Valerie Ervin To Replace Running Mate Kamenetz In Governor’s Race

BALTIMORE, MD — In the wake of the death of Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, who was running for governor, Valerie Ervin, Kamenetz's running mate, has announced she is taking the reins. A former Montgomery County Council member, Ervin's Democratic bid may kick up some dust in the field, the Washington Post reported.

"Kevin and I were gaining ground, and we could feel it," Ervin said, according to the Post. She's the only black woman in the gubernatorial race, and her running mate, Marisol A. Johnson, is the first Latino school board member elected in Baltimore County.

The duo is facing eight other bids for the Democratic nomination, six of which have enough funding to run credible campaigns, the Baltimore Sun reported. A progressive activist, Ervin, 61, is described by the Washington Post as an "outspoken progressive with a reputation for sharp-elbowed campaigning."

Democratic primary early voting runs from June 14 to June 21, and the primary is on June 26. The winner will go on to challenge Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

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“Kevin and I had a plan for Maryland, which was a great plan,” Ervin said in an interview before filing new paperwork at the state Board of Elections in Annapolis, the Sun reported.

Her platform's main points of focus are, she says:

Maryland should have the best public schools in the nation, and they should be debt-free

Universal childcare and pre-k for all Maryland families

Maryland lead our nation to 100% renewable energy and have the best clean public transit system in the country.

Ervin had until 5 p.m. Thursday to decide whether to dissolve the campaign, choose another candidate, or take over herself. Her campaign Facebook page is only hours old, its first post published around 3 p.m. Thursday.

Kamenetz died in the early morning of Thursday, May 10 of a cardiac arrest. Around 2 a.m., he awoke in his Owings Mills home feeling ill, and decided to go to Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, about two miles away. He collapsed at the firehouse and never regained consciousness.

See more: County Executive Kevin Kamenetz Dies At Age 60

Ervin will officially begin her campaign at a rally next week at Bowie State University, the Post reported, a historically black college. Kamenetz participated in a candidate forum at the school hours before his death.

Article image Courtesy of Valerie Ervin Campaign