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Schaefer’s slump could attract more comptroller candidates

Friday, April 28, 2006

ANNAPOLIS — With polls showing that Comptroller William Donald Schaefer is vulnerable to a Democratic challenger, speculation that other Democrats may enter the primary are swirling.

Former House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. of Cumberland and term-limited Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens (D) are being mentioned most often as possible candidates. Del. Peter V.R. Franchot is already in the race.

There is no chance that Taylor one of Schaefer’s closest political and personal allies, would challenge Schaefer, but Democratic insiders say that if Schaefer decides to abandon his re-election campaign, his supporters could rally around Taylor.

Taylor, now a lobbyist for Alexander & Cleaver, refused to comment on the speculation Thursday, but he did say that his devotion to state government service remains strong.

‘‘The door to my future is always open,” said Taylor, 71, who was House speaker for a record nine years before losing re-election in 2002.

Taylor has flirted with running statewide before: He considered running for governor in 1998 and was openly interested in being Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s running mate in 2002.

Owens said her interest in the comptroller race comes because Schaefer has become vulnerable and he may be thinking about retiring.

‘‘I happen to think he may be reconsidering running again ... I don’t think these are the best of times for him,” Owens said Thursday. ‘‘I’ve been re-looking at the comptroller’s race. I want to go and talk to him.”

Michael Golden, a spokesman for Schaefer, dismissed talk of other Democrats entering the primary.

‘‘It sounds to me like these are all trial balloons and they should be popped,” he said. ‘‘He’s prepared for the fight, and that’s probably what it’s going to wind up being.”

Schaefer and his campaign have not discussed not running.

‘‘Nobody would dare think to discuss that because that is nothing that would ever be considered,” Golden said, noting that he and others discussed his re-election with him a few days ago. ‘‘There was not a hint that he was wavering.”

Schaefer’s re-election chances, once considered a lock, have been damaged in recent months. He endured more negative media coverage earlier this year after he publicly ogled a young woman who works for the governor.

And two recent polls have boosted the legitimacy of Franchot’s bid.

A poll released two weeks ago by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies showed Schaefer leading Franchot, who is barely known outside his Montgomery County district, 40 percent to 33 percent with 27 percent of likely Democratic voters undecided. That independent poll came a week after Franchot released a private poll showing that Schaefer’s approval rating was below 50 percent.

‘‘By every measurement, my campaign is gaining momentum,” said Franchot (D-Dist. 20).

Franchot would have a head start on Taylor or Owens if they decide to get into the race. He has hired a staff and has been raising money for months.

Franchot said he will have raised $500,000 by next month, and has locked up some of the key constituencies in a Democratic primary. This week, the Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO, representing more than 300,000 members in Maryland, endorsed his campaign. He has also worked to shore up support among environmentalists and progressive activists.

While Franchot is often dismissed as a liberal from Takoma Park, Taylor and Owens are seen as more conservative.

Many of Schaefer’s closest allies have said repeatedly that the former governor and Baltimore mayor is ready to face the voters again. They acknowledge the political missteps over the years, but they believe that voters will overlook his quirks.