Philosopher, progressive activist and Maryland gubernatorial candidate Jerome Segal has named Eastern Shore town council member Justin Dispenza as his running mate in the crowded race for the Democratic nomination.

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       Dispenza is a council member in Galena, a Kent County town with population of about 650 people.

       “I’m delighted to dive into state politics,” Dispenza said in a statement. “Through grass roots organizing I came to see that truly progressive voices are needed within government as well as outside it.”

       In a statement, Segal said his campaign is advocating “politics of simpler living” to help improve quality of life and economic security. His platform includes fighting for a four-day workweek and implementing living-wage policies.

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       Segal unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Ben Cardin in the 2018 Democratic primary, then ran for president in 2020 as the nominee of a party he founded, the socialist Bread and Roses party. Segal disbanded the party late last year and threw his hat back into the Democratic ring for a chance to win the nomination.

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       Segal outlines the beliefs of the Bread and Roses party as “gradually transforming our culture from one focused on money and careers to one in which you are defined by your values, your passion-work, your character, and your talents.”

       “This is a campaign of ideas, seeking to communicate the perspective of Bread and Roses socialism to the voters of Maryland,” Segal said in a statement. “Because of the centrality of ideas to the campaign, I decided to recruit from among the Bread and Roses membership, and am delighted to have found in Justin a running mate fully committed to the deep cultural transformation that we advocate.”

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       Before he was elected to the town council in Galena, Dispenza studied media production and theater. He then moved to China, where he made environmental documentaries across Asia. In Galena, Dispenza served as the Park, Tree and Recreation Committee chairman, helping to administer grants, organize events and lead efforts make the town more environmentally sustainable.

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       “In a two party system, often only the richest and loudest voices are heard, but the American dream, and the passions of Americans are so much more diverse than that,” Dispenza said in a statement. “I am confident that Jerome and I can stretch the Maryland conversation in a truly progressive and thoughtful way.”

       Segal？ at 78, is the oldest candidate in the race, and Dispenza, 31, is the youngest. Segal’s campaign highlighted their differences in age and experiences as a way to reach a broader set of Marylanders.

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       “We are ages apart. I’m a child of the counterculture of the 1960s, but there is an affinity between my generation and millennials,” Segal said in a statement.

       Segal is one of 10 candidates running for the Democratic nomination. According to state campaign finance records, Segal filed an initial affidavit with the election board that he does not intend to raise or spend more than $1,000 in the race.

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       Segal joins seven other Democratic candidates who have named running mates. Former Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez tapped former Baltimore City Council member Shannon Sneed to join his ticket; former U.S. education secretary John B. King Jr. selected Michelle Siri, an attorney and women’s rights advocate; author and former nonprofit executive Wes Moore named former state delegate Aruna Miller; Comptroller Peter Franchot named Monique Anderson-Walker, who recently resigned from the Prince George’s County Council; former Prince George’s County executive Rushern L. Baker III chose longtime Montgomery County Council member Nancy Navarro; former Montgomery County Council candidate Ashwani Jain named longtime Maryland resident LaTrece Hawkins Lytes; and former attorney general Douglas F. Gansler named former Hyattsville mayor Candace Bacchus Hollingsworth.

       Del. Daniel L. Cox of Frederick, a Republican candidate, tapped Gordana Schifanelli, an attorney from Queen Anne’s County, as his running mate.

       Candidates must select their running mates before the Feb. 22 filing deadline.