Maryland Primary - Not all Wrapped Up

Wow, it certainly is lame not having the internet at my apartment. I felt pretty disconnected from a lot of useful resources last night, but no matter.

Here's my take on a few races.

Senate: Ben Cardin

I supported Rep. Cardin's opponent Mr. Mfume, but, just like Mr. Mfume, I think Ben is an good person and that he will make a great senator. Mr. Mfume has not yet directly conceded, but its pretty much over anyway. I hope Mr. Mfume campaigns hard for Cardin, and I am sure that he will. Mr. Cardin's campaign will benefit niceley from the friendly tone this primary race took. Steele will be a challenge, but i think Cardin will have no problem. He has the money and support he needs to stay in the lead through November.

Comptroller: (My GUESS) Peter Franchot

Whether Owens or Franchot wins this one, the big story is the end of Willy Don Schaefer's political career. Thanks for your service Willy, but I can't say I am sad to see you return to the halls of antiquity where Democrats such as yourself belong. Keep a seat warm for Robert Byrd.

If Franchot does win, this is a big victory for Democrats. Owens is sympathetic to Bob Erhlich, Franchot is not. In fact, I voted for Franchot based on a flyer I got in the mail on MONDAY. He claimed to be "the only real DEMOCRAT (and it was in all caps in the ad as well) in the Comptroller race." Well, good work Peter, good luck in the general.

MD-04: (My GUESS) Donna Edwards

Edwards had gotten some netroots support, but the majority of her campaign was run by energetic volunteers on the ground who got out the vote. This is still a very close race, but I think Donna will win. Not one provisional ballot has been counted yet, and the majority of them are in MOCO, Donnas base county. I see Donna taking this seat.

Attorney General: Gansler

I voted for Simms, based on the fact that I thought AA needed some represenation on the Democratic statewide ticket. Gansler had a stronger, longer campaign. If Simms would have gotten in early, things might have gone differently.

What does this say for November. I bet O'Malley is pissing himself right now trying to figure out how he is going to get AA democratic votes out. And who can we really blame for the low turnout that may have led to the all white all male statewide ticket? I think Mr. O'Malley has to shoulder much of the blame. His vicious campaign against Doug Duncan removed the possibilty of a Gubenatorial primary, something that would have brought out thousands more voters to the polls. Not to mention, O'Malley did not trhow his support behind the two major AA candidates, Mfume and Simms. Now, with a extremely un-diverse ticket, the Democratic party in Maryland has some hard campaigning to do to convice AA voters that they will address the concerns of their communities. Cummings, and if she wins, Edwards should be featured prominiently on the campaign trail for Cardin, Gansler, O'Malley and Franchot. It will be fun to watch.