John Mahoney announces decision to run for Maryland State Senate

John Mahoney, the president of the Young Democrats of Maryland (YDM), announced his decision to run for the General Assembly in District 19 on Thursday at the Young Democrats Campaign Kick-Off in Baltimore. He is retiring from the YDM, an organization for Democrats under the age of 36, in order to challenge the current senator of District 19, Leonard H. Teitelbaum, in 2006.

Mahoney has lived in District 19, an area of Montgomery County that includes Aspen Hill and Olney, for nine years. Currently he is the Democratic Party Area coordinator for his district. He believes that there should be a newer and fresher voice in the government, an idea that drives the YDM to run for positions in the government. The Young Democrats believe in actively influencing the community through community service and education. Mahoney carries this activist principle of his former club in mind while running for the Maryland General Assembly, for he states in his campaign statement, "Our current state senator is not viewed as an energetic leader in state government. Our current state senator is not viewed as a legislator with the vision or the vitality to formulate or lead significant legislation through the General Assembly… Maryland's District 19 needs a strong and energetic senator who is connected to the district's current residents and their concerns."

Teitelbaum, a Democrat, was elected in 1994. Mahoney asserts that although Teitelbaum has been in the state legislature for over 18 years, he has not chaired a single committee. Mahoney believes that he will take a more involved approach to local politics, which is why he is challenging Teitelbaum. Jayson Williams, the former vice president of the YDM, will succeed Mahoney as president.