Ruben's Not-So-Anonymous Survey Draws Criticism From Some Voters

Maryland's election law does not require pollsters to disclose the names of candidates who sponsor their telephone surveys, which are sure to become frequent dinnertime calls this campaign season.

But some perceptive Montgomery County residents quickly picked up on who was behind one recent poll: Democratic state Sen. Ida G. Ruben .

The survey characterized one candidate as a law professor with no political experience and the other as a proponent of education with years of experience in the state legislature. Those descriptions sounded a lot like the Democratic primary contest in District 20 between Ruben, an incumbent with 32 years' experience, and newcomer Jamin Raskin , an American University law professor. The district includes Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

"I had to laugh, because the questions seemed so clearly intended to get a certain response," said Ann Marie Staudenmaier , a lawyer from Takoma Park who took the call. "It just seemed biased."

Others had a stronger reaction. Cindy Brach , a federal government employee from Silver Spring, said she considered the poll essentially an advertisement for Ruben, because it portrayed her favorably and Raskin negatively by "making him look inexperienced."

"It offends me," she said, "because it's manipulative."

Ruben's campaign manager, Philip Olivetti , confirmed that the campaign has been polling to gather information about voters' preferences and views on issues. He defended the characterizations of Raskin as factual, not negative.

"To say that he's a law professor is factual. To say he's inexperienced, certainly he is, having never served in the legislature," Olivetti said.

Naturally, Raskin had a different take on the poll, calling it "negative politics" that "turns people off when we should be getting them engaged."

Frosh Won't Run Statewide

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Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D) this week announced his intention to file for reelection in District 16, ending speculation that he might run for attorney general.

"I thought being attorney general would be an interesting, challenging job," said Frosh, who is chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. "But looking at the whole thing, I didn't want to leave the Senate. I love being in the Senate." His district includes Bethesda and parts of Chevy Chase, Rockville and Potomac.

Frosh also acknowledged that there is no shortage of candidates from Montgomery County already running for statewide office -- and in particular to replace retiring Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr . (D).