Associated Press/Ipsos: Mfume (D) leads Steele (R) and leads Cardin.

[??????????]

Mfume is the former NAACP chairman. He resigned over a dispute with Bond over the treatment of Bush. And he is running well because of the black vote in Baltimore.

Yes, and MFume is a major race baiter and overall POS.

[??????????]

(And calling a black man a race baiter while praising the Confederacy and denouncing Abraham Lincoln is really rich.  LOL)

I think you supporting Mfume and O'Malley is far far more rich. Though which one is a bigger joke? Mfume or O'Malley? Hard to decide really. MFume could be a joke because he was the head of the racist NAACP or you could consider O'Malley a bigger joke because he lies about lowering the crime rate in Baltimore which is complete fiction.

[??????????]

(And calling a black man a race baiter while praising the Confederacy and denouncing Abraham Lincoln is really rich.  LOL)

I think you supporting Mfume and O'Malley is far far more rich. Though which one is a bigger joke? Mfume or O'Malley? Hard to decide really. MFume could be a joke because he was the head of the racist NAACP or you could consider O'Malley a bigger joke because he lies about lowering the crime rate in Baltimore which is complete fiction.

I didn't say I favored Mfume; I'm actually leaning to Cardin, but not firmly decided.  I will support either in November.  As to O'Malley, I'm also undecided there; I could conceivably vote for Ehrlich.

Well I'm glad to see your not lockstepping with the other mindless Maryland Democrats. Welcome to the forum.

[??????????]

Sounds like Hotline is reading Republican talking points.  I wonder if they realize just how Democratic Maryland is, all other things being equal, or just how unpopular the Bush administration and the national GOP are here.

For a state that's so close to Washington, this analysis sounds like it was written by partisans who can't find it on a map.

Maryland is only "really Democratic" in three places. The entire rest of the state is pretty heavily republican.

[??????????]

Sounds like Hotline is reading Republican talking points.  I wonder if they realize just how Democratic Maryland is, all other things being equal, or just how unpopular the Bush administration and the national GOP are here.

For a state that's so close to Washington, this analysis sounds like it was written by partisans who can't find it on a map.

Maryland is only "really Democratic" in three places. The entire rest of the state is pretty heavily republican.

Those three places (Montgomery Co., Prince George's Co., and Baltimore City) are about 40% of the total population.  The only heavily Republican areas are Western MD, most of the Eastern Shore, and some exurbs, which only make up about 25% of the total.  That leaves suburban Baltimore counties like Baltimore Co. (separate from the city), Howard, and Anne Arundel to determine the balance, and these are swing-voting areas winnable for either party. 

But since the heavily Democratic areas are larger than the heavily GOP areas, the Republicans have to sweep the table and run up huge margins in the swing areas to win.  Gov. Ehrlich did this in 2002, winning, for instance, 61% of the vote in Balt. Co. and 65% in Anne Arundel, for a narrow 52-48 win statewide.  But two years later President Bush lost Balt. Co. narrowly (about 52-48) and won AA by 56-44, a split showing, but lost statewide 56-43.

I think it depends on how determined MD Republicans are. Most of my relatives and friend are MD Republicans and are pretty upset at the chance of Mfume for Senate and O'Malley for gov and many Republicans are ready to show up this year. O'Malley would probably be one of the worst mistakes Maryland could ever possibly make. I know what kind of games Mr O'Malley plays as I have quite a few relatives who work at both very high and low levels of Baltimore City govt.