Maryland Republican Party Chairman Audrey Scott is taking a shot at Ben Cardin after a Washington magazine rated the Baltimore Democrat as one of the most liberal members of the Senate.

National Journal, a respected publication whose vote ratings have stirred controversy in the past, put Cardin in a five-way tie for first place as the most liberal senator. The rankings are made on the basis of selected roll-call votes on what the magazine regards as key economic, social and foreign policy issues.

"It's clear that one-party rule doesn't work and this fall Republicans intend to hold Democrats accountable both in Washington and Annapolis," Scott said in a prepared statement Monday evening. "Every day, more and more Marylanders are saying 'enough is enough.'"

Unfortunately for Maryland voters eager to bounce Cardin from his liberal perch this fall, he is the only member of the state's delegation in Washington who isn't up for re-election. His term expires in 2012 and there's no way to predict what his rating will be by then.

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who is running for re-election this year, ranked as the eighth most liberal senator in 2009, according to National Journal.

In the past, questions have been raised about the validity of the magazine's ratings, which don't always match those of other analysts and outside interest groups. Barack Obama earned the "most liberal" rank from the magazine in 2007, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain used that rating in 2008 campaign attacks. But independent assessments found that, for the most part, Obama didn't actually deserve that label.