Bongino Decides Not to Apply for Anne Arundel County Executive Position

The former candidate for U.S. Senate made the announcement on Monday afternoon on his Facebook page that he would not be running for county executive.

Republican Meeting To Discuss County Executive Process

The public is invited to ask questions and speak with potential candidates on Thursday night at the library in Odenton.

The West County Republican Club will host a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the process of appointing a new county executive in Anne Arundel County. The event is open to the public and will start at 6 p.m. Thursday at the West County Library in Odenton. According to the club's Facebook page, the appointment process will be discussed and there may be an opportunity for candidates to "interact with the public and respond to Republican questions." The Capital reported attendees will include Sen. Ed Reilly (R-Crofton) as moderator; Kendel Ehrlich, wife of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.; Del. Steve Schuh (R-Gibson Island) and 2012 U.S. Senate candidate Dan Bongino. In an email to Patch last week, Bongino said he was "strongly …

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Former Secret Service Agent Talks Inauguration Safety

Dan Bongino spoke with Patch about what it was like to walk next to the president during the 2009 inauguration.

Former Secret Service Agent Talks Inauguration Safety

Dan Bongino spoke with Patch about what it was like to walk next to the president during the 2009 inauguration.

When President Barack Obama first walked from the U.S. Capitol to the White House for the 56th Presidential Inaugural Parade in January 2009, Severna Park resident Dan Bongino was at his side. "It is anxiety inducing to the extent that’s really hard to explain to folks," Bongino said. "I was the guy responsible for the parade route portion for a good chunk of it where he got out and started waving to the crowd." The former Secret Service agent said preparations for the 2013 inauguration started shortly after the 2009 inauguration wrapped up. "You're securing a quadrant of Washington, DC, to the same level of security that you’re securing the second floor of the White House," Bongino said. "It’s an enormous endeavor." He said his biggest …

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Grasso To Announce Bid for County Executive Next Weekend

The councilman says he will run on a campaign of fiscal discipline and initiative.

Anne Arundel County Councilman John Grasso (R–2nd District) plans to officially announce a bid for county executive in 2014. He will formally begin the campaign on Dec. 9 at La Fontaine Bleue in Glen Burnie. Grasso, an outspoken business man who has lived in Anne Arundel County his entire life, said he wants to bring a non-politician to the county executive's office. "I'm a statesman, not a politician. What politicians do is announce in the last 24 hours that they're going to run," Grasso told Patch. Grasso may already have competition for the Republican nomination. Dan Bongino, a Severna Park resident and former Republican candidate for Maryland's U.S. Senate seat, announced last week he was considering a run for county executive. Bongino…

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Dan Bongino Eyes 2014 Governor's Race

The 2012 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate is considering a run for governor.

The Republican who took on Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin and lost this election season is eyeing Maryland's 2014 governor's race as his next political move. Dan Bongino split the conservative vote 28 to 17 percent with independent Rob Sobhani earlier this month. Bongino said he thinks he could fare better in another statewide campaign. "We probably have the largest [Republican] fundraising base in the state," Bongino said. "We kept data on every door we knocked on, on every phone call we made. That's data that's easily reusable in a statewide campaign and certainly something we are thinking about." Bongino admitted to being an unknown when he launched his bid for Maryland's Senate seat in May 2011. Now he's got more than 7,000 donors, 11,000 …

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Top 5 Stories: Annapolis Election Results and Bus Shelters

Here's a quick look back at the biggest headlines of the week in Annapolis.

No. 1—Annapolis Supported Same-Sex Marriage, DREAM Act and Annapolis Voted For Barack Obama Analysis of how Annapolis voted in the presidential election and the statewide ballot questions. Both stories compare Annapolis' results to Anne Arundel County and Maryland and include the results for each city polling place. No. 2—Voters Set to Approve All Anne Arundel County Charter Amendments Anne Arundel County voters approved all 15 county charter amendments by a landslide. Some charter amendments sailed through the polls with a 90 percent approval vote, with the lowest being 61 percent. No. 3—Bus Shelters Slowly Return to Annapolis Bus shelters are starting to reappear at stops around Annapolis more than two months after the deadline Creative …

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Cardin Wins Maryland Senate Race

Associated Press called for incumbent Ben Cardin to win re-election minutes after the polls closed in Maryland.

Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin won re-election to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican Dan Bongino and independent Rob Sobhani. Cardin received 53 percent of the vote, while Bongino had 28 percent and Sobhani had 17 percent just before midnight on Tuesday. Cardin celebrated his re-election with other prominent Democrats at a lounge in M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. In his victory speech, Cardin praised GOP candidate Bongino for running a clean campaign, while saying Sobhani did not. Sobhani, who had previously run as a Republican, reportedly spent more than $4 million to run as an independent and was criticized recently for his last-minute robocalls to potential voters. “I gained a great deal of respect for Dan Bongino,” Cardin said.  Bongino…

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Bongino Accuses Sobhani of Campaign Ethics Violation

The Republican candidate for Maryland's Senate says the Independent made unattributed robocalls disparaging him.

UPDATE: (5:22 p.m.)—The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland is accusing the Independent of violating federal election law by sending out robocalls on Sunday night that didn't include a campaign disclaimer. The call, which was uploaded to Youtube by a staffer for Republican Dan Bongino, states that Rob Sobhani supports making English the country's official language. Bongino said this claim was false. Also, the caller claims Sobhani is the real conservative alternative to incumbent Democract Sen. Ben Cardin, another claim that Bongino disputes. "That's not only unethical, that's a clear criminal offense," Bongino said. "Unfortunately, you have the right to be dishonest in politics, but you don't have the right to be dishonest …

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Senate Candidate Bongino Reflects on RNC

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan Bongino took a few moments to talk with Patch about his experience at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Dan Bongino took a few moments to talk with Patch about his experience at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. His Favorite Speaker "I may be a little biased, but I thought Mia Love, who’s a personal friend and running for the House in Utah was an exceptional standout," Bongino said. "She gave an outstanding speech. She was just fantastic, and I think a lot of other people agreed."  Love, 36, is a Mormon and the Mayor of Saratoga Springs, UT. She spoke on Tuesday about her parents immigration and the American Dream, according to the Huffington Post. Love is also running in Utah's 4th Congressional District against six-term incumbent Democrat Rep. Jim Matheson. The Strangest Thing "I’ve never …

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