Dear Next Contestant –

Hi. I’m not entirely sure that a letter to the editor is the right place to talk about something like this, but it’s 2014 as my husband tells me, so here goes. My husband and I have taught our daughter, who is a high school student, to speak her mind and not to be afraid of an issue if it’s important and if talking about it is the right thing to do. This, I think, is one of those times.

George Johnson, the Democrat running for County Executive, used to be our Sheriff. For three terms. From what I’ve been able to find out, he stood for the law, whether or not he might have voted for it.

His opponent is Tea Party Republican Steve Schuh. Mr. Schuh is pro-life, not just personally which would be his business, but politically and that makes it my business – and my daughter’s, even though she’s not old enough to vote yet. The law of Maryland is pro-choice.

My daughter and the girls she’s friends with are really good, smart young women. They’re going to be okay but, if something unexpected happens, I just want to make sure that, whatever she decides to do, with our help I hope, it’s up to her and not to Mr. Schuh.

We need to elect someone who will support the law, whatever his personal opinion. For those of you who are reading this, do we have anything to worry about?

To tell you the truth, neither my husband nor I were impressed by the way Mr. Schuh went after Laura Neuman in the primary about her rape. It seemed wrong, very wrong and personal – and it gave me the courage to write this.

Thanks for publishing my letter and the comments of any of your readers. It’s not easy figuring out who to vote for nowadays.