An unsuccessful Democratic House of Delegates candidate said he?s considering filing a complaint against the same elusive campaign committee blamed for several fraudulent and misleading mailers.
Democrats in Baltimore and Harford counties? seventh district say a phony flier nearly identical to a Martin O?Malley mailer may have helped a political unknown cinch a narrow victory in this month?s primary.
Newcomer Rebecca Nelson beat Jim Stavropoulos Jr. by less than 300 votes ? by just four in Baltimore County alone ? after her name appeared on a flier suggesting O?Malley?s endorsement.
The fliers were circulated by the Democrats for Responsive Government, a group Nelson?s opponents suspect supported the weakest Democrats to give the all-GOP incumbent slate a boost for November?s general election.
“We are all like, ?Who is this Rebecca Nelson?? ” Stavropoulos said. “It?s just goofy. To this day, if I had to pick someone to get beat by, I wouldn?t have picked her.”
Stavropoulos said he was contacted by a man named Jeff Young, who identified himself as a member of the Democrats for Responsive Government.
When Young offered to add him to a slate backed by O?Malley, Stavropoulos declined.
Stavropoulos said he was shocked when his name still appeared on the flier.
Nelson said Young also contacted her, butshe accepted his offer. A man named William Snyder, listed in state election board records as the group?s treasurer, delivered a box of the green endorsements to her home.
“He contacted me out of the blue,” Nelson said. “He didn?t really say who he represented, but he did say O?Malley.”
Election records identify the group?s chair as Stephen Bowen, who lists the same address as a business that donated to the campaign of District 7 incumbent Richard Impallaria, a Republican.
Repeated calls to Young, Snyder and Bowen were not returned.
Jack Sturgill, who joins Nelson in the Democratic ticket for District 7, said the committee also distributed a mailer containing lies about his campaign, citing a nonexistent newspaper article. He said he believes Impallaria could be behind the group.
That?s a claim Impallaria denied.
“I recognized the name of the business, but not the people,” Impallaria said.
