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Please Vote for Me -- Now Hold That Thought
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There was the occasional payoff, though, such as running into Kirt Suomela by the dairy barn. He explained to Cardin that he is a big fan of Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Montgomery County, a Democrat who flirted with running for the Senate but decided not to. That left him looking for another candidate to support.
"I'm glad he's down here," Suomela, an environmental engineer from Bethesda, said after Cardin moved on. "It's an important part of politics, I think, shaking people's hands. I didn't even know what his face looked like."
Cardin said the campaign's early start makes such interaction with voters possible.
"The length of the campaign gives you the opportunity to do this," he said. "If this were a short campaign, it would be harder to justify doing all the grass roots."
His chief opponent, Mfume, cited another benefit of the long campaign: It has given him time to shake off the rust.
It had been a decade since he last sought elected office, and his first few months in the race were sluggish, he said. After spending the past six months dropping in on community events, Mfume is planning a major speech for Sept. 12 -- one year before the primary date -- to reintroduce himself as a candidate. "It can take awhile to get your groove back," he said.
By that time, he and Cardin are likely to have more company. A Baltimore community activist and perennial candidate, Robert Kaufman, has declared a bid, and a half-dozen other Democrats are looking at the race.
Among them are forensic psychiatrist Lise Van Susteren -- sister of Greta Van Susteren, host of a Fox News public affairs program -- and American University historian Allan Lichtman, both Montgomery County residents. Susteren plans to announce her candidacy today, Lichtman this month. Joshua Rales, a Montgomery County businessman who until recently considered himself a Republican, has hired a campaign manager and communications firm for a possible bid in the Democratic primary.
All three, it seems, believe there is still plenty of time to jump in.
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