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 From The Desk Of
Ron Walters
Columnist Page
Friday, March 18, 2005; Page 21
Mfume Tries Senate Bid
At the time Kweisi Mfume resigned as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, there was much speculation about what he would do and a try for the Senate from the State of Maryland was in the cards. The big unknown was what sitting Senator Paul Sarbanes would do. Now that Sarbanes has announced his retirement from the Senate at the end of this session after five terms, it appears that the door is now open for Mfume and possibly others.
There will doubtless be other names thrown into this race, but there should also be a sense among members of Maryland Democratic voters that the time for Blacks, "has come." Blacks have not only been loyal to the Democratic party, they have been down right slavish in some respect, pulling a heavy load of votes from places with substantial Black populations, such as Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Baltimore City and even Howard County and making the difference in many elections for statewide office. The problem is that they have not been rewarded by the Party.
The height of insults was in the 2002 election for Governor, won by Ehrlich (52-48%) over Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the famous Kennedy clan. Townsend made a fatal mistake by selecting a former Republican, Charles Larson, to run as her candidate for Lt. Governor while significant Black candidates were waiting in the wings. She lost this election by the margin of disaffected Black voters and right away, a Black person, Isaiah Leggett, a well known former official in Montgomery County was named State chair of the Democratic Party. The only place to go now for Blacks is up and the Party should support a Black candidate for statewide office.
This nomination, however, would not just be Mfume's for the asking. While a Black member of Congress, Rep. Al Wynn, has said he would not seek the seat, his colleague, Rep. Elijah Cummings from Baltimore, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is reportedly considering it. Then serious White candidates are also looking at the open seat, such as U. S. Rep. Benjamin Cardin, a long time member of the House of Representatives, who is well known and respected in the State. Add to him a junior member of Congress, Chris Van Hollen, and Baltimore Mayor, Martin O'Malley. Who turns out to finally be the most credible candidate depends a lot on whom Sarbanes anoints as his successor.
Mfume was a six term member of Congress holding the seat now held by Cummings and regularly won re-election by large margins, but he did not have a statewide base. So, he would need to be supported by some of the heavy hitters in other parts of the State and the relationship between him and Sarbanes was good.
On the Republican side, Lt. Governor Michael Steele, who is an African American, might be tempted to make a run. Maryland would appear to be a solid Democratic State, out-pacing Republicans two to one in registration, but the Ehrlich/Steele victory might open the door for Steele. He would be in the strongest position to take advantage of the Republican victory as Lt. Governor. Otherwise, if Ehrlich loses next year, Steele would be out of a job, so he might as well take advantage of his current position.
Think of the national implications: two high profile Blacks running for Senate, in an unusual situation where each is supported by is party. When Alan Keyes, a well known Black Republican who recently ran for Senate against Barack Obama in Illinois, ran for a Senate seat in Maryland against Sarbanes, because he was not supported by the Republican Party, he pronounced the national party as racist. This time, given the current push of the Republican Party to make inroads into the Black community, this would seem to be an opportune moment for them to give Michael Steele all of the support he could handle. The strategic advantage would be to make further in-roads for the Republican Party in the State of Maryland by winning both a Gubernatorial and a Senate seat in the State. Maryland would then take center state in the elections next year.
Let’s see how the candidate field eventually shakes out for this one. It will be mighty interesting.
Dr. Ron Walters is Distinguished Leadership Scholar, Director of the African American Leadership Institute and Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland College Park. His latest book is: White Nationalism, Black Interests, by Wayne University Press. |
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