By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 6, 2006; AA03
A Maryland Senate seat that is among a handful of seats that Republicans think they can take from the Democrats this fall drew seven candidates by Monday's filing deadline, but none of the big-name contenders who had considered entering the race.
District 31, which encompasses Brooklyn Park, Glen Burnie, Pasadena and part of Severna Park, is open because of the retirement of Democrat Philip C. Jimeno.
Five Republicans will be on the ballot: Carl G. "Dutch" Holland, 63, of Pasadena, a former County Council member; Mike Jacobs, 40, a father of six from Pasadena who manages his family's machine shop and boat lift business; Casey Robison, 76, a retired union rep with Bethlehem Steel who lives in Glen Burnie; Bryan Simonaire, 42, a computer systems engineer and father of seven from Pasadena who created the Simonaire Santas program for abused children; and Thomas R. Gardner, 44, of Glen Burnie, who ran for the District 31 House seat in 2002.
The Democrats running for the seat are Matthew McBride, 35, a health-care worker with a political science degree who once worked in Jimeno's office; and Walt Shandrowsky, 57, a decorated Vietnam helicopter pilot who ran for the District 31 Senate seat once before, in 1982, after a term in the House.
Primary elections will be held Sept. 12. The general election is Nov. 7.
District 31 is trending Republican. GOP voter registration has outpaced Democratic gains four to one since 2002. Combined, Republicans and unaffiliated voters now outnumber Democrats in a district that was once overwhelmingly Democratic.
District 31 is an important piece of the Republican Party's initiative to gain seats in the state House and Senate. Anne Arundel County, with its increasingly conservative electorate, is central to the plan. At least one other Senate seat in the county, District 32, will be closely watched after the entry Monday of Republican candidate Jon Vandenheuvel, a co-founder of J.C. Watts Cos. in the District, to challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. James Ed DeGrange Sr.
At one point, Delegates Don Dwyer Jr. (R), Joan Cadden (D) and John Leopold (R) all considered running for the District 31 seat. Any one of them would probably have become an immediate favorite. But all eventually changed their minds, for various reasons, and those reasons are part of what makes the race interesting.
Cadden mulled a run but decided she preferred to build upon her leadership position in the House. Rumor had it she was also averse to campaigning against Dwyer, whom some regard as a right-wing firebrand.
Dwyer said Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) initially approached him about running but pulled back because there were already strong Republicans in the race and the potential for another, Leopold. The likely ulterior motive, widely discussed in political circles, was concern within the party that the seat not go to someone quite so conservative as Dwyer, who is best known for his opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion.
"I've been, from my perspective, very successful in the House of Delegates," Dwyer said Monday. "Some people may not see it that way."
Dwyer said he didn't mind forgoing the race but regretted the impression it might create in his district, where he is known for consistency. "It gets kind of frustrating," he said. "I'm the kind of guy, I don't like flipping back and forth on stuff."
Leopold said he, too, was urged to enter the Senate race and considered it for weeks before cementing his candidacy for county executive last week. He's well known in the county, and political observers say he could win either seat. But Leopold said he finally decided the executive job was the better one for him, and, perhaps, for his party. For all the focus on the state Senate seat, Leopold said Monday, the Republicans "also need to take the county executive's seat." Janet S. Owens, who is leaving the post because of term limits, is a Democrat.
Republican Party leaders still consider Senate District 31 "a very winnable seat," with or without big-name candidates, said Audra Miller, party spokeswoman. The party appears primarily focused on Jacobs and Simonaire, who are fairly well known within the district, while Democrats may be banking on Shandrowsky, who considers the race "sort of a piece of unfinished business" after his previous attempt.
In contrast to the shifting Senate race, the group running for county executive has remained relatively firm. County Sheriff George F. Johnson IV is considered the front-runner among Democrats and will face former county parks director Dennis Callahan in the primary. The Republican field includes three prominent names: Leopold, state Del. David Boschert and former delegate Phillip D. Bissett; Leopold is generally regarded as the favorite. County schools administrator Gregory V. Nourse and teacher Tom Angelis round out that group.
