Son-in-law of former Gov. O'Malley to run for Md. state Senate
BALTIMORE (AP/ABC7) -- Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's son-in-law has announced his plans to run for the state Senate.
J.D. Merrill announced his plans on Twitter Monday. He said he plans to run in Maryland's 41st District, which includes parts of Baltimore County and Baltimore City.
Merrill has worked for the past year as special assistant to the chief of staff at Baltimore City Public Schools. He said one of his top priorities will be to improve schools.
On his campaign website, Merrill said he led a $2.2 million campaign to build a new library and learning center while he was a teacher at Baltimore City College.
O'Malley's daughter, Grace, married Merrill in the summer of 2016.
The current state senator in District 41 is Nathaniel T. Oaks, who was appointed in February 2017 to replace Lisa Gladden, who retired at the start of the 2017 legislative session.
Oaks served in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 41 from 1983 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 2017.
Oaks was indicted twice in 2017 after his appointment to the senate. In April he was indicted for allegedly accepting illegal payments in exchange for using his official position and influence to benefit people on individual business-related matters.
In November 2017, Oaks was indicted again, this time on an obstruction of justice charge, after investigators say he tipped off the target of a federal investigation.
The U.S. attorney's office says Oaks had agreed to cooperate with the FBI by recording his conversations with the target of a new investigation.
