Justin Ready

State GOP Executive Director Justin Ready is taking State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville) to task for what Ready believes is the Democratic congressional candidate’s hypocrisy.

In an interview with PolitickerMD.com last week , the 1st district Democratic nominee said that his opponent, state Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville), would “arguably raise more money than me.”

“It is amazing, in my view, that Kratovil didn’t outraised (sic) Harris big-time considering the huge fundraisers he had in D.C. and Prince George’s County, as well as with anti-gun activists on the Eastern Shore,” wrote Ready in an email to PolitickerMD.com. “He is not even attempting to hide his desire to be a lap dog for the left-wing leadership in Maryland.”

It's not every day that the state Democratic Party's communication director and one of Maryland's most prominent Republicans agree on a party's political fortunes. But after former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele told a crowd of Republicans that "the Republican brand quite frankly sucks," David Paulson emailed PolitickerMD.com to express his empathy for Steele's idea.

"I don't disagree with Michael Steele on his low opinion of the Republican brand - it's in the toilet for a lot of reasons," Paulson wrote in an email to PolitickerMD.com. "But Republicans who think they only have a branding problem are fooling themselves. This isn't a public relations problem. This is a public trust problem."

And that's where the temporary agreement between Paulson and Steele ends.

Andrew LangerThe John McCain 2008 presidential campaign will be adding Andrew Langer to its list of volunteer staff. Langer will be coordinating Maryland's eastern shore efforts, though the campaign has not given him an official title as of yet.

Langer is the president of the Institute for Liberty and has worked for the National Federation of Independent Business. He worked on former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign during the Republican primary and wrote Giuliani's small business policy.

The Talbot and Dorcester Republican Central Committees celebrated the grand opening of their new headquarters on Tuesday.

Both events were attended by state party Chairman James Pelura, state party Communications Director Justin Ready, former Gov. Bob Ehrlich and state Sen. Andy Harris among other party leaders. Harris and Ehrlich were on a day long tour of the 1st Congressional District, campaigning and raising money for Harris’ race against state's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville).

Justin Ready, the executive director of the Maryland Republican Party, told PolitickerMD.com today that the controversy surrounding Senate Minority Leader David Brinkley (R-New Market) is a "personal matter between Sen. Brinkley and his family and that's all we are going to say about it."

"At this point we wish Sen. Brinkley and his family the best as they deal with a personal situation," Ready said.

Details of the May 30 domestic disturbance at Brinkley's home emerged over the weekend through a police report obtained by reporter Meg Bernhardt of the Frederick-News Post, where Brinkley is referred to as "the victim in this incident."

State Republicans gathered for the 18th annual Red, White and Blue fundraiser last night in Linthicum, the party's major fundraiser for the year.

Justin Ready, the party's executive director, told PolitickerMD.com that roughly 400 people attended the event. He said the MDGOP expected to raise "close to $100,000" for the evening.

"This is a big improvement from last year," Ready said. "We're moving forward."

Tuesday's Democratic victory in Mississippi's special congressional election, the party's third national victory in two months and second in 10 days, has Maryland Democratic Party officials confident that the trend could continue in Maryland, where Republicans hold the 1st and 6th district seats.

"Throw out the rules of political conventionality," state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Cryor said in a statement. "There are very few safe Republican seats in America anymore; not in the Midwest, not in the deep South and certainly not in a blue Mid-Atlantic state such as Maryland. It doesn't matter how long a Republican has held the seat. It doesn't matter how many votes George Bush got in 2004, America is voting for change in 2008. America is voting Democratic."

Maryland Republican Party 2008 Spring ConventionANNAPOLIS-- The Maryland Republican Party finalized their delegation to the Republican National Convention during the party's spring convention at the DoubleTree Hotel in Annapolis, today.

A total of ten at-large and ten alternate delegates were selected by the Republican State Central Committee.

Those elected were largely representative of the so-called "unity team" that a group of state Republican leaders and activists who supported various presidential candidates early in the primary process formed as a suggested fusion slate. The effort was lead by Chris Cavey, the first vice chairman of the state party.

Of those ten at-large members suggested by the unity team to represent the state, eight were selected by the state central committee; Senate Minority Leader David Brinkley and Howard County Central Committee Chairwoman Joan Becker were not elected.

Jim Pelura, the chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, said Justin Ready, the chief of staff to state Sen. Janet Greeinp (R-Crofton), was the "right fit" to become the new executive director of the state party. This morning, Pelura announced that Ready had been selected to replace John Flynn.

"I rely on my first impression," Pelura said of his decision. "All the candidates were well qualified, but Justin is the right one."

"I'm very happy to be asked to serve," Ready told PolitickerMD.com. "I'm excited to continue the process of working with the chairman to make Maryland a two-party state again."

Justin Ready with then presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in Baltimore last SeptemberJustin Ready, Chief of Staff to state Sen. Janet Greenip, was hired as the new Executive Director of the Maryland Republican Party, Chairman Jim Pelura announced this morning in a statement.

He will take begin his new position on May 1, 2008.

Check back with PolitickerMD.com for more on this story later today.