General Election

The latest anybody in what could be called the Anybody But Romney Campaign is former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. However, his low-turnout victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri say more about the Republican coolness to the Massachusetts moderate yearning to be seen as conservative than about the latest anybody. The alibi that Mitt Romney didn't campaign much in the three states, and that neither his campaign nor that of his "independent" super PAC threw much money into them, isn't very convincing from strategists who previously boasted about their superior organization and political ground game.

I am certain that the staff in Obama headquarters in Chicago were euphoric after Rick Santorum's primary and caucus victories Tuesday in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. They may hardly have to use their expected $1 billion campaign war chest as the Republican Party continues to implode. It is possible the social conservatives' and the tea party's dislike of Mitt Romney will force him to move so far to the right that independents and moderate Republicans will not be able to vote for him in the general election, thus ensuring President Obama's victory.

Years ago, a friend told me a story from her days living in South America. The movie "Wayne's World" had come out, and she went to see it. She spoke English, but it was interesting to read the Spanish subtitles. For instance, early in the film, Wayne says: "Shyeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt!" The Spanish subtitles read: "Yes, when judgment day comes. " Needless to say, something was lost in translation. This, in a nutshell, is Mitt Romney's biggest problem. A late immigrant to conservatism, Mr. Romney doesn't speak the language naturally.

As elected officials in Baltimore and Annapolis seek to address the debacle that was the city's voter turnout during the mayoral primary and general election last year, it's clear that the thing they care about the most is what voters care about the least: what's in it for the politicians. State House leaders (in particular, Senate PresidentThomas V. Mike Miller) don't like the fact that the current system allows city officials to run for governor or the legislature without giving up their seats - in essence, allowing them a free shot at higher office.

City and state leaders and voting rights advocates agree on this: After last year's abysmal voter turnout, Baltimore's odd election cycle should be changed to lure more people to the polls and save millions of dollars. But a fierce battle is brewing over whether to move city balloting to coincide with elections for president or for governor — choices which have political ramifications. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the City Council emphatically support the former option, which would make Baltimore the state's only major subdivision to hold elections on the presidential cycle.

New Hampshire Republicans are practical people. As I traveled around the state this past week, voters who said they supported Mitt Romney in Tuesday's presidential primary consistently offered two reasons for their choice. One was Mr. Romney's resume: his experience as both a businessman and a reasonably successful governor of Massachusetts. But the selling point voters cited most frequently was Mr. Romney's "electability": their sense that in a general election against President Barack Obama, he's more likely than any other Republican to win. "I want to get rid of socialism.

Former Prince George's County prosecutor Glenn Ivey is pulling out of the race for Maryland's 4th Congressional District.  Ivey had announced in November that he expected to challenge Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards in the newly drawn 4th District, which now includes a large swath of Anne Arundel County. He had filed with the Federal Election Commission and was raising money for the race.  “We projected out how much we could raise on the track that we were on and realized that we couldn't raise enough to win,” Ivey said, noting that the campaign had raised about $160,000 so far. “I knew what I had to do and I didn't get it done.” Though two other Democrats have filed for the race, Ivey -- because of his base of support in Prince George's County -- presented the biggest threat.  Ivey had not filed to put his name on the ballot.

The head of the state's Republican party announced Tuesday he will not run for Congress in Maryland's competitive 6th congressional district and instead will support the GOP incumbent, Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett. Alex Mooney said he made his decision based on recent signs of life from Bartlett's campaign. “It is now apparent to me that Roscoe Bartlett not only intends to seek re-election to Congress, but that he also plans to work hard to put a team in place and have the financial resources to beat the Democrats,” Mooney said in an e-mail to supporters.

Baltimore officials plan to ask the General Assembly to pass legislation to align the city's municipal elections with the federal cycle, the city's chief lobbyist said Monday. The change would "save the City money and engage more citizens in our elections," according to a memo the lobbying team handed out to City Council members at a luncheon meeting Monday. City elections are now held a year after Maryland statewide elections. Baltimore residents elected a mayor and City Council members in 2011, and the next election is scheduled for 2015.

For decades, Americans have been told that voting in the general election satisfies their civic duty. But in today's world, voting in the general is not enough. The electoral system has morphed to the point where the vast majority of congressional general elections are no longer relevant. Because more than 80 percent of congressional seats are in one-party districts, the key decision is not made in the general election - it is made in the primary of the party that controls that district.