Long campaign nearing end

Voters to pick president, decide state slots issue

Friday, Oct. 24, 2008

Voters in Southern Maryland will head to the polls a week from Tuesday, capping a lengthy election seasons that seemingly began the day after ballots were cast two Novembers ago.

"Outside of reporters and political gurus and party officials, I think most ordinary people are very happy that this election season is coming to a close," said Michael J.G. Cain, a St. Mary's College of Maryland political science professor.

But the final days should be frenetic as Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) criss-cross the country in search of pivotal votes in battleground states. Deep-blue Maryland is almost certain to fall in Obama's column, but political enthusiasts on both sides are fired up for a final push.

"We're ... trying to get as much word out about what we view as Senator Obama's lack of experience and his willingness to raise taxes," said Maryland Republican Party Executive Director Justin Ready. "The economy is a major concern for people and we believe Senator McCain has a good plan for stimulating our economy and getting our economy back moving again and the answer is not higher taxes."

With Maryland's 10 electoral votes likely sewn up, hundreds of Democratic field operatives are expected to be shipped to neighboring Virginia and Pennsylvania on Election Day to boost turnout.

"They don't care it's been going on for two years," said state party spokesman David Paulson. "They want to make sure it ends right."

Yet Democrats are also touting their success in-state by registering 220,000 new voters since Jan. 1, roughly five times as many as Republicans have signed up in the same period.

And Obama's candidacy has energized a fresh crop of young activists, Paulson said. "The impact of that will be felt for elections to come, starting in 2010."

Republicans also have their sights set on a resurgence in 2010, following a disastrous outcome two years ago in which a tidal wave of GOP backlash contributed to their losing the governorship, state legislative seats and local offices.

However, the stakes for this election are high, most important, control of the White House for the next four years. The balance of power on Capitol Hill is also up for grabs, as Democrats hope to gain a veto-proof majority in the Senate and enlarge their 38-seat advantage in the House.

In Southern Maryland, U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer faces Charles County school board member Collins A. Bailey in a race that has generated scant attention. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) is vying for a 14th full term.

The ailing economy should give Democrats a boost up and down the ballot, Cain said.

"In some ways, there are a lot of arrows pointing right now against the Republican Party at the top of the ticket," he said. "This problem with the market and the general economic malaise in the last two months of the campaign is also causing some problems down the ticket for some Republicans."

The economy is also at the center of the slots debate.

Supporters want to put 15,000 slot machines at five sites in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore city that they say will generate more than $600 million annually for the state, which is facing steep revenue declines. Opponents argue that the social costs — increased crime, more traffic and greater addiction — are too high and slots won't solve the state's fiscal woes.

The issue has handcuffed lawmakers in Annapolis for years. They opted during last year's special session to let voters decide the fate of expanded gambling. Slots advocates have been stepping up their campaign with a series of television and radio ads, while opponents have engaged in a mostly low-cost grassroots effort that has keyed on mobilizing the faith community.

Southern Maryland is no stranger to slots, having had the largest concentration of the machines when they were legal in the 1950s and 1960s. But with no direct impact in the region, it's not clear on which side voters will fall.

Observers believe one safe bet is a heavy turnout — potentially record-breaking — as voters seek to be part of a historic election regardless of which presidential candidate triumphs.

"It will be historic in proportion, it will be historic culturally and it will be a milestone in American history," Paulson said.

abrody@somdnews.com