Baltimore, Maryland
There is absolutely no way that Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the Democratic candidate for Governor, should have lost last evening's election. For as long as many voters can remember, the same political method has been as sure as the air that they breathe -- Democrats always win in Maryland. However, this was not the case for last night's election, where Townsend lost the neck-in-neck race by three percentage points. Very few were able to actually predict the race right up until the final vote tally was complete, but the turnout of Republican voters for the Republican candidate, former Representative Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., was undoubtedly the straw that broke the camel's back in Maryland. It was very clearly Townsend's early missteps, questionable practices, and circumstantial misfortune that led Ehrlich to walk away with a heroic victory for the GOP in the "free state." This time, the Democrats lost it for themselves.
This race was lost out of disorganization and backlash against the incumbent, former Gov. Parris N. Glendening, of the Democratic party. For every one registered Republican voter in Maryland, there are two voters registered as Democrats. This initially sets up unimaginable statistical odds against the Republican Party. The last time that a Republican was elected Governor in Maryland was in 1966 with the political rise of Spiro T. Agnew. Clearly, the Democratic Party has had a tight grip on Maryland, and there was no reason for them to allow the state to be pulled from their grasp just yet.
It wasn't just Ehrlich's charm and predilection that won him the race. Rather, Townsend herself did a few things to help him along the way. First of all, there was controversy detrimental to Townsend concerning the legality of hiring people to run get-out-the-vote campaigns. This controversy stemmed from a state law prohibiting election campaigns using paid workers on the actual election day. The Ehrlich campaign brought this issue to light and used it to their utmost advantage, but the Maryland Attorney General ruled on Monday that Townsend's campaign would be able to pay "get-out-the-vote" workers on the basis that they were promoting voting, not just voting for the Democratic ticket. Even though Ehrlich may have had a very similar campaign earlier on in the race himself, the skepticism and question of practice shed unneeded negative light on the Democratic party.
Even further, Townsend offended many black voters when she selected as a running mate a highly conservative white male, retired admiral Charles R. Larson, over a black candidate. Ehrlich, however, selected Michael S. Steele as his running mate, who is now the first black man to serve as chairman of the GOP party. This win put Steele's name down in the record books as opposed to the record that could have been set by Townsend as the first female Governor of Maryland. One black couple in Pikesville, MD, said, "We voted for Ehrlich. It comes down to economics, the budget and crime. African-Americans need representative in both parties. We were not satisfied with Townsend's choice for a running mate." Both of them were registered Democrats. Another registered Democrat, Barry Glass, stated that "The backlash for our incumbent is hurting us. He's a scumbag. It is causing a lot of Democrats to vote Republican. I understand why." Glass has been volunteering for the Democratic party for ten years. Larry Barnett, a registered Democrat and resident of Baltimore, was very concerned about the Democratic Party's feelings toward blacks in the community. "I've realized that the Democrats have been taking the black vote for granted. Black people have been treated poorly by the Democrats. They don't care. Our communities have been
disintegrating. It is time for change. The majority of people [at the Ehrlich headquarters] are Democrats."
Built upon a foundation and slogan of "quality leadership," Ehrlich focused his campaign around three structured policies. His stated goals were to improve the educational system with increased funding, create a mandatory prison sentence for criminals convicted of gun-related crimes and bring traffic relief to problematic areas. These
topics have been near and dear to the hearts of many Marylanders who have been faced with numerous budget cuts due to the $414 million deficit this year and the growing estimated overall disparity of $1.3 billion for the upcoming fiscal year. Many feel that as Lt. Governor, Townsend contributed to garnering the state deficit with her lack of previous political knowledge, only furthering speculations that her election was based more on her namesake -- she is the daughter of the late Robert Kennedy -- than her quality as a candidate. When she entered office, the state had a surplus in
the budget. The recent sniper rampage has made gun
control a higher priority for seasoned voters, and issues of traffic congestion always are of concern to the voter population in highly populated areas. It is indisputable that Ehrlich has improved his
political appearance in the public eye more and more as the gubernatorial campaign has progressed.
The season of change has finally come for the state of Maryland. Hopefully, the many voters who made borderline decisions for candidates will not regret their submissions to the ballot box. The party in charge has changed, and hopefully the new practices implemented in the state will be for the better. Last night's victory for Ehrlich was yet another historic and necessary change. Let's just hope, for Maryland's sake, that this change wasn't for the worse.
(Amey Adkins' column usually appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aadkins@
cavalierdaily.com.)
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