Republicans vs. Democrates in the elections

[Tonio]

By the way, my use of the term "strong candidate" applies only to the candidate's ability to attract votes, not to whether the candidate is most qualified.

[Oz (Premo)]

Originally Posted by vraiblonde

So it stands to reason that they'll recruit viable candidates.

I still think the coattails aren't as long as they say... But still --->

[Bruzilla]

The Republicans are too busy at their jobs making money to be redistributed to vote. Democrats have more spare time.

[Bavarian]

The reason so many Republican races are unopposed is that there are not enough Republicans in the county willing and eligible to run, remember the Hatch Act which prohibits most people from running.

When I came here 30+ years ago, there were NO Republicans running for local office. Even this year, Hoyer has no opposition from the right, only a candidate from The Greens who are more leftist than the Democracts.

I did vote in the Republican primary though,

[Ken King (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Oz

I still think the coattails aren't as long as they say... But still --->

You should be smacking your head.

[Oz (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Ken King

You should be smacking your head.

Between reviewing the financial reports, followed by election day, it really hit me. It looks like the party gave up on that seat and I think it's all my fault! Right now, it was still the right thing to do for me. I don't want to get such a late start, after heavy support has already aligned with the incumbent because they think there isn't a viable challenger.

[Pete (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Oz

Between reviewing the financial reports, followed by election day, it really hit me. It looks like the party gave up on that seat and I think it's all my fault! Right now, it was still the right thing to do for me. I don't want to get such a late start, after heavy support has already aligned with the incumbent because they think there isn't a viable challenger.

What seat?

[rraley]

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Steele should carry this one , but it will bear watching.

Ehrlich -O'Malley. Another one to watch but even yellow dog Democrats I have spoken to admit O'Malley isnt much , he even had to have the state come in and run his schools in Baltimore. If he cant run a city we dont need him running the State.

The Sherriffs race is going to be hotly contested. Personally I like Zylack ,but Cameron might give him a race if he gets out and gets himself seen.

I am glad to see the Demmies finally dumped Schaeffer. You cant keep making all the women mad and win.

First off, there hasn't been a poll conducted recently that has shown Michael Steele winning against Ben Cardin. Secondly, Maryland still has a 2-1 Democratic advantage and it is solidly blue overall due to the DC/Baltimore suburbs and Baltimore City. Thirdly, MD consistently has been one of the highest turnout states for Democratic presidential candidates in the past 4 elections. Fourthly, President Bush has a sub-40% approval rating in the state. There is no way to believe from these factors that Steele "should carry this one." If you really were courageous, you could label this as a toss-up, but there's no way that this race leans towards the GOP.

For the gubernatorial race, while polls have shown O'Malley to be ahead of Ehrlich and he has shown to be a better campaigner that Townsend, it's hard to say that O'Malley has a clear advantage. Once again, though, this is a solidly Democratic state and while that doesn't usually mean as much in governor's races as federal races, it still counts for something. This is going to be a tough year for Republicans, so it would not be hard to say that this race leans towards O'Malley, but Ehrlich does have millions of dollars to spend on advertisements, he has name recognition, he has charisma, and he has a solid approval rating. I would put my bet on O'Malley, but it wouldn't be much.

For both of these races, the Democrats will lose St. Mary's and Calvert. They will, however, win Charles County, if I had to put my money on it.

The Sheriff's race will indeed be very hotly contested. I was SHOCKED to see how close Zylak was to losing the Democratic nomination and with Cameron having a united Republican Party behind him, it's hard to say that he isn't positioned for a win.

I agree with you about Schaffer. Thank God he's gone from public life and from the Democratic Party. The man was a nut...so good riddance to him!

[Bustem' Down]

The two party system is broken. Democrats and Republicans play the same tune, they just use different instruments.

[Tonio]

Originally Posted by Bavarian

The reason so many Republican races are unopposed is that there are not enough Republicans in the county willing and eligible to run, remember the Hatch Act which prohibits most people from running.

If I remember correctly, the Hatch Act prohibits active military personnel and civil servants from running for political office. Is that correct? How about contractor personnel? From what I've seen, many Navy officers and civil servants make this area their home when they retire - surely they could run for office.

Originally Posted by Bavarian

Even this year, Hoyer has no opposition from the right, only a candidate from The Greens who are more leftist than the Democracts.

Ron Miller wanted to run against Hoyer, but chose instead to run against Mike Miller for the Maryland Senate. I don't know why. Maybe the GOP didn't feel Steny was vulnerable enough, or didn't feel Ron had enough power to take down the Dems' No. 2 person in the House. Whenever Steny retires, it would be interesting to see who both parties nominate to replace him.