Perez Out

In a move certain to shake up the Attorney General’s race, Maryland’s highest court ruled that Montgomery County Councilman Tom Perez is not eligible to run to be the state's lead prosecutor.

The Sun has lots of folks spinning the decision, but we'll have to see whether the decision helps Simms or Gansler.

Geography has loomed large in the race from the start. Baltimore lawyers have had a lock on the attorney general's office for decades, and many in the Montgomery County political community thought it was time for one of their own to take the job. But with two of them in the race, the conventional wisdom held that a solid candidate from Baltimore -- particularly an African-American -- could sweep in and win.

And as folks in Montgomery County wonder what will become of Perez, an email from George Leventhal reminds activists that Stephen Abrams, the Republican Schol Board member who pushed the lawsuit, is up for reelection in 2008.