More News

Push for primary change continues

But opponents remain resolute

Friday, Dec. 16, 2005

ANNAPOLIS — The continuing efforts of the Democratic Party’s old guard to move up the date of next year’s primary election is deepening fissures within the party.

Despite a distinct lack of enthusiasm from leaders of the House of Delegates, powerbrokers like U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer and Senate President Mike Miller are leaning on legislators to hold the primary in June or July, rather than in September. The proposal failed during the last General Assembly session.

At a meeting Tuesday of the Democratic Party’s ‘‘advisory committee,” moving the primary drew the most impassioned discussion, according to people familiar with the meeting.

‘‘The outcome of the meeting was that as we prepare for session, there will be a redoubling of the efforts to talk to members of the House of Delegates who have expressed concern,” said a source who requested anonymity because the meetings are closed and attended only by elected leaders.

During the discussion, Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville expressed frustration that delegates were not falling into line, sources told The Gazette.

Proponents, especially Hoyer and Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach, argue that moving up the primary gives statewide candidates more time to raise money and unify the party for the general election.

Who benefits?

Democrats are facing expensive and potentially bitter primaries for governor and U.S. Senate while Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and the Republican Senate candidate, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, are running essentially unopposed in the GOP primary.

Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives and a power broker in Maryland, is an enthusiastic supporter of Senate candidate Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Dist. 3) of Baltimore.

Hoyer’s alliance with Cardin combined with his vigorous push to move the primary angers the other Democrats in the Senate race.

Kweisi Mfume, the former Baltimore congressman, opposes moving the primary and is urging the General Assembly to resist the change, a spokesman said.

Several African-American lawmakers from Prince George’s County and Baltimore city recently endorsed Mfume, which could stiffen opposition to changing the date.

‘‘The powers that be want to move the primary date because it’s in the best interest of the institutional candidate,” said Dan Walter, an Mfume adviser. ‘‘The primary date seems to be working well so far, seeing that we have two Democratic senators at present. There’s no reason to change it now.”

Allan J. Lichtman, also challenging Cardin, said the party would be making a mistake if the primary were changed.

‘‘The Democratic establishment is trying to anoint a candidate, and they are willing to change the rules in the middle of the game to do that,” said Lichtman, a historian and political scientist from Bethesda.

Supporters of moving the primary contend that top Democratic leaders ranging from U.S. Sens. Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski, both of Baltimore, to the Democratic county executives are all on board. They also say primary elections have been moved before in Maryland and other states have made similar changes.

‘‘Leading up to every election there’s always some movement on changing primaries,” said Tim Storey, a senior fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures and an elections expert. ‘‘It’s pretty standard procedure that there will be attempts to change the primary date. Any time there is a change, there are politics behind it, but elections and politics are one and the same.”

Stiffening opposition

Key House Democrats worry that moving up the primary will be seen as brazenly political and could end in a voters’ backlash.

‘‘It’s like throwing a softball to the other side,” said one House Democrat.

There are also concerns that changing the date could leave some House members in jeopardy because there would be much less time between the end of session in early April and the primary to raise money and consolidate support.

Members of the General Assembly — and the governor and the lieutenant governor — are prohibited from raising money during the 90-day legislative session. That ban does not apply to members of Congress or their challengers who are not state elected officials.

‘‘If the date was changed, there would be no time to campaign for re-election,” said Carol Rykiel, legislative aide to Del. Rudolph C. Cane (D-Dist. 37A) of Hebron, who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus and opposes moving the primary.

His opposition could influence other members of the caucus, which makes up a good portion of the House Democratic majority.

Dereck E. Davis, who chairs the House Economic Matters Committee, said the opposition remains strong.

‘‘The feeling among folks in the House who I’ve spoken to is that our races are a secondary concern to the wishes of those candidates who are running statewide,” said Davis (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro. ‘‘It’s more of an interest to those who are outside the General Assembly.”

Del. Marshall T. Goodwin (D-Dist. 40) of Baltimore, who was appointed to the House in December 2003 to replace Howard P. Rawlings, agreed.

‘‘As a newly appointed delegate, I need an opportunity to have the full length of a campaign season to reach my constituents and get my message out,” he said.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch said he attended Tuesday’s meeting and confirmed that moving the primary was one of the topics discussed, but he refused to comment further.

Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis, however, has said publicly that he and House Ways and Means Chairwoman Sheila Ellis Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring are not wild about the idea, nor are many delegates.

The 43-member House Republican caucus would universally oppose any change, and Ehrlich is likely to veto any measure that is passed.

Mustering the 85 votes needed to override a veto in the House is the biggest challenge.

‘‘Getting the votes for an override is another story entirely,” Davis said.