Whig Man to win 'the' for county executive, but will MSBE give him 'h'?

Whig Man to win 'the' for county executive, but will MSBE give him 'h'? ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – Before Daniel "The Whig Man" Vovak files to run for Montgomery County Executive, he will have to speak before the Maryland State Board of Elections about an unsettled matter regarding a definite article. In 2006, Vovak filed a non-financial lawsuit against the Maryland State Board of Elections when his legal, filed, and certified nickname was mysteriously changed from "The Wig Man" to just "Wig Man." According to The Washington Post, Vovak argued in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court that "the" was not a title, as was claimed by the MSBE, but merely part of his nickname.

Vovak, 37, will formally appear before the Maryland State Board of Elections on Thursday, March 25 (Maryland Day), from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. The Board is located at 151 West Street, on the second floor in Annapolis. Vovak will stand before the 5-person Board and argue that the MSBE should follow Judge Silkworth's order from his 2006 opinion on Vovak's lawsuit. Silkworth wrote, "We, like the trial court, are not persuaded that adding 'the' to 'Wig Man' converts a nickname or recognizable name to a title, which is not allowed. 'The' refers to a particular person, nothing more."

Vovak, of Bethesda, will run for Montgomery County Executive against Ike "The Bathroom" Leggett, following Leggett's bizarre declaration that his security detail claimed his short walk to the bathroom exposed him to harm from county workers in the administrative offices. Vovak says, "Leggett has a distinguished Vietnam history and has usually served honorably in his elected position, yet the truth is Montgomery County is almost $800 million in deficit on his watch. I have no doubt Leggett will soon become the 'fall guy' for Governor O'Malley and the Maryland Democratic Party. In the past, it was Baltimore's finances that hurt Maryland; now, it's Montgomery County that drains Maryland's coffers. It's not Leggett's personality that will make him lose; it's just that families can't afford more taxes."

Vovak was listed correctly as "The Whig Man," by Laura Vozzella of Baltimore Sun in 2009. When John DiStaso, Senior Political Reporter of the (Manchester) Union Leader told WBAL that he originally gave Vovak his nickname, what he didn't tell WBAL is that he had a typo when he spelled Vovak's nickname as "wig" instead of "Whig." This week, Jared DeMarinis called Vovak and said Vovak will probably finally win his "the" case, though now the MSBE may challenge the letter 'h.' Thus, Vovak now must plead that he is "The Whig Man" and not "The Wig Man." Against Vovak, Assistant Attorney General Jeff Darcie will defend the Board of Elections, which he is obligated to do.

Vovak says, "I've always been The 'Whig' Man because of my political beliefs that Republicans should be culturally neutral and fiscally conservative, which is what the Whigs believed. Just as some Democrats identify themselves as 'Progressive Democrats' or others as 'Blue Dog Democrats' I am a 'Whig Republican.' In the same way that the tea party now has people all over America wearing wigs, I am the original tea party conservative who coined the term. It is absolutely right that I have the Whig spelling. I never wore the wig as a fashion statement, but always as a political statement."

Vovak says he will have tepid Republican Party support in his election for Montgomery County Executive. He says, "Following protocol, I spoke with Louis Pope, Joyce Terhes, and Connie Morella and I will have their support, though they don't want me using my wig. In fact, Joyce told me I was handsome enough to win without the wig, which made me blush. Regardless, I'm still open to using my wig, though only as a secret campaign weapon, should I need one."

Once elected, Vovak admits one of his first phone calls will be to former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Vovak says, "Doug and I have always had mutual respect for each other, that crossed party lines. In 2006 he reached out to me on his governor-to-be website, devoting an entire question to me. Then I reached out to him, floating a possible endorsement. Even years later, as a movie producer for The Blue Dress, I held a casting event at AFI in Silver Spring, where I thanked Doug because it was his genuine leadership that brought the American Film Institute to Maryland."

A ghostwriter, Vovak's career accomplishments including signing the famous Paula Jones to a movie deal and now writing her biography. He has also been contacted by former Congressman Jim Traficant to potentially write his life story. Vovak graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College at age 20, with 3 majors (business, psychology and communications). Politically, Vovak leans pro-choice and is definitely anti-tax. He adds, "Wig or no wig, I agree with Maryland Politics Watch, that Ike Leggett is vulnerable and will lose in November. Though I do not have any anger against Leggett, the county executive position is definitely above his head. He just isn't the right guy in that job."

In spite of having been just 31 years-old (and constitutionally not eligible to run for President), Vovak first wore the wig when he opposed George W. Bush in 2003 for the Republican nomination, disagreeing with Bush's war aggression. His debut appearance with the wig was during his Iowa book launch for Will You Run for President? when Vovak was the keynote speaker at the annual Big Ten Leadership Conference. He also wore the wig when he opposed Michael Steele in 2006 for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, believing Steele was too haughty for Maryland.

Vovak can be contacted at 202-367-4835 or DanielVovak@gmail.com.