Two-term Baltimore County lawmaker Bobby Zirkin late Tuesday night appeared poised to prevail over attacks ranging from financial impropriety to an alliance with sex offenders and defeat Owings Mills physician Scott Rifkin in District 11?s democratic primary for state senate.
The current delegate took a commanding lead with a third of the district?s precincts reporting at press time, capturing 71 percent of the vote. Zirkin did not return phone calls by press time.
Zirkin will likely face Republican newcomer Jeffrey Yablon, a title attorney who has the endorsement of Gov. Robert Ehrlich and hosted a meet and greet with Lt. Gov. candidate Kris Cox Tuesday evening.
Yablon, who ran unopposed in the primary, said he spoke with Zirkin and the two agreed to focus on the issues, not each other, before November?s general election.
“It?s this tit for tat,” Yablon said. “I told both of them I?m not going to conduct myself in that manner. There is enough issues to talk about then sit there and go one up with negativity.”
Debate between Zirkin and Rifkin wasn?t so cordial. Campaign volunteers reportedly jostled for voters? attention on the sidewalks outside the polls Tuesday, and, in the weeks leading up to the primary, Rifkin distributed pamphlets that attacked Zirkin?s juvenile justice plan.
Meanwhile, Rifkin supporters and state Republicans said Zirkin didn?t report at least $28,000 in rent for an office he used for his re-election effort in his campaign finance filings.
Zirkin used the office, priced at $3,000 a month, for at least 10 months.
Critics accused Zirkin of being too close to the office?s proprietor, top county development firm David S. Brown Enterprises.
Zirkin will likely replace former Sen. Paula Hollinger, who is running for Congress. More than one dozen Democrats filed to fill his vacancy, and incumbents Jon Cardin and Dan Morhaim, along with newcomer Rick Yaffe, lead the Democratic primaries at press time.
Republicans Patrick Abbondandolo and Patrick Dyer remained neck-and-neck in their primary as of press time.
