ELECTION 2022 Senate District 27 Candidate Jason Fowler spices up Democratic Primary with Hot Wings Video and hired campaign workers

By Ken Rossignol
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY
Commentary and Political Analysis

ELECTION 2022: A clear contrast between a defund the police style leftwing candidate and an experienced legislator

Jason Fowler wants to strip police officers of protections; full repeal of Law Officers Bill of Rights

UPDATE – Statements posted on the website of Democratic candidate Jason Fowler shows he is in favor of removing all protections of police officers in Maryland. Fowler says he is from the Fowler family yet his donations do not include any contributions from the family of the late Sen. Bernie Fowler or his son, who is a retired Calvert County Deputy. Senator Michael A. Jackson is a former two-term Sheriff of Prince Georges County and enjoys broad support from the FOP. In the statement below, Fowler proposes another level of politicans to hold police accountable even though there exist many elected officials to do just that.

Fowler claims he won’t accept PAC money when the truth may be that PAC money is already going to his opponent – in a big way –and some from the FOP, for a good reason.

The cops want to keep the protections they have in order to do the job to protect the public.

PRINCE FREDERICK, MD. – Two Republicans and two Democrats have filed thus far in Maryland Senate District 27 which is composed of most of Calvert County and a part of Prince Georges.  The incumbent, Sen. Michael A. Jackson, was appointed in 2021 to fill the remaining term of the late Senator Mike Miller who resigned due to his declining health. One candidate is quickly setting himself apart from the rest of the pack – Jason Fowler.

Fowler is showing that he doesn’t shy away from hot wings issues or back down from putting his money where his political promises are when putting those down on their luck on his campaign payroll.

In 2002, Senator Jackson was elected to the first of two terms as Sheriff of Prince Georges County and was serving his second term as a member of the House of Delegates from District 27 when he was appointed to the vacant senate seat.

Prince Frederick attorney Jason T. Fowler practices law with his wife in Calvert County and has filed for the seat, opening up a fairly competitive race in the Democratic Primary and doing so coming from what many would regard to be the leftwing of his party based on issues he discusses in daily postings on his Facebook page.

Thirteen of his twenty-eight contributions listed on his campaign finance report on January 12, 2022, were given from people who live outside of the county and some outside of the state.  The contributions totaled $2,053.62.  

Fowler listed a prior balance of $4,563.26, field expenses of $4,500.00, the printing of campaign materials in the amount of $983.88 which was ordered from a printing company from out of state rather than a local printing business, and total expenditures of $5,536.67, leaving his campaign committee, The People for Jason Fowler with over a thousand dollars in the kitty for the election race that culminates in June.  

While it is a usual expense item for political campaigns to list expenses for food for campaign volunteers and for food and beverages for fundraising purposes, Fowler listed two payments to Devane Wright of Chesapeake Beach for “Consultant Fees-Campaign Workers”

According to Calvert County Homeless Services Board records of February 17, 2021, Devane Wright is associated with the Calvert Rainbow Alliance and Mutual Aid Popups in St. Mary’s, Prince Frederick, and Lusby called Feed the People. The records of the Homeless Services Board states that it is a group of activists and concerned citizens feeding people and giving resources. Apparently, they also rent campaign workers to political campaigns – something of a first in Calvert County.  Perhaps they also provide professional mourners for funerals.  For the rented campaign workers, Fowler spent $250.00 on August 5, 2021, and $1,250.00 on November 1, 2021.

Providing walk-around money and miniatures is a proud tradition in Maryland Democratic Party politics.

On October 22, 2021, Fowler held a Grassroots Campaign Launch at the Dreamweaver Café in Prince Frederick Md, and solicited attendance for the event on his Facebook campaign page.

Fowler’s event solicitation for donations included the following message:
 “This campaign will reject any contributions from corporate PACs and registered lobbyists and stay committed to a 100% grassroots movement.

All tickets to this event are FREE. However, contributions are much appreciated and ultimately necessary for the success of the campaign. In any case, we need a head count for the event. So, please, don’t leave this page without securing your event tickets.”

Fowler’s campaign website domain URL points to a website that has not yet been built. (Since this article was published the website came live and can be viewed HERE.)

There is not a family relation to Jason Fowler and the late Senator Bernie Fowler, who likely never had to pay a dime for campaign workers.

RESPONSE: Fowler says he has common ancestor with late Senator; Wright asserts she is not homeless

(EDITOR’S NOTE: In an email, Jason Fowler provided this information – “Devane Wright is not a homeless person. You should make sure that is clear in this article. Bernie Fowler Sr. and I do share a common ancestor.”
Editor: Fowler has been asked to clarify the relation to Bernie Fowler. The article does not state that Wright is homeless, only that she is associated with a group that helps the homeless and was paid money to provide campaign workers. Fowler has been requested to do an interview, and he can eat wings while answering spicy questions.
In an email from Devane Wright, she stated the following: Good afternoon, Ken. I’m writing to tell you how extremely disappointed I was to see my name and more importantly the organizations, that I volunteer with, in this article. Firstly, the tagline suggests that I am homeless. I am not. Secondly, I am no longer the President of CRA nor am I actively involved with either the org nor the mutual aid group. Most importantly, both of those organizations, while I am very proud to have participated in the amazing work both do in our community and while I am still very much attached to the wonderful folks that make up both, are adamantly a-political. 
I chose to work for my friend on his senate campaign prior to moving on to coordinate another campaign, and he compensated me for my time. I don’t know why that’s newsworthy and while I understand that my name now graces public documents because of my political consulting work, I can’t understand why CRA and FTP need to be included in this way. 
Please remove the names of both groups from this posting. OR, remove the article completely. – Devane Wright)

Devane Wright was asked to provide the names of any workers that were paid: Wright replied: “That was just me as an individual that got paid to do campaign work. If any of the other folks did campaign work, clearly they’d have been a part of the financial report. The groups are completely unrelated and none of those people do any campaign work at all.”

JASON FOWLER PROMISES NOT TO ACCEPT THE EVIL PAC MONEY IN THIS CAMPAIGN FOR SENATE AGAINST SEN. JACKSON…but he took $1,500 in PAC money from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the 2018 race for House of Delegates

Scroll down for full campaign finance report for 2018 for House

Scroll the PDF file below for the full report

Jason Fowler Campaign Finance Summary for 2018 House of Delegates Election – scroll down for full report