Democratic Candidates

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.

Comptroller Peter Franchot, considered one of the leading prospective Democratic candidates for governor in 2014, said Dec. 11 that he will not run that race and will instead seek a third term in his current office. A few hours after Franchot's announcement, District 21 Sen. Jim Rosapepe, who was among those who had expressed an interest in running for comptroller if Franchot ran for governor, issued his own statement, saying he intends to seek re-election to the state Senate in 2014.

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.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, considered one of the leading prospective Democratic candidates for governor in 2014, said Tuesday that he will instead seek a third term in his current post. In an interview, Franchot, 65, said he made his decision after considering internal polls that showed him a much stronger candidate for re-election than for governor. He said he's happy with what he's doing now — running Maryland's tax system and serving as the state's fiscal watchdog.

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.

One in a series of profiles of Maryland delegates to the Democratic National Convention Herbert Graves has volunteered for Democratic candidates for decades, but he says no one has inspired him the same way as Barack Obama. Graves first heard Obama speak at the Democratic convention in 2004 - and he was hooked. At this year's convention in Charlotte, which begins Tuesday, the Bolton Hill Democrat is a delegate supporting the president's re-election. During those eight years, Graves said, his support never waned.

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.

Former Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan's decision to run for his old seat after a six-year hiatus has changed the political landscape of the state's largest county even as critics argue that new demographics could present a big hurdle to his comeback. Duncan, 57, a Democrat who ended his 2006 campaign for governor abruptly after he was diagnosed with depression, told supporters last week that he will run for county executive in 2014 — setting the stage for a possible showdown with incumbent Isiah "Ike" Leggett that would have statewide political implications.

One in a series of profiles of Maryland delegates to the Democratic National Convention Herbert Graves has volunteered for Democratic candidates for decades, but he says no one has inspired him the same way as Barack Obama. Graves first heard Obama speak at the Democratic convention in 2004 - and he was hooked. At this year's convention in Charlotte, which begins Tuesday, the Bolton Hill Democrat is a delegate supporting the president's re-election. During those eight years, Graves said, his support never waned.

Blaine Young, the Republican president of the Frederick County Board of Commissioners, has taken a step toward a possible run for governor in 2014 by launching a fund-raising committee. Young, 40, was elected in 2010 as part of a conservative Republican sweep of the five board seats in the Western Maryland county. He had been appointed to the board earlier that year. The former Democrat, who switched parties in 2002, said he has registered a committee, Blaine Young for Maryland, with the state elections board.

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.

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.

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

Residents are invited to three public forums next week to meet candidates running for the school board and other local offices.Each reception will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Manchester municipal building. The schedule is:* School board candidates (nonpartisan) -- Tuesday.* Democratic candidates -- Wednesday.* Republican candidates -- Thursday.Information: 374-9247.

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.