Towson Election Guide: Candidates, Issues

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Patch brings you the information you need to cast an informed ballot. Here's a quick look at the candidates and issues we'll be covering as November draws near. Bookmark this page for updates.

THE CANDIDATES

President:

President Barack Obama: Maryland is a reliably Democratic state for presidential candidates. Obama held , and campaigned in Baltimore with Gov. Martin O'Malley. He for a basketball game in November 2011.

GOP Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor . Remember the Etch A Sketch comment? That came on the day . In explaining how the candidate will avoid being pushed too far to the right on the issues during the primaries to capture wide appeal for November's general election, spokesperson Eric Fehrnstrom, in a CNN interview, likened Romney's positions to an Etch A Sketch. "You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again,” he said. Political opponents wasted no time in capitalizing on the misstep. Nonetheless, Romney .

U.S. Senate:

Sen. Ben Cardin: The incumbent Democrat is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate. He has shared many of his views in .

Daniel Bongino: Cardin's Republican opponent is Daniel Bongino of Severna Park. He is a former Secret Service agent.

1st District:

Rep. Andy Harris—The first-term incumbent is one of two Republicans in Maryland's congressional delegation. Maryland's congressional redistricting process added more Republican voters to Harris' district in an effort to unseat 6th district Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. His district includes parts of Baltimore and Harford County, plus all points east.

Wendy Rosen—A Cockeysville resident, Rosen is the owner of an arts marketing firm in Baltimore. Her platform includes support for American manufacturers and student loan forgiveness in exchange for military, volunteer or teaching services.

2nd District:

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger—The Democratic incumbent and former Baltimore County executive is seeking his sixth term. The 66-year-old Ruppersberger serves as the ranking member of the House intelligence committee. Ruppersberger's district includes much of eastern Baltimore County, Fort Meade to the south and Aberdeen Proving Ground to the north. His first Congressional election in 2002—against former Rep. Helen Delich Bentley—was his closest, with just nine points separating him and his challenger.

State Sen. Nancy Jacobs—Jacobs, a state senator for the 34th district since 1999, has served as senate minority leader since 2011. The Edgewood resident, 60, is a former teacher and activist in the Concerned Women for America. Jacobs her April primary with 59 percent of the vote. Her platform includes repealing Obama's signature health care law and entitlement reform.

3rd District:

Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat, is seeking a fourth term in Maryland’s 3rd congressional district. If re-elected, the Towson resident will represent parts of Baltimore, Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties as well as parts of Baltimore City in the newly-reconfigured district. Sarbanes made headlines in May when he announced that would come from small donors. In 2010, he was re-elected with 61 percent of the district’s vote.

Eric Knowles - No one is predicting a close race in Maryland's Congressional 3rd District, but if someone is going to upset Democratic incumbent Rep. John Sarbanes, it's the Republican Knowles. The son of a former Green Beret and police officer, Knowles calls himself a strict constitutionalist who says the nation's economic problems can be solved if the government prints less money.

THE ISSUES

Dream Act:

The Dream Act would allow illegal immigrant students to pay in-state tuition at institutions in the University System of Maryland if their parents filed to pay state taxes, if they attended a Maryland high school for at least three years and if they graduated. Passed by the General Assembly in 2011, and landed it on the 2012 ballot as a voter referendum.

Same-Sex Marriage:

On March 1, in Maryland. Then, in May, opponents  in November. Until then, supporters of same-sex marriage, such as Equality Maryland, are mobilizing support, canvassing and holding public events. Groups that oppose same-sex marriage, including the Maryland Catholic Conference, are still soliciting support and fundraising.