Maryland's Anodyne Debate

Mr. O'Malley's strategy may be self-defeating.

IN SUCH A heavily Democratic state as Maryland, it's no surprise that two capable Democrats are vying to challenge Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. in the November elections. One of the would-be Democratic challengers, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, the front-runner in the September party primary, is running a cautious, disciplined campaign. The other, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, is running in an echo chamber. For no matter what Mr. Duncan does or says, he is all but ignored by Mr. O'Malley.

World-weary insiders may say that is the norm in a race in which a front-runner like Mr. O'Malley has little to gain by sharing the stage. They figure Mr. O'Malley is only being savvy by focusing his criticism on Mr. Ehrlich and treating Mr. Duncan as little more than a minor distraction -- an irritant rather than a threat. But that conventional wisdom starts to look wobbly when the front-runner's lead is chopped in half in the space of six months. That's what's has happened to Mr. O'Malley since last year. It ought to be a wake-up call to him that the time has come to get serious about the primary and engage Mr. Duncan.

The two candidates do not lack for meaty issues. They disagree on how to manage rising energy costs; on crime and education in Baltimore -- and Mr. O'Malley's record on each; and on the expansion of slot machine gambling in Maryland. But their disagreements are muffled by Mr. O'Malley's reticence to join the debate with Mr. Duncan or even to appear on the same stage with him. The effect has been to substitute the two candidates' obvious differences in style and image for a substantive discussion of the key questions facing the state, including such bedrock issues as crime, education and health care.

That may all fit in nicely with Mr. O'Malley's apparent strategy, which seems to include capitalizing on his ostensible advantages in looks, charm and stage presence. But it dulls both the debate and the Democratic debaters' wits ahead of what is likely to be a ferocious fall campaign against Mr. Ehrlich, who has already stockpiled enormous amounts of campaign cash. If Mr. O'Malley believes that dodging one debate now will prepare him well for another one later, he may be sorely mistaken.

One other not-so-minor point: The mayor's strategy does no favor to Maryland primary voters, who deserve a campaign focused on issues and not just crafted by consultants. Mr. Duncan has an impressive record, and he might prove to be a formidable debater. Mr. O'Malley shouldn't run a campaign based on fear of engagement. Let the voters compare.