A Passionate Debate Over Cardin Votes, Funds

On the fifth day before Maryland's party primaries, Democratic Senate candidates had their last face-to-face meeting, the Montgomery county executive candidates got in a spat about office space and Comptroller William Donald Schaefer started a television campaign promoting himself as "a name you can trust."

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin wore a target yesterday during much of the debate between the leading Democratic Senate candidates, fending off accusations that he has been co-opted by moneyed special interests.

From the outset of the one-hour debate on Washington Post Radio, American University professor Allan J. Lichtman and Potomac businessman Josh Rales went after Cardin for taking more than $800,000 from political action committees, including those representing interests that came before the House committee on which he sits.

"These are people that have big investments in Ben Cardin that they don't want to write off," Rales said.

Cardin declared his support for public financing of campaigns and invoked his legislative record, which, he said, shows he has "taken on" drug companies, oil firms and other corporate interests.

"I can tell you this," he said, briefly raising his voice. "Judge me on my record."

Host Mark Plotkin put Cardin on the defensive repeatedly. Only moments after the 10-term congressman took his seat, Plotkin opened the debate by asking Cardin whether he lacked passion and was "the perpetuation of the status quo."

Cardin, who has been the front-runner for most of the campaign's 18 months, stuck to his talking points -- namely, that he "stood up to the president" when voting against the Iraq war and that he has a solid record of accomplishment. Former congressman and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume has said Cardin would be a solid vote in the Senate for Democrats but not a stirring voice for progressive causes. Yesterday, Cardin co-opted Mfume's line from a previous debate.

"It's not only your vote but your voice, and my voice has been on behalf of the working families and typical families of our community," Cardin said.

Mfume's demeanor was notable. Held up in a major traffic jam on the Capital Beltway, Mfume did most of the debate by phone, passing up several chances to criticize Cardin, his main opponent for their party's nomination, and calling him a friend.

Silverman Seeks Investigation Into Leggett Rent Deal

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The accusations keep flying in the increasingly bitter race between the two leading Democrats vying to become Montgomery county executive.

Council member Steven A. Silverman 's campaign manager, Judy Jablow , sent a letter this week to the Maryland State Board of Elections asking for an investigation of his opponent's campaign finance filing.