Maryland candidate filing deadline creates last-second drama

Veteran U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D) got a few new challengers Friday, including — briefly — one he definitely did not want. Friday’s candidate filing deadline, already pushed back twice due to now-settled litigation over congressional and legislative district boundaries, featured plenty of frenzied, last-minute activity — including drama and confusion in the final seconds over a legislative district in Montgomery County, which could hand Republicans their first victory in the county in 20 years. The top-line news is that three credible Republicans have filed to seek the GOP nomination in Ruppersberger’s 2nd District, led by Nicolee Ambrose, who has spent the past decade as Maryland’s Republican National Committeewoman.