Mizeur Declares Candidacy for Governor

The Democratic primary for governor in 2014 just got a little more crowded.

Heather Mizuer, a two-term Democratic Delegate from Montgomery County, announced her candidacy in an email sent out late Tuesday.

“I want to see Maryland live up to its full potential rather than settling for “good enough” – and the most effective way for me to do that now is as governor,” Mizuer said in her statement.

“It’s time to fundamentally change the way we do business, the way we govern” Mizeur said. “And that starts with a different kind of candidate, running a different sort of campaign.”

Mizuer, who is not well known outside of her home county, is one of eight openly gay and lesbian legislators in the Maryland General Assembly.

If elected, she would not only become the first woman to hold the governor’s office in Maryland, Mizuer would also become the first openly gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender governor in the country.

Mizuer, 40, was born in Blue Mound, IL and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served as a policy director for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend during her run for governor in 2002. She also served from 2003-2005 on the Takoma Park City Council. 

Mizuer lives in Takoma Park with her wife Deborah.

The two-term delegate joins a Democratic field of announced and expected candidates that include Anthony Brown and his running mate Ken Ulman.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler is expected to formally announce his candidacy for governor later this year.

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger is also said to be considering a run.

The Republican primary features three announced candidates including: Harford County Executive David Craig and his running mate Del. Jeannie Haddaway; Anne Arundel Del. Ron George; and Brian Vaeth, a Perry Hall resident, and his running mate Duane “Shorty” Davis.