Correction appended

Kyle Lierman may be the top fundraiser in the Democratic primary campaign for a seat in Maryland’s House of Delegates, but less than a year ago, the 23-year-old candidate was just a normal, politically charged student studying on GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus.

After spending a few weeks following his December 2009 graduation volunteering for earthquake relief in Haiti, Lierman returned to his home state of Maryland to find that Del. Bill Bronrott, D-Montgomery, was leaving the long-held seat.

Lierman said he felt that the opening provided the perfect opportunity to begin his political career.

“I think that I decided early on that I have something different to offer,” Lierman said, noting that he is running a grassroots campaign with over 500 donations. “

The School of Business graduate also has a laundry list of prominent Americans who have donated to his war chest, including former presidential candidate Howard Dean, Executive Editor of Roll Call newspaper Morton Kondracke and Robert Gallo, who helped to discover the AIDS virus. So far, Lierman has raised more than $106,000 and has more than $42,000 in cash on hand, the most out of the 10 others running against him in the Sept. 14 primary.

“I’ve been involved in politics my whole life,” Lierman said. “You get to know so many people around you that are willing to help out.”

Lierman said running for the House of Delegates was his chance to bring reform to the issues he finds most important, adding that he hopes to focus on improving Maryland’s low high school graduation rates as well as the state’s budget issues.

He said raising the alcohol tax would increase revenue throughout Maryland and contribute to creating a balanced budget for the state.

“One in four students don’t graduate from high school [in four years in Maryland],” Lierman said.

For inspiration in creating successful legislation and independent ideas for the November elections, Lierman said he looks to President Barack Obama, whose campaign he worked on during the 2008 election.

This article was changed on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010 to reflect the following:
This article orgainlly stated that Lierman spent “months” in Haiti, when in fact he only spent a few weeks in the country. This article also misstated a quote.