Chanel Branch and William J. Wivell
Last year’s replacement of disgraced Baltimore state delegate Cheryl Glenn with the House Majority Whip’s daughter was so egregious it might understandably leave the impression that the insiders club process is a city phenomenon, a Maryland Democratic Party thing.
First, the press was kicked out of the room, then the committee installed Chanel Branch as the 45th District’s representative, with Ms. Branch casting the deciding vote for herself. “I’m a daddy’s girl,” she quipped.
But it’s not just Baltimore lawmakers who get their ticket to Annapolis punched by a couple of party officials rather than a vote by the people. Thanks to the “central committee” selection system, voters in District 2A, in far Western Maryland, haven’t had a choice for three terms.
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