Cardin leads money race at $2.1M

Friday, Oct. 28, 2005

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele raised $418,000 in the latest reporting period for his bid to become the first Republican U.S. senator from Maryland in 20 years.

He lags far behind Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Dist. 3) of Pikesville, who raised $877,000 in the third quarter of the year, from July 1 to Sept. 30, for a total of $2.1 million so far.

The two also hold the largest amounts of cash on hand, with Cardin boasting $1.8 million and Steele $350,000.

There are at least six Democrats, three Republicans and one independent candidate in an increasingly expensive race to replace Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D), who is not seeking re-election next year. The last time Maryland had an open Senate race was in 1986, when Barbara A. Mikulski (D) won the seat vacated by Sen. Charles McC. Mathias Jr. (R).

The money is already flying in the Democratic field:

*Lise C. Van Susteren, a forensic psychiatrist from Bethesda, received $250,000 in third-quarter contributions and holds $180,000 in cash.

*Kweisi Mfume of Baltimore, former congressman and former head of the NAACP, has raised about $320,000 so far, $80,000 of that in the third quarter. He has $97,000 in cash.

*Allan J. Lichtman, a history professor, raised $262,000, including $250,000 from a mortgage on his home. He has $260,000 cash on hand.

Lichtman spent the least among Democrats in the third quarter, about $2,600, compared to $290,000 spent by Cardin and $100,000 by Mfume. Most of Lichtman’s expenditures went toward developing his Web site, Lichtman said.

‘‘We intend to run a very cost-efficient, grassroots, up-to-date electronic campaign without wasting money on consultants,” he said. ‘‘If you don’t know what you believe by now, you have no business running for office.”

*A. Robert Kaufman, a socialist activist, said in a Sept. 30 interview that his campaign had raised ‘‘a couple hundred” dollars and spent about $600 on printing bumper stickers and campaign buttons. Candidates are not required to file a report with the Federal Election Commission until they raise at least $5,000.

Kaufman spoke from his bed at a Baltimore nursing home, where he was recovering from multiple surgeries following a stabbing and beating attack on him in June. His campaign has been on hold during his recovery.

*Joshua Rales, a Potomac businessman who switched parties last year and is now running as a Democrat, and Kevin B. Zeese, an independent from Takoma Park, said they will not file reports with the FEC until January.

Other Republican candidates include Thomas Hampton of Severna Park, a controller for a manufacturing firm who has raised about $5,000 so far — none in the third quarter — and who has $2,000 in cash, and Corrogan Vaughn, a Baltimore businessman who has not met at least two deadlines for disclosing his campaign’s finances and did not return calls.