DELANEY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT: In announcing his run for the Democratic nomination for president, U.S. Rep. John Delaney, in an op-ed for the Washington Post, writes that the American people are far greater than the sum of our political parties. It is time for us to rise above our broken politics and renew the spirit that enabled us to achieve the seemingly impossible.

• Delaney’s gambit is either a fool’s errand or a stroke of genius, writes Josh Kurtz for Maryland Matters. His determination, self-confidence and bravery are noteworthy, and it will be fascinating to see how far he can go with this. But, Kurtz writes, although the election is three years away, there are immediate implication for others. He then lists his winners and losers coming out of the announcement.

• Delaney, one of the only members of Congress to have run a public company, appears to center his presidential campaign on an economic message that the nation is poised to rebound if Washington embraces a “new economy” that is more entrepreneurial and forward-looking, John Fritze of the Sun reports.

• Delaney, a moderate who has represented Western Maryland for three terms on Capitol Hill, on Friday became the first Democrat to formally enter the 2020 presidential race — just six months after the election of President Trump. “Obviously, I believe he is a terrible president and taking the country backwards and really undermining some of our most important values,” Delaney said a phone interview Friday afternoon, Bill Turque and Jenna Portnoy of the Post write.

• Delaney’s exit will likely be seen as a political opportunity in Maryland politics. Already Dels. Bill Frick (D-Bethesda) and Aruna Miller (D-Darnestown) are fundraising to campaign for the 6th District seat. State Sen. Roger Manno (D-Silver Spring) has also been making public appearances at events in the congressional district that stretches from Potomac into Western Maryland as he prepares for a possible run, Andrew Metcalf reports for Bethesda Beat. (Manno told MarylandReporter.com on Sunday he is definitely running.)

• Meanwhile, Ryan Miner of the Miner Detail blog writes about two Republicans who could be lining up to try to take Delaney’s seat, including Amie Hoeber, who has run for Congress before, and Maryland DLLR Secretary Kelly Schultz.

• Adam Pagnucco of Seventh State gives credit to Ryan Miner for first writing the Delaney story, and then goes through the Delaney denials, including the candidate’s explicit denial:  “It was as ridiculous then as it is now… I’m not running for President.”

CONFLICT IN RX POT REVIEWS: Fenit Nirappil and Aaron Gregg report that record obtained by the Post reveal that several of the independent experts hired to review applications to open medical marijuana businesses in Maryland had ties to companies whose materials they reviewed.

READ MORE HERE: http://marylandreporter.com/2017/07/31/state-roundup-july-31-2017/