Duncan Fundraising Suffers Narrow Base

Candidate Leads Only in Montgomery

Douglas Duncan has less than $1.4 million in the bank. (Michael Williamson - The Washington Post)

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan lags behind Maryland's two other contenders for governor not only in the amount of campaign cash he has raised but also in demonstrating a statewide reach.

Nearly three-fifths of the $1.3 million Duncan (D) collected last year came from the county he has served for the past 11 years, according to a Washington Post analysis of campaign finance reports released this month.

By contrast, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) raised about $4.3 million during the period, with a little more than a quarter of that coming from his city. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) took in a similar percentage from Baltimore County, his home base, en route to raising $4.9 million for the year.

The totals for Ehrlich and O'Malley demonstrated far greater statewide contributor bases. In one striking example, both the mayor and governor raised more than Duncan in Prince George's County, a jurisdiction seen as crucial to Duncan's primary prospects. Ehrlich raised more than $200,000 there, while O'Malley took in more than $137,000 and Duncan about $88,000.

Although the primary is eight months away and Maryland is replete with examples of candidates who prevail with less money, Duncan's fundraising report has led to questions about his campaign and his strategy for overcoming O'Malley's lead in the polls.

Duncan heard such concerns last week at a town hall meeting he held in Prince George's, and he told the potential supporters that it was still early in the campaign and that his campaign has always known it would be outspent.

"I've never raised as much money as my opponents, I've never been the front-runner, I've never been the party's favorite, and I've never lost an election," said Duncan, who was mayor of Rockville before three terms as county executive.

But some analysts and Democratic activists say Duncan's money woes are emblematic of larger hurdles confronting his candidacy.

"Money is not votes, of course, but it's an indication of breadth of support, demographically and geographically," said Thomas F. Schaller, a political science professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County who is active in Democratic politics and supports O'Malley.

O'Malley campaign manager Jonathan Epstein said he believes O'Malley nearly was able to match Ehrlich's pace last year because Democrats view him as the most likely candidate to beat the Republican incumbent in the fall.

Ehrlich, however, has a significant advantage in available cash over O'Malley because of money raised, and banked, from previous years.

This month, Ehrlich reported $8.4 million in the bank, compared with O'Malley's $4.2 million and Duncan's less than $1.4 million.