Today, we continue our series of Conversations with the Candidates who will be on the June 26th primary ballot here in MD. Yesterday, former Montgomery County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin entered the race, following the sudden passing of her running mate, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. We begin the program with a conversation with WYPR's Baltimore County News reporter, John Lee, about the changing dynamics of the Governor's race. Tom’s guest is Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, III, who is a Democratic candidate for Governor. Rushern Baker is one of three candidates in the race who is not a political outsider, and now, the only one currently serving as a County Executive. He entered politics in 1994, serving in the Maryland House of Delegates until 2003. He lost his first two elections for County Executive, but he beat incumbent Jack Johnson in 2010. Soon after that election, federal prosecutors arrested Johnson on corruption charges. Mr. Baker has been widely credited with improving the county’s image and ending its “pay to play” legacy.There will be nine candidates on the ballot, seven of whom are considered serious contenders. Rushern Baker is considered one of the leading candidates in this crowded field, although none of the Democratic candidates have yet to poll better than incumbent Republican Governor Larry Hogan at this County Executive Baker is 59 years old. He has been married for 31 years to Christa Beverly, a civil rights lawyer, who was diagnosed eight years ago with early-onset dementia. Mr. Baker is her primary caregiver. They live in Cheverly, and they are the parents of three grown children, Rushern IV, Aja, and Quinci. His running mate is Elizabeth Embry, a lawyer in the MD Attorney General’s office and a former candidate for Mayor of Baltimore. County Executive Baker also took your questions, emails and tweets. Like all of Midday's Conversations with the Candidates, this program was streamed live on the WYPR FB page. Check out the video here.

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