Democratic Nomination

The Annapolis mayoral candidate whose spokesperson announced her withdrawal from the race Friday amid revelations of personal financial problems said Saturday that she is staying in the contest. Zina C. Pierre won the Democratic nomination Tuesday, putting her on track to become Annapolis' first African-American mayor. Her campaign abruptly announced her withdrawal Friday amid questions about a foreclosed home, bounced checks, state liens for unpaid income taxes and other problems. But less than 24 hours later, Pierre said she was staying in to "continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support."

WASHINGTON -- Bill Richardson, the avuncular governor of New Mexico, an internationalist with a gold-plated resume, announced yesterday his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, making history as the first Latino to have a credible chance to lead a national ticket. On paper, Richardson's credentials are unassailable. He has served as a member of Congress, ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and, since, 2002, the governor of a state in the heart of the rapidly growing Sun Belt.

WASHINGTON -- Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone's decision not to seek the Democratic presidential nomination does not quite rise to the level of bombshell news. The scrappy liberal of the old school always seemed at best the longest of long shots. But his candidacy would have contributed a worthwhile dimension to the 2000 race, if only as a voice of conscience prodding others in his party.Mr. Wellstone's politics obviously are a throwback to New Deal days whose vigorous espousal of activist government has been brushed aside by the New Democrat positioning of President Clinton.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Actor Warren Beatty sketched out the script for a liberal presidential campaign last night -- but did not say whether he would play the leading role himself.Before a huge turnout of reporters and Southern California liberal activists, Beatty offered few clues on whether he intends to launch a long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.Instead, he called for sweeping campaign finance reform, lashed President Clinton's record, and portrayed both of the current contenders for the Democratic nomination as cautious centrists in thrall to large contributors.

Marylanders go to the polls today to choose Democratic and Republican nominees for almost every elective office from the courthouse to the State House in a primary election that is expected to be an important barometer of the mood of the voting public.Despite the large number of races, with as many as 2,442 candidates, only a few are hard-fought. Office-seekers and local analysts fear the lack of attention-grabbing party contests for governor, coupled with fallout from the Clinton scandal, will cause many voters to stay away.

SINCE HIS 1990 election, Sheriff Norman M. Pepersack Jr.'s imperious management style has created lots of controversy in Baltimore County. That's why it is difficult to understand why the sheriff, unopposed in the Republican primary, does not face a tougher Democratic challenge.One Democratic candidate, L. John McClernan, is a lawyer and former deputy sheriff. But he also was found guilty of failure to pay child support last year, offering mental health problems as his defense.Another candidate, Charles D. Cuddy, was a sheriff's department officer assigned to court security until he transferred to become an emergency communications technician.

FOUR YEARS AGO, the Democratic Party took a beating in Anne Arundel County. Republicans gained their first majority on the county council since the county charter was adopted in 1964. John G. Gary, a state delegate and owner of a drapery business, maintained the GOP grip on Anne Arundel's executive seat. Four of the five men who have held that post have been Republicans.Based on Mr. Gary's popularity for much of his first term, as late as last winter it appeared the Democrats would not field a candidate for the office.

Del. Elijah E. Cummings, the four-term legislator from West Baltimore, was the winner in yesterday's free-for-all Democratic primary to replace Kweisi Mfume as Maryland's 7th District representative in Congress.With all precincts reporting, Mr. Cummings led the field of 27 Democrats with 37 percent of the vote.In what amounted to a two-man race for the Democratic nomination, the Rev. Frank M. Reid III ran second with about 24 percent of the vote. Dr. Reid is the powerful pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's stepbrother.

A pathetic is the adjective often used to describe the electorate, but the a-word that might better describe voters in Baltimore's suburbs is angry.You could sense it in the gubernatorial vote, as Del. Ellen Sauerbrey's minimalist government message swept through thesuburbs like an autumn brush fire. She beat Rep. Helen Bentley by 2-1 in growing counties like Howard and Carroll, and even bested Mrs. Bentley in the two candidates' own backyard, Baltimore County. You could also sense it in the Democratic primary; state Sen. American Joe Miedusiewski's "average Joe" campaign resonated defiantly in a blue-collar belt from northern Anne Arundel into Baltimore and Harford counties, although Prince George's County Executive Parris Glendening won over all.In the county executive races, voters also showed disdain for any government they perceive as spending too much or not protecting them enough.

An article in yesterday's editions incorrectly stated the amount of money raised by Don DeArmon, candidate for the Democratic nomination in Maryland's 6th Congressional District. Mr. DeArmon has raised $32,580.The Sun regrets the error.

The Annapolis mayoral candidate whose spokesperson announced her withdrawal from the race Friday amid revelations of personal financial problems said Saturday that she is staying in the contest. Zina C. Pierre won the Democratic nomination Tuesday, putting her on track to become Annapolis' first African-American mayor. Her campaign abruptly announced her withdrawal Friday amid questions about a foreclosed home, bounced checks, state liens for unpaid income taxes and other problems. But less than 24 hours later, Pierre said she was staying in to "continue to fight for all residents, many of whom are calling, texting and e-mailing me with extraordinary support."

The feminist-baiting males in my life are asking, with barely contained glee, if I am sad that Hillary Clinton didn't win the Democratic nomination for president. They assume I wanted a female nominee. No, I tell them, I wanted an electable nominee. And she was it. It seems strange to say this now. I used to think that Hillary was the most unelectable of the Democratic contenders. Too much Clinton baggage, even for me. I didn't know if I could hold my breath for four years, waiting for Bill to misbehave.

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama moved closer to locking up the Democratic nomination yesterday, taking the North Carolina primary decisively while Hillary Clinton eked out a victory in Indiana. Obama widened his delegate lead on the biggest day left on the primary calendar, though it appeared that the race could still continue through the final contests, less than four weeks from now. Obama claimed victory in North Carolina and congratulated Clinton on apparently winning Indiana, where incomplete returns gave her a narrow lead.

The big-state primaries in Ohio and Texas are less than a week away, yet Sen. Hillary Clinton has already forfeited. Oh, she's still running against fellow Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination - harder and nastier than ever, in fact. But through a long and growing list of blunders, slights and nefarious maneuvers, Mrs. Clinton has forfeited her right to any remaining benefit of the doubt from Democratic voters. She forfeited her "readiness to lead" image when she had to reluctantly and belatedly fire Patti Solis Doyle because the Clinton campaign manager's leadership style created a dysfunctional atmosphere for top staffers.

WASHINGTON -- Bill Richardson, the avuncular governor of New Mexico, an internationalist with a gold-plated resume, announced yesterday his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, making history as the first Latino to have a credible chance to lead a national ticket. On paper, Richardson's credentials are unassailable. He has served as a member of Congress, ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and, since, 2002, the governor of a state in the heart of the rapidly growing Sun Belt.

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin held a substantial lead over friend and former colleague Kweisi Mfume in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate early this morning, leaving Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele waiting to learn who his opponent would be in one of the most closely watched general election races in the nation. As expected, Steele easily won the Republican nomination for the seat now occupied by Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes. Sarbanes announced last year that he would not seek a sixth term, giving Maryland its first open Senate seat in 20 years.

It was early in the campaign, as Kweisi Mfume remembers it, a private moment shortly after Benjamin L. Cardin joined him in the race for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. It would be the first time in their long political careers that the old friends and collaborators would be running against each other. "I said to him and Myrna [Cardin's wife], `This is probably the most awkward thing you and I are going to do,'" Mfume recalled. "`But we've got to do it, now that you're in.'" They entered Congress together, the black City Council member from West Baltimore and the Jewish former speaker of the House of Delegates from Baltimore County.

Settling in behind the podium at the Keswick Multi-Care Center, Kweisi Mfume thanked the elderly residents for their applause. Then he expressed gratitude for the lives they had lived. "I would be remiss ... if I didn't first take time simply to thank all of you in this room," he told the 50 men and women, most of them in wheelchairs, who gathered in a community room at the skilled nursing and adult care facility in North Baltimore yesterday. "I want to thank you for your contributions to our country," said Mfume, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Kweisi Mfume stepped onto the shop floor of the English American Tailoring Co. yesterday and looked at the women cutting pieces of fabric, working sewing machines and pressing new suits. "I used to work in a place like this," he observed, and described his three years at an auto parts plant in West Baltimore. Having made the connection, he started to work the room. The visit to the Westminster shop was Mfume's latest foray from Baltimore, where the former congressman and chief of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has been a public figure for more than 30 years, to a corner of the state where he is far less familiar.

Bethesda -- With a populist message and a few digs at the front-runners, politics professor and commentator Allan J. Lichtman entered the race for the U.S. Senate yesterday. Though he has never run for office, Lichtman told a crowd of supporters gathered at the North Bethesda Middle School that he will capture the Democratic nomination and win the general election by waging a grass-roots campaign against corporate interests and the Washington establishment. "I am running to change what is wrong in Washington," he said.