Democratic Candidates

The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.

The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.

The anti-incumbent mood that threatens the seats of several experienced members of Congress appears poised to spare the three House Democrats representing parts of Baltimore. But all three — C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Elijah E. Cummings — still face opponents, new to politics, who are certain the political wind is at their backs. "The entire mood of the country is to get rid of people who have been in Congress, like Mr. Sarbanes," said Jim Wilhelm, the Republican candidate for the 3rd District, now represented by Sarbanes.

Political consultant Julius Henson, facing charges stemming from the infamous 2010 "relax" robocall that has already resulted in one criminal conviction, wants to put the entire state Democratic Party on trial. It's an odd defense strategy - he seems not to be focused on either the question of whether he actually did what he is accused of doing or whether the robocall was protected free speech. But it's not altogether surprising, either. Mr. Henson has long cultivated a bad-boy reputation, and he has never been one to pass up a chance for the spotlight.

Live coverage of Sunday's debate involving six Democratic candidates for president will be carried from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. exclusively on NBC (WMAR-TV, Channel 2, locally). It will be simulcast on National Public Radio, carried in this area on WAMU-FM (88.5) and WJHU-FM (88.1).The 90-minute session from a Washington studio will be moderated by Tom Brokaw, the sole questioner. The format will cover foreign and domestic issues, addressed by the declared Democratic candidates: Edmund G. Brown Jr. of California, Bill Clinton of Arkansas, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts and L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia.

WASHINGTON -- Heading into the last seven weeks of the 1990 campaign, Democrats are trying to steer a tricky course between solidly backing President Bush's policy in the Mideast and sharply attacking his leadership at home.Their awkward balancing act is a response to the cross-currents Democratic candidates must navigate this fall: Voters are supportive of military moves by the Republican administration in the Persian Gulf but are increasingly restive over the stalemate in Washington on the budget deficit and other issues.

"What we face in 1992 is the possibility that there will be no Democratic candidate for president. . . . [W]e may well have the first presidential election that goes to the incumbent by default."So wrote Ross K. Baker of Rutgers University in this section last week. That statement is not only wrong, it is irresponsible.It is wrong because James Monroe in 1821 was re-elected president by default -- that is, without opposition. Historians refer to President Monroe's years in the White House as the Era of Good Feelings.

Black political activists in Baltimore are content to let Democratic presidential contenders avoid promises and rhetoric this year that might burden them as champions of black special interests.But black leaders also caution that Democratic candidates, while walking a fine line to avoid getting tagged as captives of minority interests, still must convince large numbers of blacks that it is worth their time and effort to vote for them."Any Democrat would lose if he came out with a specific black agenda," said black businessman Frank Conaway, who supports former U.S.Sen.

NO ONE is taking very seriously the threat of Democratic mayors to run one of their own -- Ray Flynn of Boston, the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is the man most often mentioned -- for the party's presidential nomination next year.Flynn is an ambitious and effective politician as well or better qualified than many who have been candidates for the presidency in the last few elections. But mayors also are, almost by definition, too closely identified with minorities and liberalism to be successful national candidates these days.

An 18-month campaign was condensed into a sprint of hand-shaking, picnics and speeches yesterday for Maryland's leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, as they made last-minute appeals for their supporters to vote in tomorrow's primary election. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin and former congressman Kweisi Mfume, locked in what most polls show to be a competitive race to be their party's nominee to replace retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, made a dozen campaign stops between them yesterday in what, because of today's anniversary of the Sept.

As Tuesday's congressional primary approaches, Western Maryland Democrats, longing for a change in representation, have reason to be optimistic. Republicans, on the other hand, have reason to sing the blues. The change in the 6th Congressional District from solid "red" to mostly "blue" illustrates both the strength of the Maryland Democratic Party and the existing convoluted redistricting process - a process badly in need of change. One frustrated Western Maryland Republican delegate, Neil Parrott of Washington County, has started a petition drive to bring the state redistricting map to referendum.

Democrats living in Maryland's Sixth Congressional District have a rare opportunity in their upcoming primary. There's a different kind of candidate running for the seat held by longtime Republican incumbent Roscoe Bartlett. His name is Milad Pooran. Dr. Pooran is a 35-year-old Iranian-American physician and veteran of the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps — not the profile of a typical congressional aspirant. He's a long shot to win the nomination; even if he does, and despite the fact the district was gerrymandered last year to make it more favorable for the Democrats, a victory in November is no sure thing.

A Glen Burnie Democrat said Wednesday he plans to run for the District 2 seat on the Anne Arundel County Council in order to bring some civility back to the body which has been dogged in recent weeks by a series of contentious meetings to choose a replacement for a vacancy on the council. Ian Patrick “Pat” Hines, a state employee, said he has filed a “statement of organization” that allowed him to form a fundraising committee to run in 2014 for the seat currently held by Councilman John J. Grasso, a Glen Burnie Republican.

John Delaney, a Democratic candidate in Maryland's 6th District, is calling for 12-year term limits for members of Congress, an extended “cooling off” period before lawmakers can become lobbyists and a plan to allow some illegal immigrants to stay in the country, his campaign said Tuesday. The proposals were included in a broader platform document posted on the Potomac financier's campaign website. Though many of the ideas are short on specifics, the document represents a shift in focus toward issues after weeks in which the two most active candidates in the Democratic primary have lobbed attacks at one another.

State Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has taken a strong lead among prospective Democratic candidates for governor in 2014 in terms of money in the bank, but his lead narrows when his fundraising last year is compared with that of three possible rivals. In a report filed Tuesday, the deadline for filing state campaign finance reports for activity during 2011, Gansler reports having almost $4.1 million on hand. That puts him far ahead of three others who are widely expected to run in the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is prevented by term limits from running again.

Maryland's Republican party Monday said that a slew of Democratic elected officials, including President Barack Obama, Gov. Martin O'Malley and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, return thousands of dollars in campaign funds donated by Richard Stewart, a politically connected businessman who pleaded guilty last week to failing to pay $4 million in taxes.  UPDATE: Cummings will donate the funds he received to "a charity," said Vernon Simms, chief of staff...

As Tuesday's congressional primary approaches, Western Maryland Democrats, longing for a change in representation, have reason to be optimistic. Republicans, on the other hand, have reason to sing the blues. The change in the 6th Congressional District from solid "red" to mostly "blue" illustrates both the strength of the Maryland Democratic Party and the existing convoluted redistricting process - a process badly in need of change. One frustrated Western Maryland Republican delegate, Neil Parrott of Washington County, has started a petition drive to bring the state redistricting map to referendum.

An article in yesterday's Maryland section omitted the name of one of the Democratic candidates for governor, Lawrence Freeman.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 7/16/98

Here's another $10,000 wager for which Mitt Romney won't find many takers: We bet the public is disappointed with the choices for president of the United States in 2012. That's a pretty remarkable circumstance given that the general election is still nearly a year away. For those who missed Saturday's Republican debate, the moment observers were left talking about was the size of Mr. Romney's proposed bet to Rick Perry if the Texas governor could prove that he rewrote his book to reflect a changed position on Massachusetts health care reform.

The race for the 4th District seat held by U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards has grown increasingly crowded in recent days, as two possible Democratic candidates have said they are considering challenging the Prince George's Democrat in the primary. A spokesman for former Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey said he is eyeing a run, and last week, Anne Arundel County Council member Jamie Benoit, whose district includes Laurel, announced he had formed an exploratory committee for a possible run in District 4. In Gov. Martin O'Malley's redistricting plans approved by the Maryland General Assembly this month, District 4 was reconfigured, moving nearly all of Laurel out of Rep. Steny Hoyer's District 5 and into District 4. Large swaths of Anne Arundel County were also added to District 4, which also includes parts of Prince George's County outside Laurel.