Spotlight Is On Calvert's Hard-Run House Race

Kullen, the first woman to represent Calvert in the General Assembly, had never served in or run for public office. She emerged as the surprise, compromise candidate for the appointment after members of the county's Democratic Central Committee deadlocked on candidates with more political experience, such as Mister, former county commissioner Barbara A. Stinnett and Thomas M. Pelagatti, a former judge of the county Orphans' Court.

Owings had been reelected without opposition in 2002, and Democrats had wanted his replacement to be a strong candidate.

"I knew with only two years [before the next election], I had to hit the ground running," Kullen said. "I had to be productive and prove to folks back home that I could do it."

Kullen, 46, of Port Republic, has lived in Calvert since 1982 and works as a consultant with disabled people and agencies serving them.

Pointing to the passage of 16 of the 18 bills she sponsored in the past year, she said she has worked almost nonstop while the General Assembly is in session. She served on the health and government operations committee, as vice chairman of the Southern Maryland delegation and on the board of the women's caucus.

She said her main focus, if reelected, will be on education and the environment. One of her bills that won approval was a measure to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus in the Patuxent River, but legislators tacked on major amendments, limiting some of its significant enforcement provisions.

"I was pleased with how hard we worked for that bill even though it was amended to the point that we couldn't accomplish [everything] we wanted," she said. "And next session, we're going to go back and build an even bigger coalition to get a stronger version passed."

Kullen declined to disclose her fundraising goal or her campaign strategy, other than to describe it as a grass-roots effort. "We're knocking on doors, going to community events," she said. "It's very effective but takes a lot of time."

Hale, meanwhile, said he plans to hold one more fundraiser Tuesday and will reach his goal of collecting $100,000. He has bought airtime for TV commercials and advertisements in every edition of the three local papers until Election Day.

Mostly, though, he is counting on people voting for him on the basis of what he has done as a commissioner, he said.

Hale, 42, of Owings, has lived in Calvert since 1991. He was born and raised in Washington state. He and his wife moved to Calvert to be near her family.

"I was shocked at how nice people were and how rural the county looked for being just a few miles from D.C.," he said.