Others in Party Welcome Clashes
By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
A few hundred Maryland Democrats gathered last night in the Music Center at Strathmore to hear Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean exhort the party faithful to "take this country back for the people who built it."
Then Dean delivered a warning to those preparing for the 2006 election: "Make sure this is not a scorched-earth race. . . . We need to be on the same page the day after the primary, no matter who wins."
The rally in Bethesda was designed to portray Democrats as united heading into an election season in which they hope to both oust Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) and hold onto the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D).
But the likelihood is that Democrats will spend 16 of the remaining 18 months before the November 2006 election skirmishing with one another, in potentially bruising -- and financially costly-- primary fights that Republicans might very well avoid.
Ehrlich is not expected to face any serious opposition in his bid to become the Republican gubernatorial nominee, leaving him free to focus on raising money for the general election. And many analysts say that if Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R) gets into the Senate race, party leaders will work to clear the field for him as well.
The two leading Democratic candidates for governor, meanwhile, already have started throwing elbows on slot machine gambling and other issues. And some Democrats fear the party might have a difficult time rallying around its Senate candidate after a racially charged primary fight. Maryland's September primary -- among the nation's latest -- leaves only eight weeks to regroup.
"It's good for the Republicans," said Thomas F. Schaller, a political scientist at the University of Maryland Baltimore County who is active in Democratic politics. "Ehrlich and Steele must be licking their chops."
Yesterday's appearance by Dean, a former presidential candidate, was his first in Maryland since taking the helm of the DNC. Other speakers included two Senate candidates, Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin and former NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, both of Baltimore, as well as a third possible contender, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County.
One likely Democratic gubernatorial contender, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, was on hand, and another, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, skipped the event, attending a previously scheduled fundraiser.
Democratic leaders insist such jostling is good for the party. A gubernatorial primary in 2002, they suggest, might have exposed some of the weaknesses of then-Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend as a candidate and allowed the party to field someone else against Ehrlich.
"I think competition is really good," said Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman. "It's good in business. It's good in sports. And it's good in politics."
Lierman said he is "encouraging every candidate to stick to the issues and . . . which Republican candidate we're running against. By and large, I think we're doing a good job of that."
The early stages of the governor's race, however, have hardly been free of discord.
In February, Duncan, an ardent slots foe, sharply criticized O'Malley after the mayor offered to help broker a compromise on gambling legislation in the General Assembly. "O'Malley is standing with Ehrlich on this issue, and it's the wrong place to be," Duncan said at the time.
Duncan also knocked O'Malley last month, accusing him of showing "only tepid support" for legislation that would steer state money to stem cell research, a priority of the state's biotechnology sector.
Aides to O'Malley, who has sizable leads in early Democratic primary polls, say he has tried to keep attention focused on Ehrlich, whom Democrats expect to raise $20 million for his general election campaign.
"I'd be lying to you if I said the primary is a good thing," said O'Malley campaign manager Jonathan Epstein. "But we're laying the groundwork for a campaign that will whip out of a primary . . . with a tested field organization and money in the bank."
The early back-and-forth among Democratic Senate candidates has been more gentle. In fact, Mfume took care to praise both of his rivals last night. But it has exposed divisions that could prove challenging for the party to heal once the primary is settled.
Last month, after news reports broke about allegations of favoritism during Mfume's NAACP tenure, some supporters were quick to question whether Cardin was behind the leak. Cardin denied that, and Mfume soon said he did not hold that view.
Still, the suspicions served as a reminder that many black Democrats believe the party has been too slow to nominate a black candidate to a prominent spot on the ticket.
"For African Americans, this could be a historic occasion," said Reginald Martin, first vice president of the African American Democratic Club of Prince George's County. "We want to see the guy have a fair shot at winning the seat."
Del. Obie Patterson (D-Prince George's) said that if Mfume is not the Democratic nominee, the party will have to work hard to energize black voters in November, particularly if Steele, who is black, is the GOP candidate.
"I think the leadership of the Democrats needs to be very careful about the African American vote," Patterson said.
At a news conference this month, as he accepted the endorsement of Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Cardin argued that he has a history of mobilizing the Democratic party base, including black voters.
Not all analysts see only down side for the Democrats' contested primaries. Allan J. Lichtman, a history professor at American University who closely monitors Maryland politics, said it's really "a double-edged sword."
"You drain all your money, and you spill blood, but you are the news, and you gain momentum heading into November," Lichtman said.
Still, many Democrats say the earlier they finish fighting with one another, the better.
State Senate leaders made a late push during the legislative session to move the state's primary back to June. That would have provided several additional months to raise money and smooth over relations for the general election.
The House balked, however. House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said the move might make sense, but it should not happen without public debate.