the race, and possibly more.
Montgomery County State?s Attorney Doug Gansler has said he?ll announce his plans next week, and Montgomery County Council Member Tom Perez, a law professor and former federal civil rights lawyer, has been informally running for eight months.
“I know the biggest challenge to me is get my name out there,” Rolle said, and that will take $1 million to $2 million in fundraising.
Rolle is a graduate of the University of Dayton and the Ohio Northern University School of Law. He is a first lieutenant in the JAG corps of the U.S. Army Reserve.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
