A recent poll by Baltimore Research showed Benjamin Cardin leading Democratic candidates for the open U.S. Senate seat with 35 percent of the vote.
Kweisi Mfume was second with 27 percent and Dennis Rasmussen third, with 11 percent of the vote.
The fact that Cardin and Mfume lead the pack of 18 candidates does not surprise. Cardin represents Maryland in Congress and Mfume used to. Mfume also was National Association for the Advancement of Colored People president.
Their experience means both have received plenty of media attention, which garners name recognition.
The surprise is that 55 percent of those surveyed in the poll were only vaguely aware, if at all, that there was a Senate race.
“Tonight Show” host Jay Leno?s “Jay Walking” series exhibits Americans at their worst intellectually.
Many of the random people he pulls from the street cannot answer basic questions about geography or government.
But these people were not random. Baltimore Research only surveyed people older than 30 ? those most likely to vote ? and those who had voted in the last three primaries.
Dennis Rasmussen commissioned the poll of 550 people.
Has the governor?s race so overshadowed the Senate race that Marylanders don?t even know it exists? Or maybe the scorching heat turned people?s thoughts to the beach?
Candidates with money will soon start running television ads, so many of those who didn?t know about the race will find out. Regardless, we hope Marylanders start to investigate candidates soon and carefully.
An open Senate seat is a rare event. Maryland has not seen one since 1986, when Barbara Mikulski won. Sen. Paul Sarbanes took office in 1977.
Once elected, incumbents don?t leave until they choose to, save for the extremely rare upset. Connecticut Democrat Sen. Joe Lieberman?s primary loss to upstart Ned Lamont is the exception, not the rule.
That means we the people must choose wisely. We will live with our decision for a long time.
