The Baltimore City Paper has endorsed Martin O'Malley for Governor, Ben Cardin for U.S. Senate, and the rest of the statewide Democratic ticket as well.
You can check out the City Paper's endorsements for yourself at their website.
Insofar as the City Paper, like most urban alt-weekly publications nationwide, is generally liberal in its political orientation, this set of endorsements is not especially newsworthy in and of itself. They endorsed mostly Democrats with a smattering of Green candidates in local races, and zero Republicans. (Though in all fairness they limited their scope of endorsements to statewide races, the three U.S. House races in districts that include part of Baltimore City, and legisiative races in Baltimore City districts - and in especially the latter there would be few Republican candidates to choose even if one were so inclined.)
The endorsement of O'Malley is something of a double-edged sword, even compared with, say, the Washington Post's endorsement of Governor Ehrlich, and isn't too likely to be quoted at length by the campaign.
We offer our blessing, but not without misgivings.
Baltimore remains mired in intractable problems, none of which the O'Malley administration can honestly say it has improved unequivocally, across the board. His obvious political gifts notwithstanding, O'Malley has not finished the job he promised he would do in 1999.
So why give him the nod? With the state legislature in the hands of Democrats and unlikely to change hands, oh, ever, we're wagering that O'Malley can get more done than the current governor. While we have a certain amount of respect for Ehrlich as a political prodigy in his own right, the stasis and bitching that has typified his first term has done no one any good. If the governor had spent the past four years backing popular measures that could benefit Marylanders and the country as a whole (say, taking advantage of the state's edge in biotechnology and medicine by funding stem-cell research) rather than squandering political capital trying to push through ultimately unpopular initiatives (say, slots), his administration to date might carry some distinction other than partisan bickering. And while his re-election campaign has bypassed no opportunity to smear O'Malley with Baltimore's blood and grime, Ehrlich is the governor inside I-695, too.
My fear is that this endorsement reflects how a large number of people in the Baltimore area leaning towards O'Malley in Baltimore are thinking and that turnout amongst that population might sag for that reason.
But it could be worse. They could have endorsed Bob Ehrlich.
The endorsment of Rep. Cardin for the Senate seat is considerably more enthusiastic. I wish they had gone into more specifics about Cardin's accomplishments, but I'll take good news wherever I can get it. He hasn't had a particularly good week.
Quoth the City Paper:
{There} is an ugly fight under way for control of the U.S. Senate, and the race between the two mainstream-party candidates for this seat has turned fairly ugly as well, with policy differences and records of service largely shoved aside for posturing and misleading hair-splitting. And so we endorse U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin....This is not something we're unhappy about or unused to. CP has repeatedly endorsed Cardin in his re-election bids over the years, and with good reason. His record over his years in Washington to date bespeaks hard work and dedication to the
legislative nuts and bolts of how government can
improve the lives of ordinary citizens in the core
areas that never stray too far from many voters' minds
or daily lives.
But here's the line to take away from this endorsement:
Cardin's well-documented public service is exactly the kind of measurable accomplishment/paper trail that Lt. Gov. Michael Steele lacks, a fact that Steele compensates for by running a campaign composed almost entirely of smirking and admittedly well-polished bullshit. The Democrats may not gain control of the Senate if Cardin wins, but if Steele wins, it is Marylanders who value responsible, substantive representation of their interests who will lose in the end.
And that, friends, is the bottom line in this particular race.
Elsewhere in the article the City Paper gives their seal of approval to John Sarbanes in MD-03 and the re-election of Dutch Ruppersburger in MD-02 (while noting that Elijah Cummings in MD-07 is running unopposed) and weighs in supporting the candidacies of Democrats Doug Gansler for Attorney General and Peter Franchot for Comptroller.
If you want to read more about their perspective on those races, or their views concerning General Assembly contests in Baltimore, go here.