Evan Bayh not Running for Re-Election

Mass. has more registered independent voters than Maryland does. It may be more liberal, per se, but probably by fewer degrees than you think. And Maryland is much more heavily registered Democrat.

Maryland has had one Republican governor since Spiro Agnew, and he lasted exactly one term. I can't remember the state having a GOP Senator. Its two biggest voting bases are both in urban settings (Baltimore and Washington), which far outnumber the number of voters who are in the more rural areas.

And lastly, since I've done a little political coverage in my home state, trust me it's a lot harder than you'd think to come up with five Republicans who hold elected office right now. One of them I can come up with would be better known as The Heckler. None of them are holding statewide offices. Not even official state dog catcher. Outside some state legislative districts it's a completely irrelevant party. In Annapolis the GOP couldn't stop me from taking a shit on John Paul Jones' alcohol-filled casket. It has ONE Congressional seat -- across the panhandle and into northern Maryland.

Every GOPer's wet dream is comparing Scott Brown to Maryland. You'd need to advertise in two, not one, major media market. Believe me, at the state wide level I'd like to find a credible Republican to vote for. The state could use some. But the party is broke and lacking here. It's Bob Ehrlich and the who gives a shits?

 

Now that he's a national guy? Probably not anytime soon. Before he took that gig there were some who hoped he'd run for governor this year, though now the GOP is pinning all the hope it can muster on Ehrlich again.

I think Steele is really engaging and easy to like. He ran a clever campaign against a dullard, and still didn't come close to winning thanks to people being beyond fed up with Bush. Granted, I like Cardin because he's so easy to get a hold of for stories, but if I had my choice of hanging out between the two, I'm taking my man from across town. But right now he's not even on the radar here in Maryland thanks to his national duties. Which is just as well. Statewide it's damn near impossible for anyone with an (R) next to their name to do much right now.

 

BTW, this morning the Baltimore Sun says Mikulski has all about announced her re-election by raising money and hiring a campaign manager. She's also running unopposed right now and says she's not retiring.