Local Political Campaigns Heat Up in Baltimore

By Mercedes Suarez

Candidates prepare for city's all-important Democratic primary

The United States is still more than a year away from its presidential election, and no senators or congressmen will be elected in 2007. But the streets of Baltimore, a large city just north of Washington, are lined by yards full of campaign posters and advertisements urging people to get out and vote.

Baltimore is one of many U.S. cities in the midst of local election races, and its recent history highlights some unique aspects of the American political system.

In recent years, the state of Maryland experimented with scheduling local elections alongside national elections rather than holding them in odd-numbered of "off" years. Officials believed they could raise voter turnout and reduce election-related expenses by putting local races on the same ballot as congressional and presidential races, but local politicians quickly realized they could not compete for press coverage and advertising time when national campaigns are under way. So the Baltimore mayoral race is once again slated for an off year.

In 2006, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley successfully campaigned to become Maryland's governor. When he vacated his mayoral seat, the City Council president became interim mayor, and another council member took over as City Council president. Now interim Mayor Sheila Dixon is campaigning to become Baltimore's elected mayor, and City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake also is running to keep her seat. Both candidates would be the first African-American women to be elected to those posts in Baltimore.

"I want to continue to serve you as mayor, to continue to move Baltimore forward," Dixon said in announcing her candidacy. Dixon has racked up endorsements from the city's major unions, newspapers and her predecessor, O'Malley. Despite her strong lead in the polls, Dixon acknowledges that educating people about the election is an important part of her campaign.
"Yes, it has been a very unusual situation," campaign manager Martha McKenna told USINFO September 4, "because people know Sheila Dixon as mayor, but they've never voted for her [as mayor]." Dixon was elected to the City Council but it is her first time running for mayor.
"It's important for us to educate people about the election," said McKenna. Dixon's campaign headquarters is holding Election Day training and education sessions every day in the two weeks leading up to the primary elections. McKenna said the campaign also was mounting the usual get-out-the-vote efforts with volunteers knocking on doors and distributing materials. Voter turnout during off-year elections generally is lower than during presidential elections.

For Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is running for City Council president, wooing voters is even more important. She is in a tight race in the primary election against her opponent, fellow Democrat Michael Sarbanes. A recent Baltimore Sun poll found 28 percent of registered Democratic voters still were undecided about the race for City Council president. Both campaigns are conducting whirlwind tours through Baltimore, trying to reach voters with events, flyers, mailings, phone calls and television advertisements.

The flurry of interest around the tight race between Rawlings-Blake and Sarbanes illustrates a unique aspect of Baltimore's politics. Although general elections will be held across the nation in November, the first message on Dixon's campaign Web site proclaims in bold letters, "Election Day is less than two weeks away!"
The message refers to the primary elections held September 11 to determine each political party's candidate for the general election in November. In Baltimore, where 79 percent of registered voters are Democrats, the primary race is the most important election. Whoever wins Baltimore's Democratic primary is almost guaranteed to win the general election.

This is not the case in cities and states where Democrat and Republican voters are more evenly mixed and the general election is more competitive. Most voters are used to the general election being the major event, so the focus on the primary can be a surprise to new residents of Baltimore.

"When I first moved to Baltimore, I registered as an independent," local resident John Foot said September 5, explaining he wanted to keep his options open for the future. However, he realized he could not vote in the primaries, the city's most influential elections. "I finally changed my registration to Democrat, so that my vote will really count," he said.

Baltimore residents have been voting in September primaries for many years, so most residents know the importance of this early election. But Dixon's campaign manager said this particular election is remarkable for another reason. "What is unusual is that this is the city's first woman mayor," she said. "People have their eye on this race because it's unusual in a lot of ways."

For more information, see "Americans Prepare To Vote in Off-Year Elections" and U.S. Elections.

Source: U.S. Department of State

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com