Cockeysville Woman to Challenge Congressman Andy Harris

A Cockeysville businesswoman has begun her campaign against incumbent Republican for the Maryland 1st District congressional seat.

Democrat Wendy Rosen, 57, said she plans to focus on creating sustainable jobs, especially for small businesses, which employ the majority of Americans.

This would take priority over "extremely conservative social issues," such as gay marriage and abortion, Rosen said.

"Our financial system is eroding the middle class," she said. "We need good paying middle class jobs. is the only way to go."

She said enforcing existing laws, rather than creating new ones is also key to economic recovery.

"I believe there are some big changes that require no budget," Rosen said. "We could create hundreds of thousands of jobs immediately. If we enforce laws we already have, such as trade, we wouldn't lose billions of dollars to other countries."

Rosen, who filed her candidacy on Nov. 22, said she made the decision to run because she "was frustrated with the Tea Party's decision to de-structure the government, rather than restructuring."

She said she used to sympathize with the Republican ideology, but switched to the Democratic Party in recent years.

"I remember the Republican Party when they didn't have extreme elements," she said.

Another priority for Rosen is universal health care.

"It's a fundamental right," she said. "Employers need to provide health care in an affordable way. [Harris's] mission is to destroy health care, not fix it."

Currently, Rosen runs The Rosen Group, founded in 1981, which assists business owners in growing their brands. She also publishes NICHE and AmericanStyle magazines and is the founder of American Made Alliance, an advocacy group for small businesses.

"Before now, I always thought that it was best working outside the system to create change," she said. "But as you dig deeper, you realize that change can't come from outside. It has to come from within Congress."