Maryland Votes

I voted in the Maryland primary (via absentee ballot) yesterday. It's a surprisingly spry primary season here, even with Martin O'Malley cruising to the gubernatorial nomination with the withdrawal of Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan (due to a diagnosis of clinical depression). The senate race pitted Ben Cardin against Kwesi Mfume, two excellent candidates that had me on the fence until the end. The comptroller race was very dramatic, as Maryland political institution Donald Schaefer--whose old age and tendancy to make racist and sexist "gaffes" (to say the least) made him vulnerable--might finally be taken down. And there was plenty of close races down ticket, as well as a surprisingly competitive primary in the 4th district (I live in the 8th district, where Chris Van Hollen is now firmly entrenched).

First, the Senate race. While I liked both candidates, I ended up voting for Ben Cardin. Why? Well, he got the Washington Post endorsement. And faced with two candidates between which I had no preference, that seemed like as good a reason as any to vote off of. I highly respect the Post, and I think both candidates can beat Lt. Gov. Michael Steele in the general.

Yet, after casting my ballot, I was filled with a lot of regret. Why? Well, one of my friends here at Carleton made a last second plea for Mfume, which shook my confidence slightly. But also, it seems rather weak for a supposed progressive, who believes that the Senate should have more Black members, faced with a choice between two candidates who I basically believe are completely equal in every sense, votes for the White male over the Black NAACP leader. I mean, isn't this a bit of a litmus test? Sure, I'd vote for Barack Obama over nearly any other politician in the country (hell, I'd vote for him over Gandhi), but all that says is that I am willing to vote for the perfect Black candidate. A Black candidate should not have to be Obama-esque to win White voters. So this was distressing to me.

However, it looks like Cardin will win (without my help--my absentee ballot probably hasn't even arrived in the mail yet) the nomination. There has been chatter that nominating Cardin could drive a large portion of Black voters (a key Democratic base) into Steele's camp, as Steele is Black and the Mfume's loss could be seen as a repudiation of a community that has already begun to murmer discontent at being taken for granted by the state party. Nevertheless, I doubt this is so. Shavar Jefferies makes a great point about politicians who "must really think Black folk are stupid." Make a few references to Jim Crow, nominate a couple token Black candidates, and they expect the Black community to come rushing to them (this isn't only a GOP problem, by the way). There is a lot of disrespect accorded to Black voters, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

In any event, it is my experience that Maryland as a whole has an unusually politically savvy polity. Turn out was apparently massive, which is always a good sign. I have no doubt that Steele is out of line with the majority of Black voters in the Old Line State, and will receive votes accordingly. If he can attract them on the basis of his positions or values, all power to him. But I don't expect Maryland Blacks to rush blindly into his arms, and it's quite patronizing to suggest otherwise.

Meanwhile, UMD Law Professor Sherilynn Ifill reports on the severe problems in MD voting booths that delayed the polls (and now the results) for hours. The only good thing you can say about it is that the problems seemed evenly distributed across White and Black areas, which is progress of a sort (I guess). It's not all that much, because any delay can force many poor Black voters to abandon poll lines (as they have to get work). There is no good excuse to not make Election Day a federal holiday, and regular primaries a state holiday. Seriously--this is an embarassement.