Duncan Campaign Gets Creative in Trying to Reach Voters

As of January, O'Malley's campaign had $4.2 million in the bank, compared with Duncan's $1.4 million.

Michael Morrill, a longtime Maryland Democratic strategist who is neutral in the race, said Duncan is "in the most difficult place to be in a campaign."

"He is trying to create a wave he can ride, and the best campaigns ride the waves that are already out there," Morrill said. "He does not have the money nor the press platform to make that wave on his own and right now."

O'Malley raised three times as much money as Duncan did last year, but Duncan spent more, largely on a bigger and better-paid staff.

Arceneaux summed up Duncan's dilemma this week in an appeal for $25,000 in online donations over the next month.

"I know $25,000 is a high goal, but to win we need the resources to advertise on Baltimore and Salisbury T.V. and radio, which covers close to 60 percent of the state's media, and where Doug is not well known," Arceneaux wrote to Duncan supporters.

Arceneaux said in an interview that Duncan would be well-positioned to start airing commercials by late summer, when he says most voters will begin focusing on the primary.

Others suggested Duncan should consider spending what money he has soon, before the airwaves are crowded with campaign ads from O'Malley and candidates running for other offices.

"If the stage is empty and you don't have much money, why don't you go on stage?" asked Bill Hillsman, a Minnesota-based political strategist who has made a career of advising underdog or nontraditional campaigns for such politicians as former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, the late Minnesota Democratic senator Paul D. Wellstone and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

For now, Duncan remains committed to getting as much free media as he can.

When he goes to Salisbury, he often is followed by reporters from all of the area's television stations. And by teaming with O'Malley's critics in Baltimore, Duncan has been fairly visible on that city's television news.

He also appeared March 28 on a Maryland Public Television call-in show. Before the show, Jody Couser, a Duncan campaign spokeswoman, e-mailed supporters to make sure they knew how to call in or submit questions for Duncan.

Duncan had an op-ed article in The Washington Post two weeks ago that questioned whether Baltimore's crime statistics were accurate. His campaign distributed hundreds of copies to voters. And on Friday, an op-ed article under his byline appeared in the Cumberland, Md., Times-News about correctional officer safety.

"Sometimes you got to take a lot of swings before you get some base hits, and we have been getting some base hits the last few months," Arceneaux said.