Posted on 01/22/2006 10:13:52 AM PST by concretebob
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is ahead of the two leading Democratic candidates for the state's open U.S. Senate seat, a new poll reveals.
Republican Steele, Maryland's first black elected statewide official, would get 45 percent of the vote in a head-to-head match-up with Rep. Benjamin Cardin, who is considered the most likely Democratic challenger, while Cardin would get 40 percent, according to the poll by Rasmussen Reports.
Steele would also garner 45 percent of the vote in a head-to-head race against former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who would get 38 percent, in the contest to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes.
The poll results are "another example of the tremendous momentum that Michael Steele has, just under three months into his Senate candidacy," Steele campaign manager Leonardo Alcivar told the Washington Times.
More good news for Steele came with the disclosure that his campaign had raised more funds than Cardin in the last quarter of 2005.
The Steele campaign reported that he raised $853,350, including about $500,000 on a single day in November when President Bush attended a Baltimore fund-raiser for the lieutenant governor.
Cardin's campaign raised nearly $800,000 in the quarter, less than he did in the third quarter of 2005, which Steele's campaign said was a sign of slowing momentum.
The Steele campaign has criticized Cardin for receiving $3.9 million in special-interest money for campaign spending over the past 20 years, the Times reports.
And campaign manager Alcivar told The Baltimore Sun that Cardin has taken in a "disproportionate" amount of money from corporate political action committees.
Expect some *really* dirty politics from the Democrats. Something on the order of something you would look at and say "I would not dream they would do this in the 21st century.
Steele was the most impressive speaker, IMO, during the RNC 2004 convention.
Call me a pessimist , but this poll may have been designed to wake up the plantation workers . It took us over thirty years to get a republican in the state house . Good Luck Mikie !!!
Oh, by the way a pessimist is only an optimist with experience . . .
Bump to that.
The Dems can't allow this! A real black Senator Steele would trump their fake black Senator Obama! ;)
The racist attacks on Steele appear to be flopping! I'd love to see Steele win, especially after Schumer's crew tried to smear him.
Lynn Swann is running for Governor of Pennsylvania
AFAIK, Ben Cardin is also Black...
the infowarrior
Excellent. A couple of terms as Senator and Mr. Steele will be ready for the Oval Office or the VP slot.
A Ken Blackwell / Michael Steele ticket would be extremely interesting.
Regards, Ivan
the infowarrior
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