3rd District

For the first time in more than a decade, today's primary election promises plenty of drama. Two major figures in the Democratic Party - Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume - are battling each other and a host of other challengers to take on Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in what could be a nationally watched race to replace five-term U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes. And in what could be the biggest Election Day story of all, another powerful Democrat, Comptroller William Donald Schaefer, embroiled in controversy over his unvarnished remarks, is putting a 50-year winning streak on the line against the two most credible opponents he's faced in years - Del. Peter Franchot of Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens.

Date of birth: Nov. 17, 1969 Party affiliation: Republican Professional background: President of an international health care nonprofit (www.depression.org). Chairman and CEO of local small business (www.compassmarketinginc.com); named a Future 50 award winner by Baltimore Smart CEO magazine. Educational background: MBA, University of Baltimore; bachelor's degree, accounting, Towson University. Personal: Married to Kathryn Goetzke White; enjoys reading newspapers; Annapolis resident.

At the risk of sounding egocentric, I feel like I'm at the city's epicenter of Tuesday's Democratic primary. My house just west of Wyman Park puts me not only at the edge of the 40th legislative district, the most hotly contested of Baltimore's six General Assembly districts. It also puts me in a corner of the convoluted 3rd Congressional District, the most competitive of the three U.S. House of Representative districts that include parts of the city -- and, indeed, of the eight in the state.

A freshly paved road would normally be a good thing for a candidate seeking re-election. But Baltimore County Councilman T. Bryan McIntire recently faced a dozen residents of the Sparks area of the county who were upset that a resurfaced road had a gritty finish and uneven edges. "I see what you mean," McIntire told the Loveton Farms residents. He promised to ask the county to come up with a better system of notifying communities of such projects in the future, and the highway officials he had brought along said they would take another look at the work in the spring.

Date of birth: May 15, 1947 Party affiliation: Republican Professional background: former Army officer (Chemical Corps); 30 years' experience as a business executive, owner, consultant in the medical, bio-defense/homeland security, biotechnology industry; member Homeland Security AOAC Task Force on rapid bio-detection; worked extensively with various countries in the area of emerging pathogens (i.e. avian flu) and bio-defense. Educational background: bachelor's degree, University of Wyoming; Master of Science degree, St. John's University.

Date of birth: Feb. 17, 1947 Party affiliation: Republican Professional background: dentist, licensed in Maryland; colonel, Air Force (retired); systems engineering manager; Maryland business owner (electro-optics and robotics company); inventor and scientist. Educational background: Bachelor of Arts, biology, Brooklyn College; D.D.S., Temple University School of Dentistry; dental residency, Eglin Air Force Base; Air War College, Air Command and Staff College. Personal: Married to Ruth; has three children and three grandchildren; member of Jewish War Veterans Organization, MOAA, American Legion and American Mensa; amateur radio operator (general class)