Montgomery Race Depicts Split Among Democrats

It's hard to say no to Ida G. Ruben.

So when the longtime Maryland legislator came to the door of Beth Sullivan one day this week to ask for her vote, Sullivan hewed to the noncommittal. She thanked the state senator for showing up.

A moment later, after Ruben had departed, Sullivan, 58, acknowledged that she is leaning toward supporting Jamie Raskin, a law professor who has mounted a spirited and well-funded campaign to unseat the incumbent. "He's just so young and fresh," said Sullivan, who lives in the Woodmoor section of Silver Spring.

Raskin and Ruben are fighting an acrimonious Democratic primary battle for the opportunity to represent Takoma Park and parts of Silver Spring in the state Senate. But their struggle is also a local echo of a broader clash within the Democratic Party between increasingly assertive progressive candidates and entrenched incumbents.

"It's a sign of times to come" in Maryland, said pollster and political analyst Keith Haller, who is not involved in either campaign. "We're seeing the next generation of political leaders becoming emboldened enough to take on political icons."

Ruben, 77, has served in the General Assembly for 31 years and says her experience and leadership positions make her the better choice. Raskin, 43, is confident that this is a "change election year" and says District 20 deserves a new, more progressive senator.

The district's most faithful voters are primarily older residents whom Ruben has cultivated, Haller said, adding that they might carry the day on Sept. 12.

Raskin said his campaign, bolstered this summer by dozens of volunteer college students, is surging. He or his supporters have knocked on nearly 8,500 doors in the district and spoken to more than 3,500 people, he said.

Both campaigns are deluging voters with mailed advertisements. Raskin said his campaign expects to have sent out seven mailings by primary day; Ruben's campaign manager, Philip Olivetti, said her campaign expects to have sent twice that many.

In one-on-one encounters with voters, Ruben emphasizes her leadership positions: She is the Senate's president pro tem, a largely ceremonial office; serves as vice chair of a subcommittee that oversees state capital budget expenditures; and leads the Montgomery County delegation in Annapolis. She cautioned one Woodmoor resident that a failure to return Ruben to the Senate "would be unfortunate for the county."

Raskin counters that another Montgomery senator would be likely to replace Ruben on the capital budget subcommittee if she was not reelected. He says she is one of the longest-serving senators who has never chaired a Senate committee.

During a round of door-knocking in Takoma Park, Raskin was invited by Michael Alemar, 55, to explain why he deserved Alemar's support. Raskin talked about the need for Maryland to develop a system of universal health care, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate corporate donations to candidates -- positions that appealed to Alemar.