Charles Democrats Are Geared For Change

As County Grows, Party Alliances Shift

The unprecedented population growth in Charles County has led to a sea change in political party affiliation, giving Democrats a clear edge in voter registration for the first time.

Although county-by-county election results were not available by press time, local Democrats said they expected Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to win Charles by a large margin in the presidential race. If they are correct, it will mark the first time in recent history that a Democrat has conclusively won the county.

"Everyone is very excited and very energized," Virginia L. Benedict, chairman of the county's Democratic Central Committee, said before Tuesday's presidential election.

Although many observers had long predicted that shifting demographics would push Charles solidly into the Democratic column, some were surprised by the volume of Democrats who registered to vote. As the county's population continued to grow rapidly in recent years, the number of registered Democrats skyrocketed, jumping 64.4 percent. Meanwhile, the number of registered Republicans declined 9.9 percent.

In 2004, the county's political balance was roughly split. The Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) netted 50.2 percent of the county vote, compared with 48.8 percent for President Bush.

"There's certainly been a profound shift because of the population growth," said Michael J. Cain, a political scientist and expert on state politics at St. Mary's College of Maryland. "It has changed the political makeup of the county drastically."

The changed political landscape in Charles has been fueled largely by the influx of African Americans to the county. The county has the fastest-growing black population outside the Atlanta suburbs. Much of that growth is the result of families moving south from Prince George's County, which has been reliably Democratic for decades.

Joanne Jackson of Waldorf is emblematic of Charles's new Democratic voters. An office worker who was born and raised in Prince George's, she and her family moved to Charles in June so that they could buy a larger house.

"Me and all of my friends are Democrats, and I think we're the majority in the county now," Jackson said. "Everyone I talk to is voting for Obama."

Still, a number of signs supporting Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have cropped up across the county in recent weeks. The county's Republican Central Committee has given free yard signs at a Waldorf shopping center every Saturday. Local Republicans worked at phone banks in the nearby swing states of Virginia and Pennsylvania. They also held a fundraising dinner with guest speaker Everett Alvarez, one of McCain's fellow prisoners during the Vietnam War.

Carolyn Lees, Republican Central Committee vice chairman, acknowledged that voter registration numbers don't look favorable for the party. She expressed hope that both sides would carefully examine the issues and where candidates stand on them.

"A one-sided voter registration situation is always a challenge, but we hope a lot of Democrats in our county really look into what the issues are and what the candidates stand for," Lees said.