Politics is never off the agenda in Annapolis, but legislators turned their attention last week to Tuesday?s suddenly relevant Maryland primary for president and hotly contested races for Congress involving current and former members.
Rallies for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama tried to outdo each other with diversity.
The Women for Hillary event Friday consisted of a more heavily female and older crowd.
The Obama happening had more people of color, but more Asians showed their support for Clinton.
There was plenty of passion at both events.
The two candidates have split General Assembly delegations have run as a ticket.
For example, in the Howard Democratic delegation, Dels. Shane Pendergrass and Frank Turner endorsed Clinton, while Sen. Jim Robey and Del. Guy Guzzone backed Obama.
Less important than the endorsements of these politicos ? about 150 on each side ? are the campaign organizations they bring to the table.
But the excitement of the historic possibilities ? the first female president or the first black president ? have Democrats predicting more than a million Maryland voters at the polls Tuesday.
“There?s such a special energy,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Cryor.
“They both have an opportunity to reach out to the other audience.”
Cryor is adamantly neutral in the race, but he is the only black party chairman in the nation, and Quincy Gamble is the only black executive director of a state party.
On Leave
As has become an ongoing theme with their relationship, Gov. Martin O?Malley and Comptroller Peter Franchot are on opposites sides in this race. Obama?s official press spokesman in Maryland is none other than Franchot?s chief of staff, David Weaver, the former communications director for Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. Other Franchot staff members pitched in at the rally.
O?Malley?s staff helped set up the Hillary happening, and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski?s hard-driving press secretary, Melissa Schwartz, is Hillary?s Maryland spokeswoman.
State employees must take personal leave to work politically, and use their personal or campaign cell phones and alternative e-mail addresses.
Si, se puede
English-only advocates would have been muy agitado with the Democratic rallies.
Attorney General Doug Gansler lapsed into Spanglish for a couple of minutes.
Dominican Republic native Del. Joseline Pena-Melnyk, D-Anne Arundel and Prince George?s, led the crowd in a rousing Spanish version of Obama?s theme, “Yes, We Can” ? Si, se puede.
El Salvador native Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, D-Montgomery, tried to pull off a similar feat at the Clinton rally with less effect, either because fewer Spanish speakers were present or she was using Obama?s slogan ? Si, se puede.
GOP hard feelings
The two Republican senators running to unseat Rep. Wayne Gilchrest have slung verbal assaults at each other for months.
State Sens. E.J. Pipkin and Andy Harris sit just a few feet away from each other on the Senate floor, and their contest has stirred hard feelings.
Most senators in the 1st Congressional District have endorsed Harris. Senate Minority Leader David Brinkley, R-Carroll and Frederick, endorsed Pipkin, who represents counties on the Eastern Shore.
Pipkin has made the divisions deeper by running newspaper ads saying Harris was accusing his endorsers, state Sens. Nancy Jacobs and Richard Colburn, of being “O?Malley?s best friends.” This act mimicked a charge lobbed by Harris at Pipkin.
They voted for the governor?s budget last year, as did Pipkin but not Harris, who represents Baltimore and Harford counties.
Apparently GOP caucus meetings haven?t been tense ? Pipkin and Harris are usually absent, out campaigning.
Student demonstrations
Senate President Thomas Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert and Prince George?s, congratulated the Department of General Services police force for how it handled the arrests of Baltimore City students protesting the amount of education aid O?Malley was giving city schools.
About two dozen were detained for about an hour and then released.
“In my opinion, the teachers acted very irresponsibly, and the students could have wound up with arrest records,” Miller said from the Senate rostrum.
Joe Getty, former policy chief for ex-Gov. Robert Ehrlich and now an adviser to the Senate Republican caucus, recalled a different scenario.
Five years ago University of Maryland students, who were protesting budget cuts that led to tuition increases, walked into the State House and demanded to see the governor.
Getty said he and another aide spoke to them, and no one was arrested.
Maybe the capitol cops learned something from the incident.
Of course, those students were protesting real budget cuts to the university. The city students receive more state aid per student than in any other jurisdiction, and will get even more in the coming year ? not just as much as they believe a court case has entitled them to.
