Long-Shot Candidates May Harm Cardin

Kweisi Mfume had a slight lead in a Post poll last month. (Matt Houston - AP)

Jim Jordan, a former executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in Washington, said it's "probably unknowable at this point" how much damage the second-tier candidates will do to Cardin.

But he said it can be "nerve-racking" for a candidate when an opponent is on television and he is not.

Cardin's longevity in politics has provided him plenty of advantages. Long-standing relationships built over 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates and 20 years in Congress helped him garner early endorsements across the state. He far surpasses the rest of the Democratic field in fundraising, a factor that could help him connect with voters late in a contest in which a third of the electorate is undecided.

And Jordan said the fundraising will probably produce a base of voters more likely to turn out in a primary than those courted by second-tier candidates.

But Cardin's long political career also has made him, more than Mfume, the target of persistent criticism from his rivals. With longtime Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes retiring, the other contenders are essentially treating Cardin as the incumbent.

At last week's debate, as they have in numerous panel discussions across the state, Lichtman and Kaufman pounced on Cardin's vote to authorize funding for the war in Iraq.

"Ben Cardin may have voted against the war two years ago, but he voted to finance the war when Bush asked him to, and I find that unforgivable," said Kaufman, who along with Lichtman has support from 3 percent of registered Democrats, according to the Post poll.

Cardin shot back, saying he was unashamed that he voted to "support the troops."

"My record's clear on the war, and I ask you all to judge me on it," he said.

Afterward, Cardin said all the jabs "come with the turf."

"We'll have our chance to communicate to the voters," he said. "We believe our record will appeal in November."

Cardin has reserved $680,000 in television time for the final weeks of the campaign. That should help him contend with Mfume, who held a slight lead over Cardin in the June poll but at present lacks the funds to pay for a sustained presence on television.

Mfume, though, said he does not believe he's benefiting appreciably from the presence of so many other candidates in the race. "I think they're helping themselves more than they're helping me," he said.

Rales and Lichtman said they hope Mfume is right about that.

"I do not look at myself as a Ralph Nader," Lichtman said. Rales agreed: "The only thing that would spoil this election is if we didn't give voters a choice."