Free Republic

Maryland Democrats these days have a serious political problem called political competition. Four years ago, voters elected a Republican governor for the first time since 1966, and Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele this year has a fighting chance to win the seat held for three decades by Democratic Sen. Paul Sarbanes. So the Democrats, led by Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, chairman of Baltimore's delegation, and Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman have apparently decided that in order to recapture the governorship and remain the dominant party in Maryland, they may need the votes of murderers, robbers and rapists. With the...

Maryland Democratic Party officials acknowledged yesterday that they have replaced their executive director but said the move is little more than a change in job titles. The party has replaced Joshua M. White with acting Executive Director Derek Walker, who had served as the party's communications director. Mr. White was reassigned some time last month to the job of political director. The reorganization comes as more evidence shows a state Democratic Party operative was involved in a "dirty tricks" campaign to smear the administration of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican. However, party officials said yesterday that the job...