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Verelyn Gibbs Watson
Verelyn Gibbs Watson (Republican Party) ran for election to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 39. Gibbs Watson lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Gibbs Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 (3 seats)
Gabriel Acevero, Lesley Lopez, and incumbent Kirill Reznik defeated Verelyn Gibbs Watson in the general election for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Gabriel Acevero (D) | 31.0 | 28,554 | |
| ✔ |  | Lesley Lopez (D) | 30.1 | 27,722 |
| ✔ |  | Kirill Reznik (D) | 27.4 | 25,236 |
Verelyn Gibbs Watson (R)  | 11.2 | 10,316 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 324 | ||
| Total votes: 92,152 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lesley Lopez | 21.3 | 5,422 |
| ✔ | Gabriel Acevero | 20.1 | 5,116 | |
| ✔ | | Kirill Reznik | 20.0 | 5,088 |
 | Shane Robinson | 19.4 | 4,934 | |
| Bobby Bartlett | 9.8 | 2,487 | ||
 | Andy Hoverman | 5.0 | 1,281 | |
| Clint Sobratti | 4.5 | 1,139 | ||
| Total votes: 25,467 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 (3 seats)
Verelyn Gibbs Watson advanced from the Republican primary for Maryland House of Delegates District 39 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Verelyn Gibbs Watson | 100.0 | 1,414 | |
| Total votes: 1,414 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Verelyn Gibbs Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gibbs Watson's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Lowering taxes and being smarter about how tax payer dollars are spent. 2. Increasing accountability and transparency so that minorities are not excluded from representation. 3. Fighting for term limits so we can bring fresh perspective to Annapolis.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I'm personally passionate about increasing the diversity within our legislature, this is especially important given that D39 is a majority, minority district.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
I look up to Gov. Hogan. He is an excellent example of putting people first, regardless of party affiliation.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
I'm not a career politician. As a first time candidate, if someone wants to better understand why I got into the D39 race, I'd recommend they read this article: https://bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2018/Leggett-Accuses-District-39-Incumbents-of-Deciding-Primary-Slate-in-Smoke-Filled-Room
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
1. Integrity 2. Transparency 3. Empathy
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I posses each of the qualities listed above. Additionally, because I am not a career politician and because I have not accepted contributions from "big money donors" - my only loyalty will be to the voters.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
I believe loyalty to your constituents and acting in their best interests are core requirements. We need people who will bring us together, not drive us further apart.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to leave the legacy that when it's all said and done, each one of us can do something. I also want to educate and empower voters to help increase engagement and reduce the likelihood that are voices are taken for granted.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The very first historical event that I can remember was the Challenger explosion. I believe I was about 9 or 10 when that occurred. It taught me life is fragile and that even in the face of risk, we still have to venture into the unknown to make progress on behalf of humankind.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is about gratitude and being with those you love.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
I'm in favor or non-partisan redistrcting. The process of gerrymandering is detrimental to our communities and our countries. When we group people together whose regional needs may not be the same, in order to preserve an artificial "status quo", we do a disservice to our communities by not respecting their individualized characteristics.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Maryland House of Delegates elections, 2018
- Maryland House of Delegates
External links
Footnotes
