State Party

WASHINGTON -- A case on campaign spending by political parties, just heard by the Supreme Court, has reformers worried that a concept called ''express advocacy'' could provide a major loophole for avoiding long-established federal limits.The concept, invoked by the Colorado Republican Party to justify exceeding a federal spending limit for a Senate race, holds that an unlimited amount of money can be spent as long as it is not used to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate.

- Gov. Martin O'Malley took the stage Saturday at a high school in this early presidential primary state, telling an auditorium of South Carolina Democrats that his principles worked in Maryland - and they'd work elsewhere. "We're investing more to improve public education, to hold down college tuition, to spur innovation and job creation," O'Malley said to a crowd of 150 party faithful. But he also said Maryland has "cut state spending big time," casting himself as a pragmatist who makes tough choices.

Following the Nov. 2 election, many have sought my opinion regarding the future of the Maryland Republican Party. I would like to share my feelings on the current standing of our party and my hopes for our future. For more than 100 years, the Maryland Republican Party has been in the minority. And this year provided no respite. To revisit the failures of the last year, or of the last 100 years, just for the sake of doing so, is not productive. However, to be viable, the Maryland Republican Party must have the courage to diagnose the cause of its woes.

Three months after a disappointing election showing for Maryland's Republican Party, Alex X. Mooney is stepping down as chairman. The former Frederick County state senator announced his plans Saturday in a leter to the state party's central committee. Mooney said "it is time for me to pursue other ventures. " The anouncement comes after a grueling election year in which Maryland Republicans -- in addition to absorbing an expected shellacking in the presidential race -- lost one of their two remaining congressional seats and saw three party-supported referendum efforts go down to defeat.

Gov. Martin O'Malley has picked a former Baltimore aide and prominent adviser to several African-American organizations to become the next chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party. "I'm a behind-the-scenes kind of guy," said Michael E. Cryor, 60, of Baltimore, who was co-chairman of O'Malley's "Believe" campaign when he was mayor. "This is a little bit of a change for me. I'm looking forward to the challenge." African-American leaders have expressed concern about the state party's commitment to blacks in recent elections.

THE DEMOCRATS rocked Nov. 3, pushing Gov. Parris N. Glendening to a remarkable 12-point win over Ellen R. Sauerbrey in spite of himself.A lot of reasons have been given for the GOP's trouncing, but the indisputable key to the Democrats' romp was their ability to turn out the vote.Many bows have been taken -- some deserved and some not -- but the party should trot on stage for a last round of applause for its multilayered drive in the final days of the campaign.Three years ago, more than 200 worried Maryland Democrats met at Hood College in Frederick to reassess the party's mission and message, still smarting from the Republican gains in 1990 and 1994 in county executive and legislative races.

With a crucial election around the corner, the fortunes of the Maryland GOP are on the rise — literally and figuratively. The party raised $143,000 in April and is on track to easily repay its debt to former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's campaign, while still having plenty of money left over to open field offices and provide training and support for candidates across the state. Political considerations aside, the return of the once-broke party to solvency is unquestionably a good thing.

Nathan Landow's exit as chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party is being hailed in many quarters -- and for good reasons. For all his skill as a fund raiser and his commitment to making the state party and modern technology more compatible, Mr. Landow was a dud when it came to working with the party's activists and regulars. Like another wealthy businessman interested in politics who comes to mind these days, he lacked the true political animal's "people skills." Gov. William Donald Schaefer's dislike for him was not atypical among Democratic officeholders.

Ralph T. Gies, the Democratic nominee for the 1st District congressional seat who has been shunned by the state party for his conservative views, found some support closer to home.The three Democratic nominees for the House of Delegates from District 33 -- David G. Boschert, Michael Canning and Marsha G. Perry -- yesterday announced their endorsement of Mr. Gies, a resident of Gambrills and the district.Mr. Gies' three fellow Democrats from western Anne Arundel County were reacting to a statement made by Ralph Gervasio, acting executive director of the Maryland State Democratic Party, who said the party would not support him in his bid to unseat incumbent Republican Wayne T. Gilchrest.

Three months after a disappointing election showing for Maryland's Republican Party, Alex X. Mooney is stepping down as chairman. The former Frederick County state senator announced his plans Saturday in a leter to the state party's central committee. Mooney said "it is time for me to pursue other ventures. " The anouncement comes after a grueling election year in which Maryland Republicans -- in addition to absorbing an expected shellacking in the presidential race -- lost one of their two remaining congressional seats and saw three party-supported referendum efforts go down to defeat.

Elections officials in Florida said Tuesday they were asking prosecutors to investigate allegations that former Maryland congressional candidate Wendy Rosen was registered and voted in both states. "After receiving information locally concerning this issue, we are referring this matter to the State Attorney's Office of the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida," Julie Marcus, the deputy supervisor of elections for Pinellas County, Fla., said in a statement. The announcement came one day after Rosen, the Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Andy Harris in the 1st Congressional District, withdrew from the race amid allegations she voted in elections in both Maryland and Florida in 2006 and 2008.

A longtime top aide and confidant to Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett who has considered running for his boss' seat in 2012 abruptly resigned, the congressman confirmed Thursday, fueling speculation that the 10-term incumbent will not seek another term. Bud Otis, who has served as Bartlett's chief of staff for 11 years and who befriended the congressman more than three decades ago, submitted his resignation after rumors surfaced that he might run for Maryland's newly redrawn 6th District if Bartlett decided to retire.

Bethesda developer Nathan Landow, a former state Democratic Party chairman, was the third bidder in the auction of bankrupt Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George's County. Landow confirmed Monday that he lost to casino operator Penn National Gaming, which agreed to pay $10.25 million in cash. Penn National said it would seek to resume live racing and lobby for slots at the harness track. Rosecroft is not one of the five designated locations for slots under a voter-approved referendum that legalized slot-machine gambling in Maryland.

Just as one Maryland politician was elected to head the state Republican Party, another is in danger of losing his job running the national GOP. The simple thread that connects outgoing state Sen. Alex X. Mooney's election as chairman of the state party and former Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's uphill battle for a second term as head of the national party is money. Mr. Mooney laid out a plan for raising gobs of it, and Mr. Steele has seen fundraising lag and expenses rise at party headquarters.

Maryland's Republican Party embraced its base Saturday by selecting reliably conservative Alex X. Mooney as chairman, overlooking the party's more moderate recent nominee for lieutenant governor. The result ends the decade-long dominance of the Ehrlich wing of the Republican Party, a faction whose members sought to attract working-class voters and centrist Democrats. Its leader, former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., said he would close the book on state politics this year after a bruising 14.5 percentage point loss to Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in a year when the GOP made national gains.

Former Republican candidate for governor Brian H. Murphy recently offered, on this page, his prescription for what ails the party. While he made some thoughtful points, he did not provide the right medicine. As the state party convenes to elect its new chair this week, an alternate diagnosis and treatment needs to be considered. Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. ran, for the most part, as a conservative Republican, standing firm on many of the positions advocated by Mr. Murphy. Yet, he still lost by almost a quarter of a million votes in a race where he should have won easily.

ANNAPOLIS -- Calvert County Democrats have happened upon a fund-raising plan other political organizations can only envy: They have managed to win the $5,000 grand prize of their own fund-raising raffle.Instead of raising $10,000 from the event as planned, the county's Democratic Central Committee will net the entire $15,000 brought in from the sale of 150 tickets at $100 apiece.The way they managed this feat was unexpected and completely above board, said Gerald W. Donovan, mayor of Chesapeake Beach, owner of the Rod and Reel Restaurant there and chairman of the county's Democratic organization.

Vice President Dan Quayle told a Baltimore audience today that he has strong doubts about the Soviet Union's stability and warned that the United States must continue to protect itself against possible threats from that country and others."

Following the Nov. 2 election, many have sought my opinion regarding the future of the Maryland Republican Party. I would like to share my feelings on the current standing of our party and my hopes for our future. For more than 100 years, the Maryland Republican Party has been in the minority. And this year provided no respite. To revisit the failures of the last year, or of the last 100 years, just for the sake of doing so, is not productive. However, to be viable, the Maryland Republican Party must have the courage to diagnose the cause of its woes.