Maryland's growing Republican Party is hoping November will bring it more seats than ever in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Republicans are watching several hot state Senate races where they could topple powerful incumbents or advance their march into rural and suburban areas.
"There's a Republican wave coming this year," said GOP Del. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who gave up his seat to run for Congress. "It's a question of how big it's going to be."
Republicans hope the November general election will boost their membership from 34 seats, or 18 percent of the 188-seat legislature, to at least 50 seats, said Lance D. Copsey, executive director of the Maryland Republican Party. If successful, the GOP would make up more than a quarter of the assembly.
Democratic leaders, however, say they're dreaming.
"Republicans are going to add some seats in both the Senate and House, but I think their nominee for governor will not have as long coattails as would have been those of Helen Bentley," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., a Democrat from Prince George's County.
The Republican nominee, Ellen Sauerbrey, is more conservative than Mrs. Bentley, who lost big on Tuesday.
This is the first election since the legislature redrew its district boundaries in 1992, so many candidates will be running in unfamiliar territories. For that reason, partisan and independent pundits alike said they could not predict the outcome of some of the hotter races.
The races to watch include Senate contests in Montgomery, Howard and Baltimore counties, Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.
In Montgomery, the county's most powerful senator, Democrat Laurence Levitan, faces a vigorous challenge from Republican Del. Jean W. Roesser.
As chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, Mr. Levitan, 60, is influential on budget matters statewide. He also boasts that he is best able to bring home the bacon for Montgomery, such as money for schools. Many residents of the wealthy county applaud those efforts because they believe the legislature is too quick to siphon off their tax dollars and send the money to poorer jurisdictions.
The question for some of his supporters is whether Mr. Levitan will get the word out about his influence. Unlike most politicians, the wry senator does not relish the hand-pumping, door-knocking and sign-waving work of campaigning.
"I will be knocking on doors, and I will stand at shopping centers, but I won't do it every day," Mr. Levitan said. "I think I have a message to get out -- the county certainly doesn't want to lose the clout I can bring."
Although certainly no power-broker in Annapolis, Ms. Roesser, 64, has an advantage. She has more time than Mr. Levitan, a lawyer, to devote to campaigning and constituents because she has no other job. A tireless campaigner, she is known and liked for attending many community meetings back home.
Even if Mr. Levitan manages to spread the message of his power, Ms. Roesser plans to use it against him. She happily points out that he used his leadership role to help push for higher taxes -- taxes she opposed.
Ms. Roesser has the backing of former Vice President Dan Quayle, who was scheduled to attend her fund-raiser Friday night.
The event could backfire, said Susan Turnbull, a Democratic Party official from Montgomery.
"I would say that Dan Quayle's coming out for a fund-raiser for Jean Roesser is the best thing that could happen for Larry Levitan," Ms. Turnbull said, because it highlights Ms. Roesser's conservatism. The Washington suburb is more moderate than Ms. Roesser, she said.
Although incumbents such as Mr. Levitan usually have an edge, incumbency isn't considered as big a force in the first election after redistricting. "Redistricting reduces the power of incumbency at a general level, so it increases the competitiveness for offices," said Herbert C. Smith, a political science professor at Western Maryland College.
Another veteran senator facing a spirited challenge is Democrat Thomas L. Bromwell of Baltimore County.
A Republican delegate, John J. Bishop, hopes to retire Mr. Bromwell in the county's redrawn 8th district. Although Democrats have an edge in voter registration there, they also have a history of voting Republican in national and State House elections. "This is an area where party label doesn't mean as much as in some other areas," said Mr. Bishop, 46, an administrator with the state Department of General Services.
Geography, however, is likely to help the plain-speaking Mr. Bromwell, 45, who owns a small construction business. The district includes most of Mr. Bromwell's old territory and little of his challenger's previous turf.
Mr. Bromwell, who had a fight in the Democratic primary, isn't taking anything for granted. "I've knocked on more doors this election than I have in the past two," he said.
Officials in both parties also recommend watching the Senate battle between two politically savvy delegates in Howard County -- Democrat Virginia M. Thomas and Republican Martin G. Madden.
Ms. Thomas, 53, knocked off three-term Sen. Thomas M. Yeager in the Democratic primary Tuesday, much to her surprise. With a degree in social work, Ms. Thomas has served as vice chairwoman of the House committee that deals with health and environmental issues.
Mr. Madden, 45, an insurance agent and first-term delegate, enjoys campaigning and has strong Republican support.
Mr. Copsey, the Republican Party director, said he believes Mr. Madden's conservative politics are "more in tune with the district."
A prominent Democrat made one concession on the race. "Madden is an unbelievably great campaigner," Mr. Miller said. "I can't predict that one."
Republicans are hoping to pick up two Senate seats left open by the retirement of veteran Democrats in rural parts of the state.
Sen. Frederick C. Malkus Jr. stepped down after 44 years representing the middle part of the Eastern Shore, leaving two experienced politicians to battle it out.
One is Democrat Samuel Q. Johnson III, 55, a conservative, three-term delegate. He is facing Republican Richard Colburn, 44, a former delegate who left Annapolis to run for Congress in 1990, but lost.
The retirement of another Democratic veteran, seven-term Sen. Charles H. Smelser, leaves Republicans hungrily eyeing a conquest in his rural district in Frederick and Carroll counties.
Mr. Smelser's Senate seat is the last Democratic one in Western Maryland. Republican senators represent the rest, stretching from Carroll to Garrett counties.
Democrat Del. George H. Littrell Jr., 60, a retired school principal and three-term legislator from Frederick, faces Republican Timothy R. Ferguson of Westminster.
Mr. Ferguson, 39, an engineering consultant, is making his first bid for public office. He gained campaign experience working for two prominent Republicans, state Sen. Larry E. Haines and U.S. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett.
"George Littrell has more name recognition and probably is the favorite," said pollster Brad Coker, president of Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. "But the Republican is a young guy who's running hard."
COMPLETE LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SENATE
WESTERN MARYLAND
District 1
Edward A. Malloy Jr. D
District 2
Laura J. Wright D
District 3
Charles R. Luttrell D
John W. Derr* R
District 4
George Littrell D
Timothy R. Ferguson R
BALTIMORE AREA
District 5
Cynthia H. Cummings D
Larry E. Haines* R
District 6
Alfred E. Clasing Jr. R
District 7
Russell Mirabile R
District 8
Thomas L. Bromwell* D
John J. Bishop R
District 9
(Democrat to be chosen by State Central Committee)
F. Vernon Boozer* R
District 10
Jerome Goodman R
District 11
Richard Manski R
District 12
David P. Maier R
District 13
Virginia M. Thomas D
Martin G. Madden R
District 14
James P. Mundy D
Christopher McCabe* R
District 30
Mary M. Rose R
District 31
Nancy M. Schrum R
District 32
Michael J. Wagner* D
Edward Middlebrooks R
District 33
John A. Cade* R
(unopposed)
District 34
Habern Freeman* D
District 35
William H. Amoss* D
Gwendalynne G. Corkran R
Catharine Wilson I
District 40
Melvin Stubbs R
District 41
(unopposed)
District 42
J. Gary Lee R
District 43
John A. Pica Jr.* D
(unopposed)
District 44
Larry Young* D
(unopposed)
District 45
(unopposed)
District 46
(unopposed)
District 47
John A. Hoffman R
WASHINGTON SUBURBS
District 15
Laurence Levitan* D
Jean W. Roesser R
District 16
Brian E. Frosh D
Daniel J. Cronin R
District 17
(unopposed)
District 18
Christopher Van Hollen D
Albert E. Bullock R
District 19
Lynn Siguenza R
District 20
Ida G. Ruben* D
John C. Leahy R
District 21
Herman B. Bouma R
District 22
John A. Schaffer R
District 23
Leo E. Green* D
(unopposed)
District 24
Decatur W. Trotter* D
(unopposed)
District 25
(unopposed)
District 26
Gloria Lawlah* D
Mary Bell G. Shepherd R
District 27
Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.* D
Joan Austin R
District 39
Gene W. Counihan D
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
District 28
James Easter R
District 29
James M. McKay R
EASTERN SHORE
District 36
(unopposed)
District 37
Samuel Q. Johnson III D
Richard F. Colburn R
District 38
Dennis C. Donaldson D
HOUSE
WESTERN MARYLAND
District 1A
(unopposed)
District 1B
Betty Workman* D
Stephen P. Crossland R
(Vote for one)
District 1C
Casper R. Taylor Jr.* D
(unopposed)
District 2A
Richard E. Roulette D
Robert A. McKee R
(Vote for one)
District 2B
D. Bruce Poole* D
Richard D. Wiles R
(Vote for one)
District 2C
John P. Donoghue* D
Bertrand Iseminger R
(Vote for one)
District 3
Royd Smith D
Sue Hecht D
Ronald L. Sundergill D
Louise V. Snodgrass R
J. Anita Stup* R
Melvin L. Castel R
District 4A
Thomas H. Hattery* D
Thomas G. Slater D
Paul S. Stull R
(Vote for two)
District 4B
Roy Pfeiffer D
Donald B. Elliott* R
(Vote for one)
BALTIMORE AREA
District 5
Phillip R. Deitchman D
Richard N. Dixon* D
Ellen L. Willis D
W. David Blair R
Nancy Reter Stocksdale R
District 6
Diane DeCarlo D
E. Farrell Maddox* D
Michael H. Weir* D
Nancy Hastings R
Kenneth Holt R
Michael J. Davis R
District 7
John S. Arnick* D
Joseph J. Minnick D
Jacob J. Mohorovic Jr. D
Robert J. Parsons R
Jacqueline W. Madison R
District 8
Daniel E. McKew D
John G. Disney D
James F. Ports Jr.* R
Alfred W. Redmer Jr.* R
Calvin Clemons R
District 9A
Shelley Buckingham D
Raymond A. Huber D
A. Wade Kach* R
Martha S. Klima* R
(Vote for two)
District 9B
Stephen W. Lafferty D
James M. Kelly R
(Vote for one)
District 10
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam D
Joan N. Parker D
Emmett C. Burns Jr. D
Clifford H. Andrews R
Alicia Walker R
Clifton McDonald R
District 11
Robert L. Frank D
Michael J. Finifter D
Dan K. Morhaim D
Michael Buchanan R
Christian Cavey R
Jodi L. Hammerman R
District 12A
James E. Malone Jr. D
Kenneth H. Masters* D
Donald Drehoff R
Donald E. Murphy R
(Vote for two)
District 12B
Elizabeth Bobo D
Charles E. Scott R
(Vote for one)
District 13A
Frank S. Turner D
Shane Pendergrass D
Michael Grasso R
Kenneth Miller R
Arthur Reynolds I
(Vote for two)
District 13B
John Giannetti Jr. D
John S. Morgan R
(Vote for one)
District 14B
Andrew D. Levy D
Carolyn H. Willis D
Robert H. Kittleman* R
Robert L. Flanagan* R
(Vote for two)
District 30
Virginia P. Clagett D
John C. Eldridge Jr. D
Joan Beck R
Ralph C. Rosacker II R
Phillip Bissett R
District 31
Joan Cadden* D
W. Ray Huff* D
C. Stokes Kolodziejski* D
Douglas Arnold R
Victoria L. Schade R
John Leopold
District 32
Thomas H. Dixon III D
Mary Ann Love* D
Victor A. Sulin* D
James E. Rzepkowski R
Gerald P. Starr R
Michael W. Burns R
District 33
David G. Boschert D
Marsha G. Perry* D
Michael F. Canning D
Janet Greenip R
David Almy R
Robert C. Baldwin R
District 34
Rose Mary H. Bonsack* D
Mary L. Preis* D
B. Daniel Riley D
Scott Williams R
Kenneth A. Thompson R
District 35A
Joseph V. Lutz D
James F. Greenwell R
James M. Harkins* R
(Vote for two)
District 40
Tony E. Fulton* D
Salima S. Marriott* D
Howard P. Rawlings* D
District 41
Margaret H. Murphy* D
Nathaniel T. Oaks D
Frank D. Boston* D
Edward J. Eagan R
Harry E. Grant R
Daniel S. O'Shea R
District 42
James W. Campbell* D
Maggie McIntosh* D
S.I. Sandy Rosenberg* D
District 43
Gerald J. Curran* D
Ann Marie Doory* D
Kenneth C. Montague Jr.* D
District 44
Elijah Cummings* D
John D. Jefferies* D
District 45
Hattie N. Harrison* D
Clarence Davis* D
Talmadge Branch D
District 46
Carolyn Krysiak* D
Cornell N. Dypski* D
Peter A. Hammen D
Mark C. Miller R
District 47A
Timothy D. Murphy D
Brian K. McHale* D
Gary E. Morse R
(Vote for two)
District 47B
Thomas E. Dewberry* D
Steven Cumby R
(Vote for one)
WASHINGTON SUBURBS
District 14A
Sandra J. Morse D
Patricia A. Faulkner R
(Vote for one)
District 15
Elizabeth T. Gentilcore D
Stuart D. Schooler D
Mark K. Shriver D
Jean Cryor R
Davis M. Richardson R
Richard LaVay* R
District 16
Gilbert J. Genn* D
Marilyn Goldwater D
Nancy K. Kopp* D
Brian Riley R
Douglas M. Brown R
Augustus Alzona R
District 17
Kumar P. Barve* D
Michael R. Gordon* D
Cheryl C. Kagan D
Harrison W. Fox Jr. R
District 18
Leon G. Billings* D
Sharon Grosfeld D
John Adams Hurson* D
Socrates Yakoumatos R
Eric H. Myrland R
James D. Grazko R
Scott Becker I
District 19
Adrienne A. Mandel D
Carol S. Petzold* D
Henry B. Heller* D
Richard G. Solomon R
Anthony M. Mora R
John P. Hewitt R
District 20
Dana L. Dembrow* D
Peter Franchot* D
Sheila E. Hixson* D
James Harrison R
District 21
Barbara Frush D
Pauline H. Menes* D
Herbert F. Frymark R
District 22A
Anne Healey* D
Richard A. Palumbo* D
Keith L. Poptanich R
William A. McConkey R
(Vote for two)
District 22B
Rushern L. Baker III D
(unopposed)
District 23
James W. Hubbard* D
Mary A. Conroy* D
Joan B. Pitkin* D
Paul Tucker R
Theodore Henderson R
D. Alfred Schauer R
District 24
Carolyn J. B. Howard* D
District 25
Michael A. Crumlin D
Dereck Davis D
Brenda B. Hughes* D
District 26
Obie Patterson D
David M. Valderrama* D
Erich H. Schmidt R
Claude W. Roxborough R
Max L. Buff R
District 27A
James E. Proctor Jr.* D
Joseph F. Vallario Jr.* D
James A. Woods R
Elmer L. Smith R
(Vote for two)
District 27B
George W. Owings III* D
Edward B. Finch R
(Vote for one)
District 39
Anthony J. Santangelo D
Anise K. Brown D
Charles Barkley D
Raymond Beck R
Mathew Mossburg R
Barrie S. Ciliberti R
Patricia Cummings I
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
District 28
Samuel C. Linton D
Van T. Mitchell D
Ruth A. Hall D
Adam M. O'Kelley R
Gerald Schuster R
Thomas E. Hutchins R
District 29A
John F. Wood Jr.* D
(unopposed)
District 29B
John F. Slade III* D
Donald L. O'Neal R
(Vote for one)
District 29C
Thomas M. Pelagatti D
Anthony J. O'Donnell R
(Vote for one)
EASTERN SHORE
District 35B
David D. Rudolph D
Robert H. Ward R
(Vote for one)
District 36
Wheeler R. Baker D
Ronald A. Guns* D
W. Michael Newnam* D
Sharon M. Carrick R
Allaire D. Williams R
Mary R. Walkup R
District 37A
Rudolph C. Cane D
Don B. Hughes R
Lemuel D. Chester 2nd I
(Vote for one)
District 37B
Robert Thornton Jr.* D
Philip C. Foster D
Kenneth D. Schisler* R
Adelaide C. Eckardt R
(Vote for two)
District 38
Bennett Bozman* D
Norman H. Conway* D
Charles A. Bruce Jr. D
Charles McClenahan* R
Christopher E. Mills R
Ronald L. Bireley R
SOURCE: Unofficial election returns. Voters select one senator per district. Unless otherwise noted, voters select three delegates per district.
* Incumbent