I'm a Marylander (at least when I'm not away at school), so I've obviously been watching this race rather intently. There is one aspect of this race, particulary the Democratic primary, which I find very troubling. For those who don't know, right now there are two front-runners polling neck and neck, Kweisi Mfume and Ben Cardin, with several other candidates who rarely get more than a percentage point or two. These others include Allan Lichtman, Josh Rales, and a host of others that I can't remember right now.
Here's my problem: Why aren't these people campaigning where they should be?
Montgomery County, which borders DC, is the largest jurisdiction in the state of Maryland. Its population is nearing 1 million, if it isn't there already. I can't speak for Prince George's County, because I don't live there, but it is also one of Maryland's largest jurisdictions. The latest population estimates likely place both of these counties ahead of the city of Baltimore.
However, looking at the geographic emphasis of the current race, you wouldn't know that Montgomery or Prince George's even existed.
Cardin and Mfume have been all but ignoring the market in terms of TV ads. In fact, the only reason I know either one is running is thanks to this site. Rales I only know of because he's been flooding the airwaves (relatively speaking) with self-financed ads, and I only know of Lichtman because he buttonholed me on the street yesterday and asked me to help with his campaign (an invitation which I had to decline due to the fact that I'm going back to school once I finish my internship here in DC). The primary is in a month and a half, and I haven't heard a peep.
Yes, I know that DC is one of the most expensive TV ad markets in the country. Yes, I know that half of those ads will go to waste because they'll be broadcast in DC or VA. Unfortunately, a candidate for statewide office must take that chance, because the alternative is to ignore over 2 million Marylanders -- half the state.
This is my message to Mfume and Cardin: You ignore the DC suburbs at your peril. Get your rears in gear!
The alternative is a Bush homeboy in the Senate.