THE TOPLINE — VIGNARAJAH'S SECRET FUNDRAISER



— FIRST IN THE BULLETIN — John and Laura Arnold, the Texas-based philanthropists who have pledged to cover the cost of controversial surveillance planes being Thiru Vignarajah in Houston last month, according to a source with knowledge of the event and an ActBlue page reviewed by the Bulletin.



SOME BACKGROUND: In October, Vignarajah THE CAMPAIGN AND THE ARNOLDS have not yet responded to requests for comment. and, the Texas-based philanthropists who have pledged to cover the cost of controversial surveillance planes being debated by Baltimore leaders , hosted a fundraiser for mayoral candidatein Houston last month, according to a source with knowledge of the event and an ActBlue page reviewed by the Bulletin.In October, held a press conference and penned a Baltimore Sun op-ed to push for the planes, three years after Bloomberg Businessweek revealed in a bombshell cover story that one was being used to surveil the city from above without the knowledge or approval of top city leaders. Right after the press conference, he flew to Houston to attend the fundraiser, which has not previously been reported. It's unclear how many people attended or how much money was raised.have not yet responded to requests for comment.



📺 ALSO…NEVER TOO EARLY? "Baltimore mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah released his first television spot Friday, part of a $100,000 media buy that promotes his pledge to fight crime in the city. Vignarajah , a former federal and city prosecutor, will air his ads starting Friday, with more than 500 spots to be broadcast over the next month on cable and network TV, according to a news release." Baltimore Sun)



🎥 WATCH NOTE: the campaign is already running



ANALYSIS: Vignarajah is running this campaign (his Vignarajah and Senator Mary Washington a potential opening.



IN OTHER AD NEWS… Fellow longshot mayoral candidate Rikki Vaughn is putting up billboards across the city for his campaign.



[Disclaimer: I was a paid employee of Vignarajah's state's attorney's campaign for a few months in 2018. I have had no involvement in any capacity with his mayoral campaign.] the ad for yourself…the campaign is already running Facebook ads with the commercial…is running this campaign (his second citywide campaign in as many years) as an unabashed political outsider, emphasizing his prosecutorial record, taking shots at 'the establishment' every chance he gets, and speaking about crime in plain-spoken, blunt terms. As Baltimore marks a fifth year with over 300 murders, there's perhaps more anguish and discontent with the status quo in City Hall than ever before, giving candidates likeand Senatora potential opening.Fellow longshot mayoral candidateis putting up billboards across the city for his campaign. See them… [Disclaimer: I was a paid employee of Vignarajah's state's attorney's campaign for a few months in 2018. I have had no involvement in any capacity with his mayoral campaign.]