Lollar's run for governor faces possible roadblock

Local pol may be ineligible due to residence rules

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Lollar, 38, of Newburg said Tuesday that he plans to announce in the coming weeks whether he will run for governor or U.S. Congress in next year's elections. He has spent the last few months speaking at GOP club meetings and anti-tax rallies across the state, fueling speculation about a gubernatorial bid.

If Lollar opts to run for governor, he will have to prove his eligibility.

A candidate for governor or lieutenant governor "must have attained the age of thirty years, and must have been a resident and registered voter of the State for five years next immediately preceding his election," according to Article II, Section 5 of the Maryland Constitution.

Lollar moved to Maryland from suburban Atlanta in October 2005 and submitted his voter registration application with his vehicle registration application shortly thereafter, he said.

However, a copy of his voter registration card on file at the Charles County Board of Elections obtained by the Maryland Independent shows he signed and dated his application on June 6, 2006. He maintained that the application was submitted right after he moved, but was not processed until the following June for unknown reasons.

Lollar said he was aware of the residency and voter registration requirements to run for governor and has already discussed the matter with local board of elections' staff and the possibility of reviewing his voter registration data.

"It's one of those things where I've really had to think long and hard about whether to fight this," he said Tuesday, expressing confidence that he would be deemed eligible to run for governor if he challenges the date of registration on file.

The primary election is scheduled for Sept. 14, 2010. Even though Lollar maintains he registered in October 2005, he would be eligible to run for governor because the state Constitution specifies that a candidate be registered five years before he is elected to office.

That means Lollar would meet the requirement if he registered by Nov. 2, 2005, five years before next year's general election, said Ross Goldstein, the state's deputy state elections administrator.

The U.S. Constitution states that a candidate for U.S. representative must be at least 25, a U.S. citizen for seven years and a resident of the state in which he is elected.

Lollar, who is general manager for Cintas Corp. in Prince George's County, has gained a higher profile within GOP circles as chairman of the Commission for Citizen Tax Relief, established in January by the state Republican Party. He has appeared at numerous anti-tax "tea parties" across the state in recent months.

Talk that he was considering a gubernatorial campaign heated up several months ago when supporters launched a "Draft Lollar" Web site aimed at building his name recognition ahead of a possible candidacy.

Although he has won plaudits for unifying a divided GOP in Charles County following a disastrous 2006 election in which Republicans lost nearly every race on the ballot, Lollar lacks the typical political credentials for statewide candidates.

The ongoing hostility within the state GOP could influence what office Lollar decides to run for, he said.

"It's a tough time to win [as a Republican] in this state, let alone if the party is not unified," he said.

"It's a double-headed monster. It's one thing to fight the battle to unify the party; it's another thing to unify the state behind the terrible spending that's going on. A guy or a gal has got to be up for both fights now."

abrody@somdnews.com