Digging Out

* Roll Call had an article on the 4th Congressional District entitled “Wynn Gets First Credible Challenger in Many Years”, describing Donna Edwards as “an attorney and former Capitol Hill lobbyist for nonprofit groups who gained local stature in recent years as a leading critic of a proposal to build a huge resort along the Potomac River in Oxon Hill — a multimillion-dollar project that Wynn and most other elected officials in Maryland have championed.” The piece talks about her relatively good fundraising in a short time and features a quote: "She's got the intellect and the skills to run a top-notch campaign."

* So candidates just finished filing to run across the state -- in Prince George’s somewhere near half of the candidates did so Friday. Polls continue to show Kweisi Mfume in very good shape in the Senate race, so good that one has to wonder why so many people think that Cardin is the frontrunner. As suggested by The League, maybe this really is a race. And we'll be trying to bring you more on the races as they heat up...

* A Poll from the Post: Conducted 6/19-25; surveyed 902 RVs; margin of error +/- 3% Party ID breakdown: 51%D, 29%R, 20%I/O.

General Election Matchup Dir. Of MD Now 1/04 10/02
LVs RVs Right direction 44% 56% 57%
O'Malley 55% 51% Wrong track 50 36 35
Ehrlich 39 40
Other/undec 6 9 Fav/Unfav
Ehrlich 55%/38
Ehrlich As Gov. Now 1/04 MD Dem party 54 /32
Approve 56% 64% O'Malley 51 /30
Disapprove 41 29 Doug Duncan 48 /20
Kendel Ehrlich 41 /22
Biggest Issue Facing MD? MD GOP party 40 /45
Public education 35%
Crime 20 How Much Has Ehrlich Accomplished
State economy 13 In 1st Term?
Taxes 12 Lot/fair amount 48%
Growth and devel. 9 Some/not much 51
Transportation 7
Ehrlich Deserves Credit For
MD's
Does ___ Describe Ehrlich? Projected Budget Surplus?
Well Not Yes 71%
Is likable 77% 16% No 24
Is honest 75 21
Has vision for Who Deserves Blame For Rising
MD's future 66 30 Energy Costs? Does Not
Willing to make Util. companies 90 9
reas. comps. 60 35 State Leg. 88 9
Ehrlich 70 28

Does ___ Have Influence On Ehrlich
Admin? Too Not Right Who Would Do Better
Controlling
Much Eno. Amt Energy Rates In The Future?
Large business 66% 8% 22% State leg. 40%
Utilities 56 15 24 Ehrlich 25
Gambling grps 38 30 26 A Dem Gov. 21
Unions 17 37 34
Enviro grps 15 51 30 Bush As Pres. Now 1/04
Teachers grps 10 63 22 Approve 33% 54%
Minority grps 8 52 34 Disapprove 67 45
People like you 2 67 29

Bush Backing A Candidate
Would
How Are Things Going In Baltimore? Make You ___ Likely To Support?
Well 49% More 19%
Not well 44 Less 56
No difference 23

Has O'Malley Made Things ___ In
Baltimore? War In Iraq Worth Fighting?
Better 41% Yes 36%
Worse 11 No 63
Hasn't changed 40

Abortion Should Be ___
In Most
Support State Leg.'s Effort To
Cases?
Force Wal-Mart To Pay Employee Legal 63%
Health Costs? Illegal 35
Support 77%
Oppose 21