PHILADELPHIA — The leader of a politically influential union of federal employees said Wednesday that his members will work aggressively in Maryland in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
"We endorsed Anthony Brown in the 2014 election because we wanted a governor who would stand with working people and respect their rights on the job," said J. David Cox Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employee.
"While we lost that election, we're not giving up on those principles," Cox said in a statement. "We're going to keep organizing, keep pounding the pavement, and keep speaking out until the state of Maryland is where it belongs: in the hands of the people."
Cox, who is in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention, met on Monday with Baltimore County Executive Kevin B. Kamenetz, who is considering a run for governor in 2018.
Maryland is home to some 300,000 fedreal workers, including many represented by AFGE. The union has many members at the Woodlawn-based Social Security Administration.