Riding the red wave that
splashed across the country and Maryland on November 4, former GOP State
Senator Allan Kittleman stunned Democrat councilwoman Courtney Watson and her
supporters in the race to succeed term-limited Ken Ulman as Howard County Executive.
In doing so, Kittleman became only the second Republican to be elected to that
office in the county’s history.
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| Allan Kittleman with Carrie Evans during a fundraiser at Pride |
Ulman lost his chance to be
Lieutenant Governor as part of Anthony Brown’s failed bid to be Maryland’s
first African-American governor. The 51.3 % to 48.6 % margin in the
Kittleman-Watson contest was closer than the Larry Hogan margin over Brown in
the county suggesting that Brown’s poor performance was a drag on Watson’s
quest to be the county’s executive.
The race in Howard was distinguished
by the fact that two strong LGBT advocates faced off against one another. Although marriage equality and transgender
non-discrimination were settled issues and were not the focus of the campaigns,
each side tried to woo LGBT voters by touting their respective records.
Watson’s campaign, for instance,
held at least two LGBT-specific events.
Kittleman enlisted the support of Carrie Evans, executive director of
Equality Maryland, to boost his campaign.
Evans recorded a video extolling Kittleman’s accomplishments for LGBT
equality.
Kittleman had been a vocal
supporter of marriage equality in Maryland’s Senate the last two years the bill
came up for votes. He also vigorously
campaigned to protect the law that was signed by Governor Martin O’Malley in
2012 when it was petitioned to referendum.
In addition, Kittleman supported
and voted for this year’s successful passage of the Fairness for All
Marylanders Act (FAMA) that provided anti-discrimination protections in
employment, housing, public accommodations and credit based on gender identity.
Those actions, which cost Kittleman his position as the Senate’s Minority
Leader because they bucked party dogma, did not go unnoticed by the LGBT
community.
For her part, Watson, as
councilwoman, played a significant role in getting a similar transgender
non-discrimination measure passed in Howard County. She took that success to Baltimore County to
persuade wavering lawmakers, and it passed just a couple of months later. Watson went to Annapolis two years in a row and
testified on the statewide bill’s behalf during House committee hearings.
Through the years, both
candidates had regularly appeared at PFLAG-Howard County events to demonstrate
support for the county’s LGBT citizens. Most notable of these was a joint
appearance at a PFLAG-sponsored forum in July.
In October both candidates
addressed the crowd during a celebration held by PFLAG and Gender Rights
Maryland on the effective date of FAMA.
Though no data are available as
to how LGBT folks and allies voted during the election, it is clear that each
camp can claim support from key LGBT leaders.
“Allan Kittleman was a champion
for LGBT issues over the last few years in the General Assembly, and I know
that he will continue fighting for fairness and equality in his new role,” said
Equality Maryland’s Carrie Evans. #hocopolitics
Watson had a staunch advocate as
well. “We’re concerned about ensuring continued improvement in our quality of
life as well as bullying in schools, affordable housing, and public health,”
said Byron Macfarlane, the county’s Register of Wills and the first open LGBT
person to hold elective office in Howard. “I hope now that the election is
over, the vagaries and generalities of the Kittleman campaign will give way to
concrete plans to address these very real concerns. I congratulate him on his
victory and hope that the LGBT community and the new county executive will have
a productive working relationship in the years ahead.” 
