One thing is certain in the new congressional district that includes a portion of Montgomery County and the bulk of Prince George's County. It will have a 40-something African-American heading to Congress in January.
The question is, will it be the veteran Democratic state lawmaker, or the Republican entrepreneur?
The Democratic lawmaker wastes no words about himself: "Al Wynn has a better record of involvement," declared the 41-year-old state senator from Prince George's County. "I have made tough decisions."
But, counters his Republican opponent, Michele Dyson, a 42-year-old business owner seeking political office for the first time: "The key issue is, we've got to create jobs and get people back to work. As an entrepreneur I can do that."
Meanwhile, on the other side of Montgomery County, Rep. Constance A. Morella, 61, is running for a fourth term in the House, facing Edward Heffernan, a 29-year-old former congressional aide running in his first political race.
A popular lawmaker who has dispatched tough opposition in the past, Mrs. Morella is expected by those familiar with the district's politics to capture another term easily.
The new majority-black district was created last fall by the legislature to satisfy the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act to boost minority representation in Congress. As a result, the 4th District will elect a second black Maryland lawmaker, together with the widely expected re-election of Rep. Kweisi Mfume from Baltimore.
Mr. Wynn has the decided edge in the district, given its 65 percent Democratic voter registration, his nearly 5-to-1 edge in campaign fund-raising and his political experience. The latest Federal Election Commission reports show Mr. Wynn has $493,000, compared to $105,000 for Mrs. Dyson.
"I feel very confident," said Mr. Wynn, a member of the state Senate since 1987.
"I think it looks relatively safe for him," said Del. Michael Arrington, a fellow Democrat from Largo. "Albert's a seasoned legislator. He has a record of service to the county." He predicts Mr. Wynn will capture at least 60 percent of the vote.
Mrs. Dyson said that her polling puts her about 10 points behind but that she is hopeful that her recent spate of radio and TV ads will put her over the top.
A Silver Spring resident who heads Computer Information Specialists Inc., a communications company she founded with her husband in 1985, Mrs. Dyson paints her opponent as a tax-and-spend Democrat who looks only to government for answers.
