Dyson's Win Unexpectedly Easy

Well-Funded Rival Falters; St. Mary's Board Tilts Democratic

Jack Russell's victory in St. Mary's County gives Democrats a 3-to-2 edge on the Board of County Commissioners. (By Mark Gail -- The Washington Post)

State Sen. Roy P. Dyson said before Tuesday's general election that Thomas F. McKay might be the most formidable challenger he had faced in more than 30 years of holding elected office.

The results indicated otherwise.

Dyson (D) cruised to a fourth term as the senator representing St. Mary's County, southern Calvert County and a sliver of Charles County over McKay (R), the outgoing St. Mary's County commissioners president. Unofficial results gave Dyson 64.3 percent of the vote and McKay 35.6 percent.

"I always get a little apprehensive toward the end, thinking 'did I do this right' or 'should I have done this?' " Dyson said after the votes were counted. "But we obviously did everything right, and it worked out well."

McKay did not return calls seeking comment.

Maryland Republicans believed McKay presented one of their best chances to pick up a state Senate seat, and he netted major donations from several state officials as well as appearances with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.; the governor's running mate, Kristen Cox; and first lady Kendel Ehrlich. Since announcing his candidacy in January, McKay raised nearly $200,000 -- a record for a politician in Southern Maryland and three times as much as Dyson.

"This race is arguably the number one race in the state," Ehrlich said at a McKay campaign event last month. The governor, who lost his reelection bid to Democrat Martin O'Malley, charged then that Dyson was out of touch with his district.

But Zach P. Messitte, a political scientist at St. Mary's College of Maryland, said few voters believed that the man who had represented them for decades was out of touch.

"There was a lot of money spent, but the bottom line is Dyson is an institution in this region, and beating him was going to be very, very difficult," Messitte said. "As a political person, Dyson is in a unique position because name recognition alone gets him so far. People have a very positive impression of him."

During the campaign, McKay accused Dyson of siding with special interests instead of average constituents. He attacked the incumbent's vote to block a state takeover of 11 failing schools in Baltimore and his vote against a comprehensive environmental plan in 2004. McKay pledged to support a private school voucher system and cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay.

Dyson talked very little about McKay's record as county commissioners president, instead trumpeting his own efforts in state government to ease traffic congestion, reduce the number of teenage driver fatalities, create charter schools and beef up sexual predator laws.

"I went door-to-door and stuck to the issues, and it worked," he said. "I was looking at Mount Everest in terms of money, but the best way to win someone's vote is to come to their home and knock on their door and ask them what they'd like you to do for them."

Although Dyson and Dels. John F. Wood Jr. and John L. Bohanan Jr. kept the county's top state posts in Democratic hands, county residents voted overwhelmingly for Ehrlich and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael S. Steele, who also lost. Steele won 57 percent of the St. Mary's vote, and Ehrlich netted 58 percent.

In the race to replace McKay as commissioners president, charter boat captain Jack Russell (D) easily beat Joseph B. Bush Sr. (R) to tilt the board's majority to the Democrats. With all four of the other incumbent commissioners winning reelection, Russell will bring his philosophy of building consensus to a board comprising three Democrats (himself, Daniel H. Raley and Thomas A. Mattingly Sr.) and two Republicans (Kenny Dement and Larry Jarboe).

"I won decisively, which indicates to me that people want change," Russell said. "I'm going to draw from these four incumbents whatever expertise I can to get the job done."