Despite months of attacks by his chief rival, former Tennessee Sen. Bill Brock won a solid victory yesterday in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate nomination.
In choosing Mr. Brock, Republicans rejected Montgomery County developer Ruthann Aron's negative campaign tactics, which sought to portray him as a tax-raising, carpet-bagging, career politician.
"People want to know what you want to do, not your motives," Mr. Brock said last night. "I hope this is the beginning of a change [in] American politics, where we can go back to honorable people talking about their issues honorably."
On Nov. 8, Mr. Brock will face three-term Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, who handily defeated three little-known primary rivals.
Even as votes were being tallied, Mr. Brock criticized Mr. Sarbanes as being ineffective and detached. "This state needs somebody to fight for Maryland, and I intend to do that."
Saying that he feared a negative campaign, Mr. Sarbanes
responded: "Brock has a record that will have to be accounted for to the people of the state. I'm quite happy to put up my record of public service and the things I've stood for against his."
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Mr. Brock had 38 percent of the vote; Ms. Aron, 26 percent.
Since late last year, Mr. Brock has been the favored candidate of the Republican Party, which saw him as its best hope of defeating Mr. Sarbanes. Ms. Aron, who entered the race in November, refused to give way to her better-known foe, hammering him constantly in a divisive campaign.
The victory moves Mr. Brock, 63, an heir to a Tennessee candy fortune, a step closer to becoming the first person in U.S. history popularly elected to the Senate from two states.
He faces an uphill battle against Mr. Sarbanes. While Republicans have considered the Baltimore liberal vulnerable to a strong challenge, polls matching him against possible opponents give him a substantial and, in recent weeks, widening lead.
Mr. Brock, who has lived in the state full time only since 1990, will have to shake the "carpetbagger" label that dogged GOP Senate nominees in 1988 and 1992. Mr. Sarbanes is a lifelong Marylander with broad name recognition and -- as of late August -- nearly $1.2 million in his campaign treasury.
Yesterday's GOP Senate primary was the most competitive in memory and the most expensive in state his tory, according to the Maryland GOP.
Mr. Brock, who lives in Annapolis, spent $710,000 of his own money -- $220,000 in the past three weeks. All told, his campaign spent at least $1.4 million on the primary -- more than twice Ms. Aron's expenditures. Ms. Aron, a Potomac resident and millionaire, contributed $258,000 to her own campaign.
Given Mr. Brock's national stature, critics argued that he should have been able to beat his lesser-known, less-experienced foes with a lot less money. In addition to 14 years in Congress, Mr. Brock served as chairman of the national Republican Party and as a member of President Ronald Reagan's Cabinet.
By contrast, Ms. Aron's political experience has been limited to two years on the Montgomery County Planning Board. She has never held elective office in the state.
While the two generally agreed on core issues, the campaign was dominated by Ms. Aron's near-constant attacks on the former Tennessee senator, who was defeated in 1976.
Mr. Brock adopted the above-the-battle stance of a front-runner until the final week. The race then degenerated into a series of charges and counter-charges, with each candidate calling the other a liar.
SENATOR Republican
Allegany
TP = 46
PR = 46
Aron = 1,279
Brock = 1,941
Franks = 838
Greyber = 201
Ladd = 181
Pierpont = 544
Webb = 285
Anne Arundel
TP = 155
PR = 155
Aron = 4,252
Brock = 16,351
Franks = 5,394
Greyber = 120
Ladd = 220
Pierpont = 945
Webb = 528
Baltimore Co.
TP = 180
PR = 180
Aron = 7,758
Brock = 12,217
Franks = 6,312
Greyber = 716
Ladd = 771
Pierpont = 4,933
Webb = 772
Baltimore
TP = 408
PR = 408
Aron = 1,648
Brock = 2,351
Franks = 985
Greyber = 176
Ladd = 152
Pierpont = 1,556
Webb = 185
Calvert
TP = 10
PR = 10
Aron = 707
Brock = 1,127
Franks = 518
Greyber = 41
Ladd = 957
Pierpont = 100
Webb = 97
Caroline
TP = 9
PR = 9
Aron = 309
Brock = 346
Franks = 528
Greyber = 39
Ladd = 27
Pierpont = 94
Webb = 44
Carroll
TP = 41
PR = 41
Aron = 2,505
Brock = 4,118
Franks = 2,833
Greyber = 145
Ladd = 257
Pierpont = 1,090
Webb = 832
Cecil
TP = 14
PR = 14
Aron = 608
Brock = 632
Franks = 1,057
Greyber = 212
Ladd = 134
Pierpont = 335
Webb = 80
Charles
TP = 28
PR = 28
Aron = 1,017
Brock = 1,677
Franks = 530
Greyber = 162
Ladd = 998
Pierpont = 267
Webb = 419
Dorchester
TP = 36
PR = 36
Aron = 392
Brock = 389
Franks = 521
Greyber = 21
Ladd = 44
Pierpont = 113
Webb = 68
Frederick
TP = 38
PR = 38
Aron = 2,721
Brock = 3,491
Franks = 1,914
Greyber = 309
Ladd = 210
Pierpont = 510
Webb = 930
Garrett
TP = 19
PR = 19
Aron = 838
Brock = 733
Franks = 620
Greyber = 111
Ladd = 114
Pierpont = 373
Webb = 141
Harford
TP = 54
PR = 54
Aron = 3,297
Brock = 4,274
Franks = 3,071
Greyber = 196
Ladd = 215
Pierpont = 1,653
Webb = 413
Howard
TP = 82
PR = 82
Aron = 3,430
Brock = 4,636
Franks = 2,432
Greyber = 212
Ladd = 257
Pierpont = 964
Webb = 694
Kent = 10
PR = 10
Aron = 197
Brock = 331
Franks = 763
Greyber = 11
Ladd = 14
Pierpont = 65
Webb = 28
Montgomery
TP = 218
PR = 218
Aron = 14,452
Brock = 12,516
Franks = 2,367
Greyber = 1,457
Ladd = 242
Pierpont = 806
Webb = 4,588
Prince George's
TP = 193
PR = 193
Aron = 3,994
Brock = 4,913
Franks = 1,595
Greyber = 610
Ladd = 631
Pierpont = 807
Webb = 706
Queen Anne's
TP = 10
PR = 10
Aron = 292
Brock = 457
Franks = 1,460
Greyber = 28
Ladd = 36
Pierpont = 78
Webb = 39
St. Mary's
TP= 19
PR = 19
Aron = 678
Brock = 817
Franks = 364
Greyber = 119
Ladd = 539
Pierpont = 159
Webb = 183
Somerset
TP = 21
PR = 21
Aron = 192
Brock = 313
Franks = 171
Greyber = 33
Ladd = 30
Pierpont = 113
Webb = 21
Talbot
TP = 16
PR = 16
Aron = 414
Brock = 1,112
Franks = 818
Greyber = 32
Ladd = 37
Pierpont = 154
Webb = 45
Washington
TP = 47
PR = 47
Aron = 2,528
Brock = 2,595
Franks = 702
Greyber = 102
Ladd = 136
Pierpont = 477
Webb = 359
Wicomico
TP = 39
PR = 39
Aron = 963
Brock = 1,227
Franks = 961
Greyber = 46
Ladd = 63
Pierpont = 266
Webb = 161
Worcester
TP = 9
PR = 9
Aron = 415
Brock = 1,039
Franks = 330
Greyber = 25
Ladd = 45
Pierpont = 227
Webb = 89
Totals
TP = 1,702
PR = 1,702
Aron = 54,886
Brock = 79,603
Franks = 37,084
Greyber = 5,124
Ladd = 6,310
Pierpont = 16,629
Webb = 11, 707
TP = total precincts; PR = precincts reporting
SENATOR Democrat
Allegany
TP = 46
PR = 46
Gayle = 583
Liston = 481
Sarbanes = 4,911
Trout = 159
Anne Arundel
TP = 155
PR = 155
Gayle = 583
Liston = 481
Sarbanes = 4,911
Trout = 159
Baltimore Co.
TP = 180
PR = 180
Gayle = 5,980
Liston = 18,173
Sarbanes = 56,497
Trout = 2,713
Baltimore
TP = 408
PR = 408
Gayle = 7,430
Liston = 3,433
Sarbanes = 53,644
Trout = 2,751
Calvert
TP = 10
PR = 10
Gayle = 360
Liston = 376
Sarbanes = 3,511
Trout = 221
Caroline
TP = 9
PR = 9
Gayle = 245
Liston = 548
Sarbanes = 1,172
Trout = 76
Carroll
TP = 41
PR = 41
Gayle = 507
Liston = 1,895
Sarbanes = 6,664
Trout = 494
Cecil
TP = 14
PR = 14
Gayle = 747
Liston = 990
Sarbanes = 3,645
Trout = 173
Charles
TP= 28
PR = 28
Gayle = 528
Liston = 1,152
Sarbanes = 4,577
Trout = 156
Dorchester
TP = 36
PR = 36
Gayle = 330
Liston = 360
Sarbanes = 2,427
Trout = 161
Frederick
TP = 38
PR = 38
Gayle = 451
Liston = 937
Sarbanes = 8,058
Trout = 763
Garrett
TP = 19
PR = 19
Gayle = 146
Liston = 165
Sarbanes = 1,127
Trout = 73
Harford
TP = 54
PR= 54
Gayle = 756
Liston = 3,889
Sarbanes = 14,519
Trout = 1,132
Howard
TP = 82
PR = 82
Gayle = 685
Liston = 2,053
Sarbanes = 17,796
Trout = 769
Kent
TP = 10
PR = 10
Gayle = 117
Liston = 231
Sarbanes = 2,204
Trout = 234
Montgomery
TP= 218
PR = 218
Gayle = 1,580
Liston = 3,584
Sarbanes = 73,296
Trout = 2,314
Prince George's
TP = 193
PR = 193
Gayle = 5,240
Liston = 2,812
Sarbanes = 59,226
Trout = 2,468
Queen Anne's
TP = 10
PR = 10
Gayle = 329
Liston = 589
Sarbanes = 2,024
Trout = 117
St. Mary's
TP = 19
PR = 19
Gayle = 506
Liston = 823
Sarbanes = 5,061
Trout = 220
Somerset
TP = 21
PR = 21
Grayle = 179
Liston = 232
Sarbanes = 1,023
Trout = 71
Talbot
TP = 16
PR = 16
Gayle = 230
Liston = 399
Sarbanes = 1,442
Trout = 58
Washington
TP = 47
PR = 47
Gayle = 631
Liston = 757
Sarbanes = 6,306
Trout = 712
Wicomico
TP = 39
PR = 39
Gayle = 317
Liston = 539
Sarbanes = 5,851
Trout = 419
Worcester
TP = 9
PR = 9
Gayle = 205
Liston = 336
Sarbanes = 3,589
Trout = 223
Totals = 1,702
TP = 1,702
PR = 30,481
Gayle = 50,623
Sarbanes = 369,736
Trout = 18,827
TP = total precincts; PR = precincts reporting