Rick Kessler

Al Carr: Elated to be the MCDCC's pick for District 18 delegate.Kensington Councilman Al Carr has been recommended by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to fill the open District 18 Delegate seat vacated by the death of the late Del. Jane Lawton.

Carr received 14 of the 22 votes cast from the committee. Former congressional aide Rick Kessler finished second with 6 votes, and community activist Roz Pelles finished a disappointing third with just 2 votes. Fredric Cooper and George English did not receive any votes.

The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee has picked Kensington Councilman Al Carr to fill the District 18 Delegate seat left vacant by the death of Del. Jane Lawton. Carr defeated former congressional aide Rick Kessler by a 14-6 vote, with community activist Roz Pelles finishing third with just two votes.

Dana Beyer, M.D.Dr. Dana Beyer said she decided to drop her bid to replace the late Del. Jane Lawton at the conclusion of a candidate’s forum last night because she knew she wasn’t going to win.

Beyer indicated that she had spoken to members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee prior to the event, and informed them that she was contemplating withdrawal. She did not make a final decision until the forum was about to begin, and had yet to inform committee members of her decision.

Beyer Withdraws

The race to fill the District 18 Delegate seat left vacant on November 29 by the death of Del. Jane Lawton, continued Sunday night, as six candidates participated in a town-hall style forum before a large crowd at the Leland Center in Chevy Chase. And in an unexpected move, Dana Beyer withdrew from the race during her closing remarks.

The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee will recommend a candidate for appointment on Tuesday night. Their recommendation will then be sent to Gov. Martin O’Malley for approval.

Five Democrats remain in the race: Eric “Rick” Kessler, Al Carr, George English; Rosalyn “Roz” Pelles and Fredric Cooper.

After unknown Bill Frick emerged out of a large field to become the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee's choice for replacement delegate in District 16 lat September, some are wondering whether it could happen again.

With five in the race to replace Jane Lawton in District 18, a friend of Rick Kessler describes a policy wonk with political instinct - and someone who could break out of Sunday night's candidate forum as the sleeper candidate.

Jeff Carroll, chief of staff to New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone, got to know Kessler while working on Pallone's 1998 re-election campaign. That year, Pallone faced a serious challenge from Republican Mike Ferguson (who would go on to win a seat in another district) and Kessler took some time off from work to show Carroll the ropes.

"He taught me how to do GOTV," Carroll told PolitickerMD.com.

Eric "Rick" KesslerRick Kessler, a lobbyist and longtime staffer to various New Jersey Democrats, is the fifth entrant into the District 18 delegate race. Kessler joined the race on Wednesday.

Kesller is currently president of Dow Lohnes Government Strategies, a lobbying firm that describes itself as focusing on energy, environmental, media, telecommunications, information technology, health care and higher education issues.

In the public sphere, he has served as chief of staff to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Dingell, as a staffer to House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone, U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, former Rep. Bill Hughes, and briefly as New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's Washington liason.