Well, we finally know who will take on the man who calls his his homeboy, that's Ben Cardin. With 95.43% of the precincts reporting, Cardin is leading
by roughly 5 points and is certain to hold a lead in the rest of the precincts to the counted.
Personally, I'm glad that Cardin won because I feel that he is the stronger candidate to take on Steele. However, while I felt that Mfume would have a tough time with Steele, Cardin isn't assured winning this seat. He still trails Steele in cash on hand, and will have to convince black voters in places like Prince George's County not to defect to Steele. Having Mfume campaign with him would be a start. Also, contrary to what some are saying, there is a "racial balance" on the Democratic ticket in MD. Anthony Brown, who is African-American, is O'Malley's running-mate. O'Malley is not going to piss off black voters and throw the election to Ehrlich like KKT did in 2002. Having Brown on the ticket could prevent Steele from making significant inroads amongst black voters.
Also, Cardin needs to start defining Steele ASAP. He needs to point out, for example, that Steele is in bed with the the producer of the "Willie Horton" ad.
He needs to point out that Steele supports Social Security privatization and even called it "the key to the American dream."
...And let's not forget that Steele compared stem cell research to the Holocaust.
I'm feeling pretty good about this race, but Cardin needs to start attacking Steele NOW.