Continue reading "Andy Barth: Journalist. Flak. Movie star? " »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich will be joining the Washington, D.C., offices of King & Spalding, a mega-sized law firm with offices all over the globe.

Ehrlich, who was unsuccessful in his challenge last year of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, said he will be doing government affairs work for the firm, which will include attracting new clients. He described the work as helping to "grow the business."

The former governor said that his close ties with the office's managing partner, J. Sedwick "Wick" Sollers, was a reason he decided to work for the firm. The two went to rival high schools in Baltimore (Ehrlich to Gilman and Sollers to St. Paul's). The two also attended Princeton together. 

"I've known him since high school, that was one of the determining factors," Ehrlich said in an interview.

Long-time Ehrlich aide Greg Massoni will also work for the firm. He will be in the communications shop. Ehrlich said there could be additional announcements about other aides shortly.

It'll be Ehrlich's second stint a big-time firm. After he lost the gubernatorial race in 2006 he took a job with the Baltimore offices of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.

There he worked as a government affairs specialist and made nearly $800,000 a year.

Ehrlich said he and his wife are still considering doing another radio show, but his focus is now on national politics. He said he'll appear on FOX News this Friday and will be doing the cable talk show circuit. He's also working on a book.

Posted by Annie Linskey at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Investigators for the state prosecutor on Friday raided the home and office of Julius Henson, the political operative who ordered the controversial Election Day robocalls for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Emmet C. Davitt, Maryland’s new state prosecutor, declined to comment on the raid. Neither Henson nor his lawyer could be reached for comment Friday.

WBAL-TV, which broke the news of the morning raid, aired footage showing investigators carrying boxes away from Henson's home from an early morning raid.

Henson, a Democratic operative who was working this year for the Republican Ehrlich, ordered more than 112,000 robocalls before the polls closed on Election Day last month.

The calls focused on Democratic precincts in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. The recorded message featured a female voice suggesting that Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley had already won the election and encouraging supporters to stay home.

The woman told voters to “relax” because “Governor O'Malley and President Obama have been successful.… Everything is fine. The only thing left is to watch on TV tonight.”

Nobody answered the door Friday at Henson’s home on Decker Street. There was also nobody answering Friday afternoon at his office on North Charles Street.

Henson has acknowledged orchestrating the calls. He told The Baltimore Sun last month that the message was meant to encourage turnout.

“We believe the call was made for voters in Baltimore City who were not going to go to the polls, to go to the polls and vote,” Henson said in early November. “It never said, ‘Don't vote.’ ”

Henson said Ehrlich “probably” did not know about the calls. Ehrlich’s campaign paid Henson $111,000 for “community outreach.”

Ehrlich told the Annapolis Capital last week that the calls were “done outside of my purview.” When news of the calls broke on Election Night, an Ehrlich spokesman called them “absolutely irresponsible.”

Continue reading "Investigators raid home of Ehrlich robocaller" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010, Elections, Law and Courts, People, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
        

Independent campaign analyst Charlie Cook has tipped the Maryland One congressional race into the "lean Republican" category.

Until now, Cook had classified the Frank Kratovil-Andy Harris rematch as a tossup.

Other prognosticators, including Stu Rothenberg, publisher of an independent election newsletter, had made Harris the favorite for some time.

Cook has now put 21 Democratic incumbent or open Democratic House seats in the "lean Republican" category, including Kratovil's. Another 8 Democratic districts are in his "likely Republican" group. And he rates a total of 49 House seats now held by Democrats as pure tossups.

By contrast, only one Republican seat is in his tossup category, two others lean Democratic and a third is in the likely Democratic category.

The Cook Political Report's pre-election forecast calls for a net Republican gain of 50 to 60 House seats, "with higher Democratic losses possible." It would take a net pickup of 39 seats for Republicans to regain the control of the House that they lost in the 2006 election.

In the battle for the Senate, Cook's prediction is a Republican gain of six to eight seats, short of the net of ten needed for the GOP to take control of that chamber as well. Cook says the chances of a Senate Republican takeover "are now non-existent."

Posted by Paul West at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Gov. Martin O'Malley never misses a chance to talk about "making college more affordable." He highlighted a years-long tuition freeze in television commercials, contrasting it with a 40 percent tuition increase while Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was governor. And he includes the freeze talking point in nearly every campaign speech. Whether he is at a retirement home in Montgomery County or a community center in Baltimore, it always inspires enthusiastic applause.

One group is not impressed: The Diamondback. The editorial board of the University Of Maryland's independent newspaper this morning endorsed Ehrlich.

The Diamondback wrote that the tuition freeze under O'Malley wasn't all roses and sunshine, noting that it prompted furlough days that harmed staff morale and didn't include student fees, which continued to rise. After four years of freezes, the first of which began under Ehrlich, tuition went up 3 percent this year. The editorial board said both candidates have acknowledged that tuition is likely to go up again next year, "Ehrlich has been more forthright about this unpopular reality."

Both candidates have collected newspaper endorsements across the state. The editorial boards of The Sun and The Post both back O'Malley, while the opinion pages of The Gazette, The Washington Times and others support Ehrlich.

Continue reading "O'Malley's Freeze: College newspaper backs Ehrlich" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Democrats deployed green-shirted troops and signs to vote-thick Prince George's County yesterday, the final day of early voting. Gov. Martin O'Malley joined his supporters there in the evening for a series of cautiously optimistic rallies, as he enters the final weekend of the campaign trail.

O'Malley rendezvoused with Teamsters, members of his 1,000 Women for O'Malley group and others in a Bowie parking lot just after 5:30 p.m. The women erupted into a "four more years chant," but O'Malley -- who'd been in Hagerstown, Columbia and Baltimore earlier that day -- interrupted them: "But only four more days."

Continue reading "O'Malley rallies base in Prince George's Co." »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

In what appears to be a national pattern, the Democratic Party is highlighting a longshot third-party candidate in an effort to undermine a Republican nominee--in this case, Andy Harris, the GOP challenger in Maryland's tightest House race.

The tactic is either a desperation move, or a sign of how close the contest is, or both. It has special resonance in Maryland's First District, where the Libertarian candidate's two percent of the vote arguably tipped the historically Republican seat to Democrat Frank Kratovil in '08.

The Democratic mailer, first reported by Eastern Shore blogger Michael Swartz, masquerades as an attack on Richard Davis, the third man in the race, running again this year on the Libertarian line, with no realistic chance of winning.

Paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the flier describes Davis, twice, as an outsider and Tea Party type.

Davis "plans to cut government spending, will drastically reduce the size of government across the board, is a complete outsider . . . Davis and the Tea Party think government is part of the problem, and want to make it as small as possible."

"Richard Davis: Is he too conservative?" asks the mail piece.

The audience for the flier appears to be conservative voters. The barely disguised ploy to pull votes away from the Republican is a tactic Democrats are using elsewhere, too.

In Illinois, Democrats are promoting another Libertarian candidate, Mike Labno, in an attempt to cut into Republican Senate nominee Mark Kirk's support in conservative southern Illinois, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.

Continue reading "Democrats promoting Libertarian to undermine Harris " »

Posted by Paul West at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Vice President Joe Biden, at a last-minute fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland, called the Eastern Shore freshman's re-election battle "a really big race."

Urging an audience of about 80 at state Democratic Chairwoman Susie Turnbull's Bethesda home to get behind Kratovil, the vice president described Republican challenger Andy Harris as "genuinely out of the mainstream."

Before Biden spoke, House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland defended Kratovil against liberal critics of his voting record, which includes opposition to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

"Frank is batting .800-plus with us," he said. "I don't want you to tell anyone that," he added.

Told moments later that a reporter had been present for his remarks, Hoyer said he wasn't saying anything that he did not believe.

Harris and the Republicans have been countering Kratovil's claims of independence by portraying him in attack ads as a puppet of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who voted with her 84 percent of the time. Kratovil has said those attacks distort his voting record, which is closer to the center than any other member of the Maryland congressional delegation.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which put more than $800,000 into those anti-Kratovil ads, said in a statement prior to the event that “Frank Kratovil voted for the $800 billion Obama-Pelosi stimulus and continues to call it a ‘good thing.’ And for him, it is: Joe Biden’s thank-you visit will add hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign account. But for everyday Marylanders, it’s wasted their money and failed to create jobs. Contrary to the congressman’s belief, that’s not a ‘good thing’ – but it’s a great reason to fire him.”

Tickets to the event were in the $250-$500 range, according to one person who was invited.

Check out the complete pool report from the event, by our colleague Emily Cadei of Congressional Quarterly magazine, after the jump.

Continue reading "Hoyer: Kratovil "batting .800-plus with us"" »

Posted by Paul West at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

* Updated with Shank reaction.

Washington County Sen. Donald Munson announced yesterday that he will try to keep his seat as a write-in candidate in the Nov. 2 election.

Del. Christopher Shank toppled Munson last month in the Republican primary. But Munson, senator for two decades, isn't giving up.

"Since the primary, I have had a huge number of Republicans say to me that they simply took me for granted and didn't bother voting on primary day," Munson said this morning. "I gave it a great deal of thought, and I decided that if they have that much confidence in me, I'm going to use this one last piece of the process."

Munson said he completed the necessary paperwork yesterday and has already returned to the campaign trail.

Shank, who is otherwise unopposed in the General Election, said this afternoon that Munson is "waffling" in an attempt to "cling to power."

Munson's last-minute decision, Shank said, deprives voters of debates and forums between the two candidates.

Continue reading "Sen. Munson, defeated in primary, runs in general" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Sandwiched between a slew of political ads, Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich chatted this morning with FOX45's morning anchor Patrice Harris in a brief live interview.

He pledged not to raise taxes if elected, but hesitated about when questioned about fees. "Fees you'd have to define," he said. "Cutting taxes is part of our platform."

The answer will likely delight incumbent Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, who deployed a campaign ad questioning whether voters distinguish between taxes and fees.

Ehrlich and O'Malley both raised taxes and fees as governor, and in the past Ehrlich has said he would not raise fees. O'Malley says his planned budget for next year does not include a tax hike, but he has not ruled out the option.

Ehrlich says he'd try to reduce the state's sales tax if elected, a pledge he reiterated this morning. The tax cut could be funded by more effective investigation of Medicaid fraud, cutting vacant positions in state government and more better stewardship of the state's gambling program, he said.

Ehrlich also said he believes the tax rate on casino is set too high, and suggested that he'd lower it. Maryland takes 67 percent of gaming revenues, making it one of the highest rates in the country. Lowering the tax rate does not require amending the constitution.

The interview is one of a series Ehrlich is doing this morning, he also hit the WBAL-AM airwaves and will be on WCBM at 10 a.m.

Posted by Annie Linskey at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The down-to-the-wire rematch between Frank Kratovil and Andy Harris for Maryland's easternmost congressional seat is now one of the ten most expensive House races in the nation, in terms of spending by outside groups.

With less than a week until Election Day, more than $3.75 million has been pumped into the contest, according to Federal Election Commission figures. The latest cash infusion: $348,000 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on behalf of Kratovil, the endangered Democratic incumbent.

That brings the DCCC's total investment in Kratovil to nearly $1.5 million. Over the last week, however, the Republican Party's House campaign arm has put even more into the race on behalf of their candidate, Harris.

As residents of the district know all too well, virtually all of those dollars have been used to pay for attack ads on TV and radio.

According to the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation, the Maryland contest has attracted the ninth largest amount of outside spending among 435 House districts across the country.

Nationwide, total outside spending in the 2010 midterm elections for the House and Senate now tops $400 million, Sunlight reported.

A recent Sun poll showed the Kratovil-Harris race dead even.

Continue reading "Kratovil-Harris race nears top of spending list" »

Posted by Paul West at 5:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

A campaign trail dispatch from The Sun's Childs Walker:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said Wednesday that if he loses, this year’s race would be his last.

“It’s up or out,” he told reporters after a rally with seniors at Leisure World in Montgomery County. Ehrlich said it would be “difficult to imagine” a better environment to run in than this year’s election, with polls showing a GOP tide likely to sweep the nation.

He said he’s also finding it harder to be away from his children and that he has attractive fallbacks in his WBAL radio show and private sector legal work.

Continue reading "Ehrlich says he probably wouldn't run again" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

* Update: Here's the story, published Thursday.

Have you had the misfortune of picking up an "unknown" call in the past few weeks? The Sun is seeking true stories of robocalls you've received this political season.

In September, Sarah Palin recorded an electronic message urging voters to choose newcomer Brian Murphy in the Republican gubernatorial primary. The automated voices of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown should be familiar to many voters by now, as the pair tries to fend off a challenge from Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and running mate Mary Kane.

And earlier this year, residents in Maryland's easternmost congressional district, where Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil is now in a tough fight with Republican challenger Andy Harris, were flooded with Republican robos on national health care reform.

Who is robo-calling you? Share your stories below.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

With a big new investment in Andy Harris' congressional bid, Baltimore area concrete magnate Danny Schuster appears to be cementing (ahem) his status as Maryland's top donor of the 2010 midterm campaign.

The vehicle for Schuster's largesse, DGS Construction Inc., which he owns, just put $47,200 into a radio ad campaign on behalf of Harris, the veteran Republican state lawmaker who is challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in Maryland's First District (parts of Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel counties, plus the Eastern Shore).

In addition to Harris, the big beneficiaries of Schuster's latest spending are WBAL radio, which charged DGS $25,600 for airtime, and--interestingly--Radio One, which sold $21,600 worth on its stations, which include WOLB, that largely aim their programming at African American audiences.

Black voters make up about ten percent of the district's population but aren't expected to turn out at nearly that rate in the election. A recent Sun poll found a tiny number of black voters who were either undecided or were Kratovil supporters who said they could change their mind; a total of 12 voters who said they were African-American were included in the survey (of 520 likely voters) and none said they were supporting Harris.

Earlier this month, Schuster's company put $300,000 into a Super PAC that has gone on the attack against Kratovil.

To put Schuster's giving into context, bigtime Democratic money man Peter G. Angelos, the Baltimore lawyer who owns the Orioles and historically ranks among the state's biggest political donors, has contributed a total of $128,700 to a variety of candidates and Democratic Party committees in the 2010 campaign.

Schuster, you may recall, had $600 of the money he donated directly to Harris refunded, because it exceeded the $2,400 limit an individual can give a candidate for each election. The rest of his 2010 giving on Harris' behalf is for so-called independent expenditure ads, which typically copy what a candidate is saying but are not supposed to be coordinated with the campaign.

It's all legal as a result of a Supreme Court ruling last winter, and related federal court action, that opened the spigots for unlimited spending by corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals.

Posted by Paul West at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Rep. Frank Kratovil and his supporters are battling for support from environmental voters as the closely contested First District congressional campaign enters its final days.

Just out is a new attack ad from Defenders of Wildlife. It goes after Republican challenger Andy Harris' voting record on the environment during his years in the Maryland legislature as a state senator from the suburbs north of Baltimore.

According to the interest group's ad, Harris "just doesn't care" about improving the health of the Bay, an economic engine for the congressional district that spans it.

Kratovil, a centrist Democrat, is making a strong bid to win over "Rockfish Republicans." They are the district's more environmentally inclined GOP voters, many of whom backed former moderate Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, who represented the area in Congress from 1991 through 2008. Gilchrest has endorsed the Democratic incumbent and is raising money for his re-election.

You can check out the new ad by clicking here.

Posted by Paul West at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Republican Senate underdog Eric Wargotz is launching his first TV ad of the general election campaign, a 30-second spot that portrays incumbent Democrat Barbara A. Mikulski as Maryland's public enemy number one.

"At some point, Barbara Mikulski stopped working for us and started working against us," says the narrator. The ad, featuring a sledgehammer smashing a brick wall, lays out a list of disasters that occurred "on Senator Barb's watch." They include the health care "fiasco," mushrooming federal debt and the current foreclosure mess. The ad concludes with Wargotz delivering the disclaimer with a promise to "build Maryland up, not tear it down."

With Wargotz trailing by roughly 30 points in the polls and early voting already underway, it's hard to imagine anything that can turn the tide decisively for him at this stage.

You can click here to check out his ad, or wait for it to appear on a TV screen near you.

Posted by Paul West at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The first and presumably final debate between Sen. Barbara Mikulski and her Republican challenger, Eric Wargotz, is unlikely to alter the dynamics of a Maryland Senate contest that seems all but decided.

Airing tonight on Maryland Public Television, the 24-minute joint appearance is probably the only opportunity for voters to see the candidates side-by-side. They answered questions from moderator Jeff Salkin and, occasionally, responded to one another, though the discussion never grew heated.

The Wargotz team has tried to accuse Mikulski of refusing to debate, but, in reality, the front-running senator could have easily ducked this encounter without suffering serious damage.

As it was, she took a risk--admittedly a small one--by agreeing to sit across a table from her opponent in the Owings Mills studio. The danger: that a Mikulski gaffe or other unexpected development, caught on camera, might alter the outcome of the Nov. 2 vote.

That did not happen. Instead, their encounter turned out to be uneventful and almost sedate.

Wargotz, a Queen Anne's county commissioner, did his best to play on anti-establishment and anti-incumbent sentiment, promising that he would not be part of the "same old, same old" in Washington. In fact, the word "old" popped out of his mouth several times.

When Mikulski broke into a longwinded Wargotz answer at one point ("I thought we weren't going to filibuster, Jeff," she complained), the challenger said he'd try to wrap up quickly, then added, "I'm new at this. You're an old pro."

Mikulski, 74, may have lost a few steps in recent years, but her 53-year-old opponent isn't expected to knock her off. A new Baltimore Sun poll shows her with almost a two-to-one lead, in line with other statewide surveys.

Continue reading "Uneventful Mikulski, Wargotz debate strikes few sparks" »

Posted by Paul West at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Sun has been examining key issues in the governor's race over the past few weeks, and we've corralled that content at the top right of the blog. ==> ==> ==>

Watch for one more before Election Day. Today, we described how Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. cross traditional party lines when it comes to some criminal justice issues.

O'Malley, who cut his political teeth in crime-addled Baltimore, takes more of a hard-line stance than one might expect from a Democrat. And Ehrlich, who is married to a former public defender, acknowledges being out of sync with Republicans in his support of clemency and some prisoner reform programs.

With four years apiece in the governor's office, voters can reflect on the records of O'Malley and Ehrlich to get a feel for how they might govern going forward. Take a spin through The Sun's issues pieces.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Washington Post Monday morning released a new poll that estimates Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley is 14 percentage points ahead of his GOP challenger former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., a spread that exactly matches the Sun poll published Sunday.

The Sun's poll, conducted by OpinionWorks, showed O'Malley with 52 percent support and Ehrlich at 38.

The Post's poll gives O'Malley a stronger lead over than survey they published in late September which had O'Malley with an 11 point advantage.

Ehrlich will undoubtedly try to downplay the results of both papers' questionnaires when he outlines of his plans for his first week as governor at an afternoon event in Essex. His campaign over the weekend had tried to spin The Sun poll as an outlier that bucked a general trend that the race was narrowing.

On Sunday during an appearance with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani Ehrlich  quipped that the Sun's poll was unreliable because it was over sampling from "new Americans," a euphemism O'Malley frequently uses for illegal immigrants. He also stressed his recent fund raising numbers that show he's raked in more cash than O'Malley in the last reporting period -- though O'Malley has raised more overall.

And Ehrlich joked with a crowd of supporters the only indicator that matters is the number of "friends" on each candidate's Facebook page. Ehrlich has 63,589. O'Malley has 29,179.  

Here are some comparisons between the two polls.

The spread (among likely voters):
The Sun: 52 O'Malley to 38 Ehrlich
The Post: 54 O'Malley to 40 Ehrlich

Black voters:
The Sun: 88 O'Malley to 4 Ehrlich (Sun model assumed black voters would be 19 percent of electorate)
The Post: 88 O'Malley to 6 Ehrlich (Post model assumed black voters would be 21 percent of electorate)

White voters
The Sun: 48 Ehrlich to 42 O'Malley
The Post: 50 Ehrlich to 44 O'Malley

Dates in field:
The Sun: Oct. 15 to 20.
The Post: Oct. 19 to 22.

Posted by Annie Linskey at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Baltimore Sun colleague Julie Bykowicz reports:

Republican former Gov. Robert L Ehrlich Jr. has spent more than $2.6 million on advertising on television and other media in the past month and a half, a campaign finance report released Saturday morning shows.

Ehrlich ad buys are a dramatic increase from the much tinier amount — roughly $100,000 — he spent on advertising between April, when he anounced his election bid, and the beginning of September, the last time finance reports were made public.

By contrast, Gov. Martin O’Malley has invested steadily in media throughout the election season. From the beginning of the year through early September, the Democratic candidate spent about $1 million on advertising and other media outreach. His latest camapign finance report was’t immediately available Saturday.

Reports for all statewide and local candidates were due Friday night to the State Board of Elections. They are expected to be made public over the weekend and will provide the final look at campaign finances before Election Day.

Continue reading "Ehrlich has increased media spending" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Campaign finance, Candidate Watch 2010, People, Political ads
        

Vice President Joe Biden will headline a fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland on Thursday, October 28.

The event, just five days before voting ends, will take place in Bethesda. It was announced late Friday by the vice president's office.

Kratovil has already had high-level fundraising help from former President Bill Clinton, among others. Biden collected campaign cash earlier this fall for the top two statewide Democratic candidates, Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

Freshman Kratovil is in a tight race with Republican state Rep. Andy Harris of Baltimore County in the state's easternmost congressional district. The contest has attracted more than $6 million in spending, making it one of the most expensive House races in Maryland history.

Posted by Paul West at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Former President Bill Clinton rallied Democratic troops yesterday for Gov. Martin O'Malley while former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will fire up Republicans on Sunday for former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Think of it as a reprise. Those same political stars shined four years ago, the last time O'Malley and Ehrlich fought for the Maryland governor's office.

Colleague Laura Vozzella wrote about Clinton's appearance yesterday at Baltimore's Federal Hill Park:

Bill Clinton's old campaign anthem, "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," blared from speakers in a Baltimore park as the former president tried to rally voters Thursday for Gov. Martin O'Malley and other Democrats.

And just like the Fleetwood Mac song from the '70s, Clinton was at once forward looking and retro.

"Show up," Clinton urged a crowd of more than 1,000 in Federal Hill Park. "Claim your future. Keep your governor."

Continue reading "Political stars shine anew in governor's race" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley kept to his campaign talking points while his challenger, Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., went on the attack in a wide-ranging debate this morning on WOLB radio.

The exchange was the third -- and possibly last -- between the two main gubernatorial candidates and comes one day before early voting starts.

Both talked about issues dear to Baltimore's African-American community, including mass arrests, minority contractors and funding for historically black colleges and universities. Ehrlich said he appointed the first black judge to an Eastern Shore jurisdiction. O’Malley said he doubled the number of African-Americans on the bench.

O’Malley repeatedly brought up the NAACP, saying the group rated Ehrlich an "F" as a congressman and said the Republican had asked President George W. Bush to investigate the civil rights organization. Ehrlich, at one point, counted out loud the “gratuitous” Bush references.

The two had several testy exchanges. O’Malley made a reference to Ehrlich’s private sector job as a partner with the Baltimore law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. Ehrlich shot back: “It is OK to get a job in the private sector. You are going to be looking for one in a few months.”

Continue reading "WOLB gubernatorial debate wrap-up" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. are scheduled to debate at 8 this morning on WOLB-1010 AM, a black radio station in Baltimore.

This might be their final verbal matchup of the election season; they recently postponed a Washington-area radio debate on WTOP because both want to attend the funeral of a prominent Prince George's County church leader.

This race has featured two televised gubernatorial debates, the same number that aired four years ago. It does not appear that they did any radio last time. As host of a Saturday talk show on WBAL for more than three years, Ehrlich should be particularly comfortable in the studio.

The debate will air live for an hour and be moderated by WOLB host Larry Young, a Democratic former senator who is friendly with both candidates. We hear that sidekick "Coach," an open and ardent Ehrlich fan, won't be on air during the debate.

Follow our #mddebate Tweets and come back to this blog shortly after the debate for a quick analysis.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

So, do the folks at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee know something about the Frank Kratovil-Andy Harris rematch that the wise-guy analysts don't?

If not, why have they poured $1.1 million into a race that some--though by no means all--handicappers see as a likely Republican pickup?

The DCCC just put another $300,000 into attack ads against Republican Harris in Maryland's First District, according to a new filing with the Federal Election Commission. That brings the DCCC's total investment in Kratovil's re-election to $1,118,981.78.

That spending vaults Maryland's easternmost congressional district into the top ranks of House races nationally and raises the stakes for a party fighting to keep its majority in Congress.

Perhaps it's simply home-state pride. After all, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is the DCCC chair. And Baltimore-born Speaker Nancy Pelosi--the GOP's punching bag in its anti-Kratovil ads--and neighboring Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, the Majority Leader, are the top Democrats in the House.

Or might Democratic strategists have reason to think Kratovil will hold off Harris, long regarded as one of the Republican Party's best bets in the nation to take back a Democratic seat this fall?

If it's merely an attempt to entice the national Republican Party into redoubling its support for Harris--which would deflect resources that could be deployed elsewhere--that's a very expensive ploy. For now, though, the National Republican Congressional Committee is being outspent better than two-to-one in the conservative district, which takes in parts of Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties and the entire Eastern Shore.

Posted by Paul West at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

A dispatch from Baltimore Sun reporter Jessica Anderson:

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., the Republican nominee for governor, and his wife Kendel held a “Back in Black Again” campaign fashion show fundraiser Tuesday night at Martin’s West in Baltimore County.

Kendel Ehrlich wore a bright blue satin dress by Jackie Rogers. The former governor simply wore his “own tux.”

“I just knew this would be a great idea to rally women behind Bob,” Kendel Ehrlich said following the show. “It was a huge hit.”

About a dozen models wore gowns, outerwear and other popular items for this fall from the Bettina Collections in Cross Keys and Alpaca International to a room full of mostly female Ehrlich supporters.

Kendel Ehrlich said that her husband never faced any reservations about attending or appearing in the fashion show. “He’s pretty comfortable anywhere,” she said.

But since the Ehrlichs began doing the show, the former governor said there’s “definitely more men,” this year. Outside the ballroom, promotional items in pink letters said “Women for Ehrlich.”

When the couple and their two sons appeared on the catwalk following the show to the Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling,” they met a roar of applause.

“Kendel wanted to do this. This is Kendel’s night,” he told the crowd. But while the gala-like event was his wife’s plan, Ehrlich credited her with keeping him motivated to run for governor again.

“And here we are,” said Kendel Ehrlich. “The husband was wrong again,” Ehrlich quickly responded.

Continue reading "Ehrlich's fashion show fundraiser" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Spending in Maryland's hot First District House race continues to escalate, with a new Democratic "Super PAC" disclosing today that is spending $400,000 to attack Republican Andy Harris, the challenger to Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil.

The new group, America's Families First Action Fund, is financed by wealthy Democrats, who have chipped in at least $1.225 million, and the International Association of Firefighters, which gave a half-million.

The Democratic group is active in more than a dozen key House races across the country. It was organized under the new rules of campaign finance that allowed the creation of so-called "Super PACs."

Rulings by the Supreme Court and other federal judges have wiped out limits on campaign money, allowing wealthy individuals, corporations and labor unions to spend as much as they want, so long as they don't give directly to candidates or coordinate their activities with candidates or their campaigns.

A Republican "Super PAC" recently entered the First District campaign in Maryland, putting at least $149,000 behind attack ads against incumbent Kratovil. Most of the financing for the effort came from Baltimore area industrialist Danny Schuster, whose Owings Mills-based concrete company donated $300,000.

In a statement to The Baltimore Sun today, and in a subsequent interview, Schuster said he is supporting Harris because Kratovil supports "spending policies that are devaluing the savings of each and every American. Dr. Harris’ monetary positions are sound and in the best interest of the American people."

Schuster indicated that he's reached a stage in life in which he wants to give back more to the community. Earlier this year, the Reisterstown resident and father of seven children educated in the parochial school system offered the Baltimore archdiocese $700,000 to transport pupils displaced by the closing of Catholic schools.

Through his efforts, 350 children were able to continue attending the parochial system, Schuster said.

Posted by Paul West at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

For months, the conventional wisdom in Washington was that freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland was hopelessly doomed. He might just be the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country, some said.

Others confidently predicted--with no apparent evidence to back it up--that the national party would abandon him by early fall and take its money elsewhere, to races where Democrats actually had a chance of winning.

Ahem.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has now put more than $800,000 behind Kratovil's rematch with Republican state Sen. Andy Harris of Baltimore County. That makes the Kratovil race one of the top 10 in the nation, in terms of the DCCC's investment, at the moment.

For now, at least, the national Democratic Party's House campaign arm is outspending its Republican counterpart by more than $300,000 in Maryland's First District.

The Kratovil-Harris contest remains extremely tight. Some prognosticators still forecast a Harris victory.

But the Eastern Shore congressman is now off the "most critically endangered" list.

Non-partisan handicapper Charlie Cook's newsletter recently rated the 12 most vulnerable House Democrats in the country. Kratovil was not on the list. Cook regards the Kratovil-Harris rematch as a tossup.

Posted by Paul West at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

** 12:55 p.m. Rapid-fire question phase.

Should gay marriages be recognized in Maryland? Ehrlich says no, but bundles of rights should attach to committed, unmarried couples. O'Malley says he supports the decision to recognize same-sex marriage in Maryland and would sign any bill legalizing such unions in the state.

How can the Orioles become a better team? Power-hitting first baseman, Ehrlich says. O'Malley says, "practice, practice, practice."

PepCo had a rough summer, how can it be better? O’Malley briefly addresses a commission he formed, but then the candidates start talking about BGE. There’s direct sniping, talking over each other. Audience is openly disobeying rules about clapping, booing.

Tell us one thing people don't know about you. Ehrlich says he is “good on 70s and late 60s music trivia.” O'Malley says wife wants him to come home earlier. He says he’ll pass on a question about his favorite song.

Click below to read the rest of the live blog, which we've since cleaned up.

Continue reading "Live blog of second O'Malley-Ehrlich debate" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Sun will live-blog today's debate between Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., which kicks off at noon in Washington. You can follow us (@annielinskey and @bykowicz) on Twitter. We'll again be using the #mddebate hashtag.

Want to watch it for yourself? Lots of options. It'll stream live at noon on washingtonpostlive.com and be broadcast live on Washington's WUSA and statewide on Maryland Public Television. The hourlong debate will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. on MPT and air at 8 p.m. on WAMU.

As colleague Annie Linskey wrote this morning, "the pressure is on Ehrlich to convince voters in the Democrat-rich Washington suburbs that incumbent O'Malley should be fired."

After the debate, we'll again fact-check some of the major claims. This morning, Linskey preempted one we're sure to hear: that O'Malley was responsible for the largest tax increase in Maryland history. Not exactly true. You can also review our fact-checking from Monday's debate. We examined claims about spending, tuition, the DNA database, job losses and still more taxes.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Continue reading "O'Malley and Ehrlich square off again at noon" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. slipped out the back door and left WJZ a few moments ago. Confronted by reporters he said, "No questions right now."

He did say he was "happy, very happy." Ehrlich waited in a back room for about 30 minutes talking to staff before jetting. His SUV drove past the huge O'Malley press conference that is going on right now.

At a separate press conference, Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth said Ehrlich did a "better job explaining to people what he would do if elected." Barth said he thought Ehrlich "spoke with force." His campaign just put out a statement saying "Ehrlich scores decisive win" in first debate.

Pressed by reporters as to why the former governor took no questions after the sometimes-heated in-studio exchange, Barth said, "We want to let the debate speak for itself."

Top Ehrlich aide Greg Massoni was also tight-lipped, saying only, "We'll let the debate stand. We're very pleased."

O'Malley camp reaction coming soon.

Posted by Annie Linskey at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The parking lot of WJZ-TV in Baltimore, where Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich will soon begin their first debate of the campaign, is filled with supporters for both candidates.

The cheering throngs of green-T-shirted O'Malley supporters outnumber Ehrlich team members, but both have signs hoisted enthusiastically. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. Elijah Cummings both are on site, as is first lady Katie O'Malley. Both candidates are here. 

The hourlong debate begins at 10 a.m. and will be broadcast at 7 tonight. Washington-area residents can watch it on Maryland Public Television. Want a preview? We'll tweet live this morning with the #mddebate hash tag.

-- Photos by Annie Linskey.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, under fire from President Barack Obama and the Democrats for allegedly using foreign money to influence next month's election, is on the air in Maryland with a substantial wallop of new advertising on behalf of freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil.

The big business lobby dropped $168,841, according to Federal Election Commission records, on its buy on behalf of Kratovil in Maryland's First District, which spans the Chesapeake Bay to take in portions of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties, plus the entire Eastern Shore.

Kratovil recently won the endorsement of the Chamber, which has now put its money behind his re-election run in one of the tightest House contests in the nation. The congressman from the Eastern Shore is being challenged by Republican state Sen. Andy Harris, a veteran lawmaker from Baltimore County.

The new advertising is part of a national buy of some $2 million by the Chamber on behalf of Blue Dog Democrats like Kratovil. Democratic strategist Steve McMahon, who gained national attention at a media adviser to Howard Dean's presidential campaign, produced the ads, according to FEC records.

The new ads would seem to undercut Democratic attempts to make an issue out of the Chamber's spending, which largely favors Republicans, or at least muddy the matter.

On Friday evening, House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who has worked hard to re-elect Kratovil, issued a broad-gauged attack that included these lines:

"This Fall, corporate special interests are trying to drown out the voices of the American people with a flood of negative advertising funded by shadowy front groups. These groups are taking advantage of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that has enabled them to collect unlimited and undisclosed money from powerful, wealthy and sometimes foreign corporations – all without telling anyone where the money is coming from. The American people deserve to know exactly who is funding nasty attack ads and trying to sway their elections.

"...well-funded special interest groups like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and the Chamber of Commerce are pumping in millions of dollars, possibly from foreign interests and foreign governments, to try and overwhelm the voices of average Americans."

Our Tribune colleagues in the Washington bureau have more details on the national picture here.

Sharp-eyed readers of the Maryland Politics blog may have noticed that a reader named Mary first mentioned the Chamber ads in a comment posted just before 9 a.m. today.

Posted by Paul West at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Updated 5 p.m.

Baltimore Jewish Council Executive Director Art Abramson has issued this statement: Due to the significant time limitations inherent in the televised format of the upcoming debate, as well as the desire to maximize the educational value of the event, The Baltimore Jewish Council has determined that participation in a debate should be limited to those candidates who have received support from at least 10 percent of the voters in any major, independent poll conducted within 30 days prior to the debate. The Baltimore Jewish Council does not endorse any candidate for public office.

*** End update.

The three minor party candidates for governor are accusing WJZ-TV and the Baltimore Jewish Council, sponsors of a debate Monday between Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., of "electioneering," by excluding them.

Green Party candidate Maria Allwine, Libertarian Party candidate Susan Gaztanaga and Constitution Party candidate Eric Knowles have written several letters this week to the television station, demanding to be part of what could be the only gubernatorial debate this year.

The hourlong back-and-forth between O'Malley and Ehrlich, who appear to be in a tight race for governor, will be taped at WJZ at 10 a.m. Monday and will air at 7 that night. 

But the third-party candidates wrote this morning that the debate sponsors "have engaged in electioneering for the Democratic and Republican candidates by refusing to present ALL the candidates running in the November general election."

Continue reading "Third-party gov candidates demand to be in debate" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

...speaking of debates, looks like we have another one.

Baltimore radio talk show host Larry Young announced on his program this morning that Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. have agreed to a debate on WOLB. It will be broadcast live on the station from 8 to 9 a.m. Oct. 21.

O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese confirmed O'Malley's participation, and Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell said Ehrlich also has agreed to the debate.

Young, a Democratic former city senator friendly with both candidates, has worked for months to secure a debate for his Radio One station. He provided few details but promised more information in the coming days.

"Thank you for keeping your word," Young said, announcing the debate moments ago on his morning program.

Young has been on WOLB since 1998. The station's web site describes The Larry Young Show as the No. 1 black talk show in Maryland. O'Malley and Ehrlich have been guests on the program several times this election season.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Former President Bill Clinton will headline a fundraiser for Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland on Sunday in D.C.

The event will be held at the Acadiana restaurant, a Kratovil aide confirmed. Tickets are $500 for individuals. PACs are asked to chip in $1,000, according to Roll Call, which broke the news.

Clinton is also to appear at a Baltimore fundraising event for Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley later this month.

Kratovil, a freshman, is in one of the tightest House races in the country. Republican challenger Andy Harris is raising buckets of money and benefitting from lavish ad spending by outside Republican groups.

The race is rated a tossup. A recent independent poll showing Harris holding a three point lead, within the poll's margin of error, and there was a sizable undecided vote.

Posted by Paul West at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Bowie -- President Barack Obama praised Gov. Martin O’Malley at a Democratic pep rally today at Bowie State University, saying he “walks the walk, doesn’t just talk the talk.”

Adopting many of O’Malley’s campaign talking points, the president referenced a multi-year college tuition freeze, investments in public education and cuts to government spending. He also championed Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, both of whom are up for reelection this year.

The speech, similar in tone and content to many that Obama has given across the country in recent weeks, was designed to pump up Democratic voters, whom political observers believe to be as dispirited as Republican voters are energized.

Before Obama took the stage, O’Malley repeatedly referred to himself as the president’s partner. “I’m proud of our president,” the governor said, a line that elicited huge cheers from a crowd thick with students and O’Malley and Mikulski supporters.

Continue reading "Obama stumps for O'Malley " »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Bowie-- A stream of top Maryland Democrats, including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Sen. Ben Cardin, fired up the crowd gathered at Bowie State University, where President Obama will soon be speaking.

They didn't hold their tongues about the Tea Party, health care or what they saw as the need to "get Obama's back," as they implored -- sometimes shouting -- people to vote Nov. 2.

A selection of their comments:

Miller: "We're not going to stand for the Tea Party people here in Maryland."

Busch: "They made the tough decisions for you," referring to Democrat support of education funding.

Comptroller Peter Franchot: "Thank God for Barack Obama."

Rep. Elijah Cummings: "It's our moment, but if we don't seize it, it'll be gone forever."
Obama "keeps marching up that mountain."

Rep. Donna Edwards: "We have his back. He's our coach, and he wants to hand us the ball."

Cardin: "We don't need any witchcraft."

Next up are Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Bowie -- President Barack Obama is to take the stage at Bowie State University this afternoon to fire up Democrats in Maryland, giving a special nod to Gov. Martin O'Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

Throngs of supporters, many clad in O'Malley-green or Mikulski-red T-shirts have already gathered in an outdoor quadrangle at the historically black college. Meanwhile, Maryland Republicans, in a telephone press conference today, predicted voters will reject the Democratic message.

Obama remains more popular in Maryland than nationally, and seemingly unending security lines at Bowie State show he can still draw a crowd.

Baltimore resident Mike Canady and girlfriend Tisa Silver of nearby Mitchellville, both 31, said the presidential pep rally will help Maryland's Democratic candidates.

"If you can get support from the White House, that's great," Silver said. "Democrats need a swift kick in the butt like this to get out and vote."

Continue reading "Crowds gather at Bowie for Obama rally" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Maryland Politics bloggers Julie Bykowicz and Annie Linksey will be tweeting live from Barack Obama's stop at Bowie State University to stump for Gov. Martin O'Malley. They, along with politicians, political enthusiasts and other reporters, will be using the #mdvote hashtag to talk about the rally and other political news. Follow #mdvote tweets below, or use the hashtag yourself to be part of the conversation.

Posted by Carla Correa at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Continue reading "Ehrlich would cut education dollars (still)" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Republican challenger Andy Harris holds an insignificant lead over incumbent Democrat Frank Kratovil in the race for Congress in Maryland's easternmost district, according to a new poll just out.

The survey, the first independent poll to be released in the high-profile contest, suggests that the 2010 rematch could be about as close as the 2008 election, which Kratovil won by roughly 3,000 votes.

In the new poll, Harris, a veteran state legislator from the Baltimore suburbs, is favored by 43 percent of likely voters to 40 percent for Kratovil, a first-term representative from the Eastern Shore. Another 15 percent said they were undecided.

When the poll's 4.9 percent margin of error is taken into account, the contest is a statistical tie. The survey of 400 likely voters was conducted September 28-30.

The results reflect the strong Republican leanings of the district, which went for the Republican presidential ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin over Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden by almost 20 points.

However, the survey offers some flickers of hope for Kratovil, considered one of the most endangered Democrats in the country. It shows him winning independent voters by a 38-35 margin.

Continue reading "Poll: Harris and Kratovil in tight rematch" »

Posted by Paul West at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Baltimore Sun's Raven Hill reports:

Defeated Baltimore County Council candidate Bill Paulshock, who ran on Joe Bartenfelder’s ticket in the primary, plans to back Kevin Kamenetz in the general election.

Though he said he will not make an endorsement in the 5th District race between fellow Democrat Mike Ertel and Republican David Marks, he left little doubt about where his loyalties lie.

“I feel David is the most qualified at this point,” said Paulshock, adding that he’s known Marks for years through his work on various committees and community organizations. “I’ve seen firsthand how he works. He’s very professional. He cares about people. If I had to make a choice, David is the most qualified.”

Paulshock asked his backers to support Kamenetz in a statement that outlines his reasons:

“My decision to endorse Kevin for County Executive was an easy decision for me. Over the past year of campaigning, I have come to realize the type of leader that it takes to run Baltimore County Government. That leader must be experienced; possess the knowledge and capability to oversee the operations of Government; and must surround himself with professional and experienced personnel. Kevin Kamenetz satisfies all of these requirements.”

The Kamenetz endorsement shouldn’t be taken as a knock against Bartenfelder, he said.

Continue reading "Former Bartenfelder backer endorses Kamenetz" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The national Republican Party's House campaign arm is on the air on the Eastern Shore with a new ad that attacks incumbent Frank Kratovil's support for the federal stimulus program.

Republican Andy Harris, a veteran state lawmaker from the suburbs north of Baltimore, is challenging Kratovil, an endangered Democratic freshman, in one of the closest House contests in the country. The Democratic campaign committee was the first to enter the general election fight with TV advertising aimed at district voters.

The 30-second Republican spot, airing in the Salisbury market on broadcast TV and running on cable in the Baltimore market, tries to exploit Kratovil's support for the unpopular stimulus program. It also is designed to undermine his claims to independence, noting that he voted for Nancy Pelosi as House speaker (the ad does not explain, of course, that only Republicans voted against making Pelosi speaker, as is normally the case; votes for speaker routinely follow party lines).

The Republican commercial describes the stimulus as "failed," an assessment at odds with the judgment of many economists. According to an August report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus helped pull the nation out of the deepest recession since the Depression and provided jobs to between 1.4 million and 3.3 million people nationwide.

Kratovil voted against the stimulus the first time it went through the House in 2009, then approved the revised version. He has made public appearances in the district to highlight projects funded by the $814 billion spending measure.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which targeted Kratovil even before he took office, financed new TV ads in 27 districts across the country over the weekend, including Maryland One, which takes in the entire Eastern Shore and portions of Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties.

An NRCC official said the committee has reserved more than $532,000 in TV ad time in the Maryland district through the Nov. 2 election, which is four weeks from Tuesday. Click here to view the latest ads, including the anti-Kratovil spot.

Continue reading "National GOP goes after Kratovil" »

Posted by Paul West at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

It has been a standard line for years about Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski: She's "the most popular politician in Maryland." 

Not any more, apparently.

Mikulski is still viewed favorably by Maryland voters.  A total of 52 percent of registered voters in a newly released Washington Post poll gave her a favorable rating.

But that's down from 64 percent favorability in the same poll, in January, 2004, the last time she ran for re-election.

By comparison, the statewide poll, conducted Sept. 22-26, showed two other politicians whom Maryland voters view more favorably than Mikulski: Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, rated favorably by 64 percent,  and Republican nominee Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., by 55 percent (that last number falls within the poll's margin of error with Mikulski's, but O'Malley's does not).

Continue reading "Mikulski: Big lead but no longer biggest favorite" »

Posted by Paul West at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Gov. Martin O'Malley will tour the state in a recreational vehicle he's calling the "On Your Side Express," as he pushes toward the Nov. 2 election that pits him against former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

O'Malley, a Democrat, is to kick off the tour today with a stop at the University of Maryland in College Park. There, he'll be introduced by one of the "real Marylanders" featured in a recent television commercial highlighting his tuition freeze (with thawed this year with a 3 percent increase) and its impact in making state schools more affordable. The young Harford County woman says her family wouldn't have been able to send her to school if tuition had continued to rise.

The governor will then hop into the 31-foot RV and head to businesses in Prince George's County. His tour over the next four weeks will cross Maryland, from the Eastern Shore to its mountainous western points. At stops along the way, he'll pull out a kitchen table -- a reference to his "kitchen table talks" on the campaign trail -- and talk to voters. He'll decorate the table wiith stickers and memorabilia from the trail. He hopes to install the table in the State House at the the start of his second term, his aides say.

This is a busy week for O'Malley: On Thursday, President Barack Obama will campaign for him at Bowie State University.

Ehrlich, meanwhile, is discussing agriculture today in Frederick County's Walkersville. The Republican candidate has not yet released his plans for the rest of the week.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Yes, you read that correctly.

Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. -- notorious for being unable to work out debate logistics -- have agreed to one, both campaigns confirmed this evening.

The hourlong debate is booked for 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11, in-studio at Baltimore's WJZ. It is sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council and will be moderated by anchor Denise Koch. The debate is to air at 7 that evening.

"We are very pleased that both candidates ... have agreed to a debate," said WJZ vice president and general manager Jay Newman. He said he and Art Abramson, director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, negotiated with the campaigns for weeks.

O'Malley's spokesman Rick Abbruzzese and Ehrlich's spokesman Andy Barth both said the candidates are "looking forward to it."

Each candidate will give opening and closing remarks, Newman said, and will discuss five to seven issues. Newman said the station will solicit questions from viewers.

Barth said his understanding is that the debate is to be "pretty free form."

O'Malley and Ehrlich went head to head on WJZ four years ago, too. More details to come.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Washington Board of Trade, a business-leaders group similar to the Greater Baltimore Committee, today announced its support of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley.

In the two previous gubernatorial elections, the Board of Trade backed Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. -- giving the O'Malley endorsement more of an exclamation point and providing the governor with new ammunition when Ehrlich attacks him as anti-business.

The announcement comes on a day when the National Federation of Independent Business said it favors Ehrlich because small business growth is a "centerpiece" of his economic plan. The group traditionally backs Republicans.

The Washington Board of Trade said in a news release that leaders interviewed both candidates and chose O'Malley "because of his demonstrated understanding of the key issues facing businesses and his track-record of including the business community in fashioning solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges."

Continue reading "Washington business groups backs O'Malley" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The National Rifle Association has endorsed the re-election of Rep. Frank Kratovil of Maryland in the state's most competitive congressional contest.

Kratovil “has earned the endorsement of the NRA-PVF (political victory fund) because has defended the Second Amendment freedoms of law-abiding gun owners, hunters and sportsmen in Maryland and across America,” said Chris W. Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist. “On November 2, I urge all Maryland NRA Members and gun owners in the 1st District to vote Frank Kratovil for Congress."

The influential gun lobby also gave the Democratic freshman an "A" for legislative efforts during his initial term in Congress. The NRA said he had signed a "successful pro-gun" legal brief in a key Second Amendment case. He also voted to allow Americans to carry firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges and cosponsored legislation to overhaul the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Finally, Kratovil signed a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder opposing a new ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines, and cosponsored a national right-to-carry reciprocity bill involving state right-to-carry licenses and permits.

Republican candidate Andy Harris failed to get the NRA's endorsement but did receive an "A" rating from the NRA as a "solidly pro-gun candidate." Commenters on this blog in recent weeks have noted that Harris, a veteran state legislator from Baltimore County, once voted against Sunday hunting on the Eastern Shore.

We'll be watching to see whether the NRA backs up its Kratovil endorsement with letters and phone calls to NRA members in the First District, which covers the entire Eastern Shore and portions of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties.

Posted by Paul West at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Updated

For Maryland Democrats who took solace in the recent published poll showing Gov. Martin O'Malley with a double-digit lead over Republican challenger Bob Ehrlich, here's some think-twice information:

The Democratic National Committee has just put another $125,000 into Maryland, bringing the total for the campaign cycle to $225,000.

Considering that few other Democrats in the state even face competitive races, with the exception of Eastern Shore Congressman Frank Kratovil, that infusion of national cash may suggest that the Democrats' own polling isn't as favorable as indicated by a Washington Post survey released this week.

One thing for sure: Democrats face plenty of other challenges around the country and the national party wouldn't be reupping in one of the very bluest states unless Dem strategists felt they absolutely had to. 

Continue reading "National Dems put $125,000 more into Maryland" »

Posted by Paul West at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is backing former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., while current Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports Gov. Martin O'Malley, the gubernatorial candidates' campaigns reported today.

Neither endorsement was a surprise.

Giuliani campaigned for Ehrlich, a fellow Republican, in 2006. No word yet on whether he'll be back here in the next five weeks. Bloomberg, who is coming to Bethesda tomorrow for an O'Malley rally, made his support of the Democratic candidate public a few weeks ago.

“There is only one candidate running for Governor of Maryland who is capable of restoring Maryland’s economy and that is Bob Ehrlich," Giuliani said in an Ehrlich campaign release. "His plan for the next four years – creating jobs, lowering the tax burden of families and entrepreneurs, and reining in government spending – is exactly what Maryland needs."

A Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, not to mention possible 2012 presidential contender, Bloomberg has criss-crossed the country to stump for candidates whom he believes to be moderate antidotes to angry partisans.

Bloomberg, who is a graduate, former trustee and benefactor of the Johns Hopkins University, supports O'Malley for his "commitment to effective government, job creation and public education," O'Malley's campaign said in a release.

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The Maryland Green Party announced today that it has nominated Kenniss Henry to replace her daughter, Natasha Pettigrew, on the ballot for U.S. Senate. Pettigrew died earlier this month after a sports utility vehicle struck her while she was cycling in Pringe George's County.

Henry's name was submitted Monday to the State Board of Elections for the seat long held by Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski. The party's coordinating council voted unanimously Sunday night to nominate Henry.

"Natasha's supporters will still have an opportunity to make their voice heard by casting a vote as her mother carries her message forward to the election," Karen Jennings, co-chair of the Maryland Green Party, said in a statement. "Even in her death, Natasha's voice and passion will carry on."

Continue reading "Mother to replace Green nominee on ballot" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

It has become conventional wisdom in Washington that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is poised to bail on Frank Kratovil's uphill re-election fight in Maryland and direct its money to more winnable contests elsewhere.

The DCCC defies that prediction, at least for now, with a new ad attacking Kratovil's Republican foe Andy Harris. The 30-second spot attempts to portray the veteran state lawmaker from Baltimore County as out of touch with the lives of voters in the district, which spans the Chesapeake Bay and takes in Western Shore portions of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties, plus the entire Eastern Shore.

The new commercial, click here to view it, reinforces recent Kratovil ads that go after Harris for his support of the "fair tax," a consumption tax plan that is a favorite of some conservatives. The DCCC pioneered that line of attack in other races before Kratovil picked it up; as we noted here before, the ads have been criticized by nonpartisan watchdogs as misleading, because they don't inform voters that the sales tax would replace the existing federal tax system.

According to the DCCC, the ad is running in both the Baltimore and Salisbury media markets. It is the first broadcast ad in the race by the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

Posted by Paul West at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Incumbent Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski may be leading in the polls by double digits and enjoying a big financial edge over a little-known Republican opponent. But that isn't stopping her from raising money like she's in the race of her life.

Recently, she called upon Vice President Joe Biden to be the draw at a fundraising breakfast in Chevy Chase. And next month she'll benefit when Bill Clinton lends his star power to an event for her in Montgomery County.

Prospective donors are invited to join the former president at a cocktail reception and buffet dinner on Sunday, Oct. 10. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will also be a "special guest," according to a copy of the invitation posted on the Sunlight Foundation's website; a portion of the money raised that night will go to the Maryland Democratic Party.

Mikulski was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential candidacy, and the Clintons have been very good about remembering their friends in the 2010 election, even those, like Maryland's senior Democrat, who don't appear to need much help.

Continue reading "Bill Clinton to headline Mikulski fundraiser" »

Posted by Paul West at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Democratic Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin has the good fortune to be the only member of the state's congressional delegation not facing an angry electorate this fall (his seat is up in 2012, and he's already running an unannounced re-election campaign).

Just because his job's not immediately at risk doesn't mean he's on the sidelines, though. Cardin is playing an active role, behind the scenes, as a money man. Tonight, he'll add to his 2010 campaign fund with a dinner for lobbyists at Charlie Palmer Steak, conveniently located just steps from Senate offices on Capitol Hill and a whirlwind of political money activity this week.

Proceeds from Cardin's event (tickets are $2,500 and $5,000) will go to LEG PAC, a so-called Leadership PAC controlled by the Maryland senator, who like most members of Congress isn't actually in the leadership, but that's how these things got started so that's what they're called.

Senators and congressmen use the accounts to gather donations from special interests and then redirect it to other candidates, political parties and -- the main point-- their own ambitions. Think of it as a form of legalized money-laundering.

The way it works: Special interest groups--trade associations, corporations, labor unions and others--donate up to $10,000 per election to the fund. Then the lawmakers, in this case Cardin, distribute the largesse to their colleagues, earning gratitude in the process.

This fall there's another incentive: with majority control of Congress at stake, helping an endangered colleague win re-election could spell the difference between governing in the majority or suffering in the minority for the next two years.

Continue reading "Cardin off the 2010 ballot but in the game" »

Posted by Paul West at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

* Updated Monday with comments from AFSCME and FOP presidents. 

The largest union of state workers rallied Saturday in Baltimore to announce its endorsement of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley for a second term. Meanwhile, word of the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police endorsement of Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is quietly spreading.

Better known as AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees includes 30,000 state and higher education workers in Maryland. In 2006, AFSCME also chose O'Malley over Ehrlich. Both times the union cited O'Malley's willingness to engage in dialogue -- a characteristic it says Ehrlich lacked.

"We had two options, and we went with someone that has honored the collective bargaining process," AFSCME Maryland Director Patrick Moran said Sunday evening. "When the economic crisis hit, Governor O'Malley was willing to sit down with state employees as opposed to Governor Ehrlich, who doesn't believe in the process."

The Maryland Fraternal Order of Police, having been lobbied by both candidates at a recent meeting in Ocean City, voted to endorse Ehrlich. The state lodge doesn't appear to have made an official announcement yet, but Baltimore police union president Robert F. Cherry wrote about it Friday on the city lodge's web site. The police union includes thousands of officers across the state. It backed Ehrlich in 2006.

Reached Monday, State FOP President Rodney Bartlett, said the Ehrlich endorsement was "all about the economic times."

"Officers do a great job, as evidence by the lower crime rate, but it's hard for them when they take home less pay than they did four years ago," said Bartlett, a retired Prince George's County police officer.

Continue reading "AFSCME backs O'Malley; FOP for Ehrlich" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

In what could finally break the snoozefest that is the state's only competitive House race, Republican challenger Andy Harris has challenged incumbent Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil to a series of joint appearances around the district.

Harris, who has been virtually invisible on the campaign trail in recent weeks, also demanded that Kratovil take down an attack ad that goes after the Republican over his support for a 23 percent national sales tax proposal. The TV ad, which began airing a week ago, has been criticized as misleading because it implies that Harris favors increasing the federal tax burden. The ad fails to mention that the plan Harris supports would do away with the existing federal tax system in exchange for imposing a consumption tax.

Kratovil, second-guessed privately by some Maryland Democrats for not smoking out Harris earlier in the year, responded by offering a series of three debates. In a letter that the Eastern Shore congressman's campaign plans to deliver tomorrow, Kratovil compared his counter-proposal to joint appearances in the 2008 campaign that included Harris, Kratovil and a third candidate, Libertarian nominee Richard Davis, who is also running this year.

Kratovil campaign manager Jessica Klonsky said the congressman's camp "assumed" Davis would be included in the 2010 debates.

Multi-candidate debates typically make it more difficult for voters to get a clear picture of the positions of the main contenders in a race; in the case of the First District, it could also be argued that including Davis would help Kratovil and hurt Harris. Most of the votes for the Libertarian would be more likely to go to Harris, rather than Kratovil, if Davis were not on the ballot.

In the 2008 election, Davis' 8,753 votes were more than twice Kratovil's margin of victory, and many Republicans believe that cost Harris a victory.

Continue reading "Harris challenges Kratovil to joint appearances; incumbent counters with multi-candidate debates" »

Posted by Paul West at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the man who would succeed Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House if Republicans win majority control in November, is coming to Maryland this weekend to fundraise for Andy Harris.

Harris, the veteran Baltimore County lawmaker challenging Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil in Maryland's First Congressional District (Eastern Shore and parts of Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Harford counties), has gotten plenty of high-level House Republican help already.

Among those who have headlined Harris' fundraising events are Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, the number two Republican in the House, and Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana, who ranks third.

Boehner's visit on Saturday will complete the troika. The event, which has not been announced by the Harris campaign, is invitation-only and closed to the press.

Harris has embraced his party's national tactic of making Nancy Pelosi (rather than the more personally popular Barack Obama) the main target of attack. Having the support of her putative replacement could help reinforce that message of leadership change, though keeping the event private will mute the voter impact.

Posted by Paul West at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Vice President Joe Biden's press office released the following report this morning. Under VP office rules, one reporter is allowed to attend his fundraising events and write up a report that other members of the White House press corps are free to use.

Here is the lowdown:

Vice President Joe Biden spoke at a fundraiser for Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) Thursday morning at the home of Stewart W. Bainum Jr. and Sandra Bainum in Chevy Chase, Md.

Stewart Bainum is the chairman of the board of Choice Hotels International, based in Silver Spring, and the former head of Manor Care, Inc. He is also a former member of the Maryland state House and state Senate. The Bainums are longtime donors to Democratic candidates, committees and causes.

The event was held in the Bainums’ backyard. Roughly 40 people were in attendance, including Mikulski’s fellow Maryland senator, Benjamin Cardin (D). The breakfast buffet menu included eggs, yogurt, fruit, muffins and bagels.

Mikulski is running for her fifth term, considered the favorite in her race against Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Eric Wargotz (R). Biden and Mikulski served together in the Senate for more than two decades.

Biden began his remarks by saying he had done events for a lot of Democrats, and “[t]here’s not a single one I’m more proud to be associated with” than Mikulski.

“If this were like Fantasy Football” for Democrats, Biden asked, “who would be among the first two or three people you would pick?”

Mikulski would be among the first selected in his draft, Biden confirmed, because “I love her gumption. I love her passion.”

Continue reading "Biden hopes Mikulski has coattails, finds silver lining in tea party wins" »

Posted by Paul West at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Former Maryland state Sen. Stewart Bainum Jr. and his wife Sandy, an actress, were the hosts for this morning's fundraising breakfast in the Washington suburbs for Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, featuring Vice President Joe Biden as the lure.

Bainum, chairman of Choice Hotels International, Inc., is a major Democratic donor. His home in upscale Chevy Chase was also the site of an early fund-raising event in Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign.

No word yet on the take for Mikulski, who plans to use the proceeds for get-out-the-vote organizing and advertising. The senator is a heavy favorite to win a fifth six-year term this fall.

"She takes no election for granted. Wargotz is her opponent and she looks forward to rigorously campaigning during the general," an early-rising Mikulski aide said prior to this morning's event.

Posted by Paul West at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Vice President Joe Biden will be in Chevy Chase on Thursday morning to help raise money for Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski's re-election, the vice president's office announced Wednesday night.

No further details were provided about the 8:30 a.m. event. Biden has been travelling the country campaigning and fundraising for Democratic candidates.

Mikulski is one of the most heavily favored Democratic incumbents up for re-election to the Senate this fall. She has millions more in the bank than her Republican challenger, Queen Anne's County Commissioner Eric Wargotz, and a wide lead in published polls.

Biden was in Boston on Wednesday to raise funds for the re-election of Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln, an endangered Democrat thought to have only a slim chance of winning.

In the evening, he played host to approximately 100 guests at the Vice President's mansion in northwest Washington to mark the 16th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act. Among those on hand was Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat and rising star in the Senate. No word if Mikulski, 74, was also there.

Posted by Paul West at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The television commercials continue coming -- with the Democratic Governors Association today unveiling an ad attacking Republican Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.'s record as governor. The outpourings show that the national Dems feel they need to spend money to defend a seat.

The announcement about new ads comes 24 hours after the Republican Governors Association bought time in Maryland to attack Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley. Both Ehrlich and O'Malley have also started airing new, positive commercials in the past several days and appear to be leaving the negative television to the national parties -- at least for now.

DGA political director Raymond Glendening pledged that his organization will "spend the money that needs to be spent" to ensure O'Malley is re-elected. Glendening, whose father Parris was governor immediately before Ehrlich, said the organization has long planned to put funds behind O'Malley and will also invest in about a dozen other close races.

He said that about half of the 37 gubernatorial contests this year are competitive, but the party will also likely put up fights in Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Massachusetts among others.

The DGA, headed by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (O'Malley is the vice chair), raised $22 million as of July. They plan to spend $50 million this cycle, according to a spokeswoman.

The ad will play in Baltimore and DC markets and picks at Ehrlich's record saying that he was beholden to corporate interests when governor. (See the script and ad itself after the jump.)

Continue reading "DGA to fund anti-Ehrlich ads" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Eric Wargotz, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Barbara A. Mikulski, has lined up his campaign team for the general election.

The campaign director and general consultant is Bo Harmon. Bo knows Maryland, having managed Bob Ehrlich's 2006 re-election campaign for governor.

The day-to-day manager will be Demetrios Karoutsos, who recently ran conservative businessman Rob Fisher's Republican primary effort in Maryland's first congressional district.

Harmon's firm, Response America of Alexandria, Va., says on its website that it specializes in fundraising and voter contact direct marketing for Republican candidates and right-of-center, nonprofit organizations. Its impressive current client list includes the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, as well as Ohio Rep. John Boehner, who would become House speaker if Republicans gain control of the chamber in the 2010 midterm elections, and Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio, a tea party favorite.

The Republican strategist, who was voter contact director of John McCain's '08 presidential campaign, signed up last year with the political action committee of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely 2012 Republican presidential contender.

A formal announcement of the Wargotz campaign brain trust is expected early in the week. The Queen Anne's County commissioner, making his first statewide run, finished first in last week's 11-way Republican Senate primary.

Posted by Paul West at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Conservative businessman Rob Fisher has endorsed Republican state Sen. Andy Harris in the First District congressional contest.

Fisher, a first-time candidate, ran a largely self-financed outsider campaign against Harris, a 12-year veteran of the Maryland legislature. Harris won by a two-to-one margin.

“Now that the Republican primary is over, we need to unify behind our nominee, Andy Harris,” said Rob Fisher, according to a statement from the Harris campaign.

“Andy has my full support and I will do anything I can to get him elected and to ensure Frank Kratovil joins the ranks of the thousands of unemployed Marylanders his and Nancy Pelosi's policies have created."

Fisher called Harris shortly before 11 o'clock on election night to concede. He was the only other Republican on the primary ballot in the congressional district that takes in the entire Eastern Shore and portions of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties.

Freshman Rep. Frank Kratovil, who edged Harris in the 2008 general election, was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

After Harris unseated moderate Republican Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, the defeated incumbent helped Democrat Kratovil get elected. Last week, Gilchrest--who endorsed Fisher over Harris in the primary--was the draw at a fund-raising event for Kratovil and can be expected to endorse him publicly again this fall.

Posted by Paul West at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

The first, but surely not last, attack ad of the rematch between Rep. Frank Kratovil and Republican challenger Andy Harris for a U.S. House seat in Maryland has hit the airwaves in the Baltimore and Eastern Shore markets.

The negative spot goes after Harris for his support of the so-called "fair tax," a plan to replace the existing federal income tax system with a 23 percent national sales tax.

Democrat Kratovil's 30-second commercial calls the tax plan "unfair" and unaffordable. It features a series of unidentified men and women saying that a 23 percent sales tax would be "devastating," ruinous to business and would make purchasing goods "unaffordable."

"We can't afford Andy Harris' idea," says one man.

Similar attack ads by Democrats in other states have been criticized as "misleading" by independent arbiters like the nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center's factcheck.org.

The ad does not mention, for example, that the "fair tax" would effectively remove the existing federal tax system, including all payroll taxes. It would also eliminate such popular tax breaks as the deduction for mortgage interest. "Fair tax" critics call it a regressive plan that would benefit wealthier Americans and hurt the poor; it is regularly introduced in Congress and has gone nowhere under both Republican and Democratic majorities.

Harris' campaign termed the ad "a desperate attack" and wondered why Kratovil, "who says he is ahead in the polls" would run "such a false, negative campaign." The poll reference is to an internal Kratovil survey, made public this week, which said he was leading Harris by six percentage points among likely voters; the survey was taken after Kratovil had been on the air in the district for two weeks and before Harris began his post-primary ad buy.

Posted by Paul West at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Continue reading "Ehrlich maps issues; O’Malley not impressed" »

Posted by Annie Linskey at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

Peter Hermann over at Baltimore Crime Beat reports that Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy will concede her race this afternoon to her primary opponent Gregg Bernstein, according to a source with direct knowledge of her plans. Jessamy has scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. at her campaign headquarters.

Up until this morning, it appeared that Jessamy was getting ready to challenge the voting process even as absentee ballots are being counted. Thursday night, the elections board had counted about 75 percent of those votes.

Bernstein was ahead by 1,363 votes, with more than 2,000 ballots still to be counted.

Jessamy's spokeswoman had alleged that thousands of votes might be missing and her legal team appeared to be gearing up for a challenge. We'll what happens in 90 minutes.

Posted by Andy Rosen at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010, Primaries 2010
        

Now that the primary election is behind them, the two candidates for governor seem to be returning to their comfort zones: Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley revived his 2006 "kitchen table talks" yesterday with a stop in Catonsville. And later in the afternoon, Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. made a brief speech at his longtime barber's shop in Dundalk.

O'Malley and Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr., a Democrat and vocal O'Malley supporter, nestled around the kitchen table of Frances Callahan. They were joined by five other Baltimore County moms for a chat about school construction, green building and other issues.

The moms lavished O'Malley with praise for his vision. Several told him they were happy he was able to take the long view -- by requiring tougher building standards, for example -- even during a bad economy.

"We've had to cut and cut and cut and cut again, but we're making progress," O'Malley said. "We're protecting our priorities."

Continue reading "O'Malley returns to kitchen, Ehrlich to barber" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

As posted here earlier, Maryland's entire congressional delegation is virtually assured of re-election this fall, with the sole exception of Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil, who is fighting hard to keep his seat.

You can be certain, though, that the state's pols in Washington--all highly competitive, Type A individuals--are closely sifting the primary returns anyway. They're looking for signs: How pleased--or not--are their party's voters are with the job they're doing?

Here's a quick look at those who probably are feeling pretty good today..and a couple who might not be.

Interestingly, the "winners" include the most established and powerful Marylanders in Congress, plus a couple up-and-comers. That's not what you might expect to see in a year variously described as anti-establishment or anti-incumbent.

1. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski. One of the safest Democratic Senate re-election bets in the country got 82 percent of the statewide primary vote against a half-dozen non-entities (all the figures here are from almost complete election returns). That's down from her 90 percent primary tally last time out; but that was 2004, a presidential primary with a much larger turnout. In her last mid-term primary run, in 1998, she pulled 84 percent.

2. House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer. The leadership job of the second-ranking member of the House is in serious jeopardy; Hoyer would be demoted automatically if Republicans take control of the House. But he looks stronger than ever with Democrats in his southern Maryland district, an indication that he hasn't neglected his home base while traveling the country to help fellow Democrats. He received 85 percent of the primary vote, up from 83 percent in the last two elections.

3. Rep. Chris Van Hollen. The Montgomery County congressman also has national duties, and mind-bending headaches, as chairman of the House Democrats' campaign arm. But back in his liberal suburban district, he got 93 percent from party voters, up from 88 percent last time and 91 percent in the 2006 midterm.

4. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings. The Baltimore representative was unopposed in the last midterm election and drew 93 percent in 2008. He received 91 percent on Tuesday; that's no worse than an "A-minus" on anyone's report card.

5. Rep. Donna Edwards. The delegation's most liberal member used the last two primaries to dispatch an entrenched Democratic incumbent, Al Wynn, to his new career as a D.C. lobbyist. This time, she scared away Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey, who ultimately ducked the race, then brushed off a state delegate, Herman Taylor, to win an impressive 83 percent of the primary vote and cement her hold on the seat.

Go to the jump for a couple of Marylanders who might not have liked what they saw in the results.

Continue reading "Five Maryland pols who are feeling better today..and two less so" »

Posted by Paul West at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010
        

While the primary dust-ups in the Senate continue to sort themselves out, let's take a look at the changes in the larger chamber.

It appears that incumbents will prevail in all but about a half-dozen of the 141 seats, at least until Nov. 2. More survived primaries this year than the incumbents of four years ago -- a feat that House Speaker Michael E. Busch called fairly remarkable, given the number of competitive Senate primary races.

Just two sitting Democrats lost last night, compared with eight in 2006. New names in the House include Keiffer Mitchell, Mary Washington and Luke Clippinger of Baltimore (the latter two are filling open seats).

Continue reading "House of Delegates loses few incumbents" »

Posted by Julie Bykowicz at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Candidate Watch 2010, Primaries 2010
        

Kenneth C. Holt, the Republican candidate for Baltimore County executive , has fired the first shots of the general election campaign, saying his Democratic opponent , Kevin Kamenetz, ran an “ugly campaign” that was not relevant to the economic problems facing the county.

Holt, of Kingsville, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination in yesterday’s primary, said this morning that Kamenetz’s successful campaign against his fellow county councilman, Joseph Bartenfelder was “based on attack ads, false statements, a lot of information that was not honest. …There’s no place for this in a time of economic crisis. If they don’t think there’s an economic crisis, they’re not fit to lead.”

Given that Kamenetz, a 52-year-old lawyer from Owings Mills, spent more than $1 million in the primary, Holt said his vote total amounts to a “poor performance.”

A former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Holt, 59, said the poor primary turnout of Democratic voters suggests that “Democrats are not too excited about their candidates, their prospects. Republicans are excited.”

The investments executive said it seems an opportune time for the county to elect only its third Republican executive since the position was established as part of charter revision in the late 1950s. While Kamenetz has shown his strength as a fundraiser, Holt said he was not concerned about that.

“I don’t see where money had any relevance to the outcomes,” he said, pointing to a couple of strong low-budget primary campaigns