Biggest Political Oops, Part I

Bearing an impressive résumé—former adviser to two secretaries of state, policy director for first lady Michelle Obama—Krishanti Vignarajah saw a political opening in a Maryland gubernatorial field then devoid of female contenders. But it quickly became apparent that she was a newcomer to the crucible of the electoral arena. After Vignarajah, a Democrat, jumped into the race this past August, Bethesda Beat revealed that she had not voted in Maryland until 2016, even though she had been registered to vote in the state since 2006. In between, she voted four times in Washington, D.C., utilizing what she described as a “crash pad” as her home address. The information immediately raised questions about her eligibility to run under Maryland’s constitution, which requires a gubernatorial candidate to have lived in the state and to have been registered to vote for five years. Vignarajah’s initial reaction—to repeatedly duck questions—merely succeeded in keeping the story front and center. Finally, in October, she tried to seek a court judgment on her eligibility.