Posted on 04/13/2005 9:11:31 PM PDT by LdSentinal
BALTIMORE - Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (D) said Wednesday he won't seek the Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Paul Sarbanes.
Ruppersberger said "there is a great deal for me to continue to accomplish in my role on the (House) Intelligence Committee."
Kweisi Mfume, a former five-term congressman and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and activist A. Robert Kaufman have said they'll seek the Democratic nomination in 2006.
Democratic representatives Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen also have both expressed interest.
On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele has said he is seriously considering a run and will make further announcements in the next few weeks.
Hmmm...Ruppersberger probably thinks Steele will run and he'd have no chance against him in the general election even if he somehow beat Mfume in the primary.
*MD ping*
Dutch drops out.
Democrats still have Congressmen Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen as their "Great White Hope."
Well, the thinking would be, if Dutch beat Kweisi in the 'Rat primary, the African-American vote would be (rightly) outraged again that they were screwed again by White Democrats, and Steele could capture a substantial % of their vote. I still hope Van Hollen or Cardin jump in and really bloody up Mfume (though the added bonus if Dutch had jumped in was that we stood a decent chance of bringing the seat back into the GOP column again - it was Gov. Ehrlich's district before the 'Rats gerrymandered it).
I'm thinking Hoyer vs Steele in a close race. The outcome will depend on the black vote
They're better off with Mfume. Steele against a White Democrat will still win the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland overwhelmingly and do very well among Blacks and win by a good margin (despite Democrat fantasies that most Republicans are racists.)
Hoyer ? He's not going to leave his House seat after 25 years for a run at the Senate. He still thinks he's going to be House Speaker.
for future reference
I saw him on C-Span a few months ago. He 's very articulate. He seems like a good guy. I wish him all the luck.
Steele is the best! He would make an awesome U. S. Senator, but I haven't heard a word about him looking for Sarbanes seat. No doubt NARAL, ACLU, NAACP and the usual susspects would pull out all the stops to take out a black Republican.
Let the Dems knock the feathers out of each other in the primary and give us a conservative U.S. Senator in,...well,...has there ever been a Republican Senator from the Old Line state??
This indicates that Ben Cardin will run.
There have been a number, in fact. The most recent was RINO Charles Mathias, who was elected in 1968 and retired in 1986. Glenn Beall, Jr. was narrowly elected in 1970 but soundly defeated by Sarbanes in 1976. Beall's father, Glenn Beall, Sr., was narrowly elected in 1952 and 1958, but overwhelmingly defeated in 1964. John Marshall Butler was elected in 1950 and 1956, and did not seek reelection in 1962.
I can imagine that the Rats are going all out to "suggest" that everyone get out of Mfume's way.
Butler was a certifiable idiot. When the Soviets put up the Sputnik, Butler said, on the Senate Floor, "Why don't we shoot it down?"
"There have been a number, in fact..."
Very cool. You know your MD GOP. Yes, mathias rings a bell,...
It doesn't seem that long, but I've lived in Maryland for 15 years, so my statewide political knowledge is somewhat truncated. However, I was raised in NJ,...so I'm used to messed up situations.
Enjoying the Ehrlich Revolution.
Let them knock themselves out! I don't think Kwiesi is going to make it out of the primary. Steele would eat his lunch in a debate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.