The New Legislature: Left, Right or Center?

There Will Be More D's, Fewer R's

The freshman class ushered into the General Assembly by last week's election will reflect a subtle change in complexion fueled more by personality, experience and demographics than by any drastic shift in ideology.

Voters from the Washington suburbs elected to the state Senate an aggressive team of newcomers accomplished in their respective fields, including a religious leader from Prince George's County who could take oratory in the chamber to new heights, a former Howard County police chief and the outgoing county executive, and experts in constitutional law and state finances from Montgomery County.

The makeover of the 47-member Senate resulted in the loss of four of 15 women, including an outspoken advocate for domestic violence victims and reproductive health, and the sponsor of legislation to make most of Maryland's public places and restaurants smoke-free.

The Republican Party's loss of the governor's mansion as the state became more Democratic trickled down to the 141-member House of Delegates, where the majority picked up at least five and possibly as many as seven seats, pending the final count of absentee and provisional ballots. The balance in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 32 to 15 advantage, probably will remain the same.

The somewhat smaller GOP caucus in the House will bid adieu in January to some of its more moderate voices, such as Anne Arundel Del. John R. Leopold, the incoming county executive, and Del. David G. Boschert, who ran unsuccessfully for the office.

There were conflicting interpretations this week of the addition of Democratic seats in the House.

"I certainly don't think we've moved Maryland to the center," said House Minority Whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert). "I think it's more of a question of how far to the left things have moved. Only time will tell."

Republican Party Chairman John Kane's assessment: "The tax-and-spend group has gained momentum."

On the flip side, Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) said many of the jurisdictions where Democrats picked up seats were in more conservative areas, such as Southern Maryland and Anne Arundel.

Those victories, he said, "tend to move the center of gravity a little closer to the center."

With Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. -- the first Republican chief executive in a generation -- leaving office, Democratic legislators predicted a flood of initiatives to make college tuition more affordable, raise the minimum wage, expand access to health care and protect the environment.

But how the General Assembly handles such volatile subjects as slot machine gambling, energy prices and a statewide smoking ban could have more to do with the path Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley (D) chooses than the makeup of either chamber.