Maryland voters were offered a clear choice in their next governor, and the decision is not coming quickly. Unlike some other states where a conservative groundswell handed major offices to Republicans, the governor's race here is too close to call before absentee ballots are counted on Thursday. In a race that contrasted a Democrat offering experience with a Republican promising a tax cut, voters are leaning toward experience. Prince George's County Executive Parris Glendening holds a slim 6,000-vote lead over Del. Ellen Sauerbrey in the closest governor's race in 75 years.
In contrast, Marylanders were overwhelmingly clear about their feelings on victims' rights: 92 percent of voters cast ballots for the proposed constitutional amendment, which would increase the rights of victims and their families to attend trials and submit statements detailing how the crime has affected them.
Other state and local races fell between those two extremes. In general, Maryland stood as a sharp exception to the conservative sweep in many other states. Two incumbent Democrats, Senator Paul S. Sarbanes and nine-term state Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein, won convincing victories.
Mr. Sarbanes easily won a fourth term over his Republican opponent, William Brock, while Mr. Goldstein handily defeated Republican newcomer Timothy Mayberry. Voters also re-elected Democratic Attorney General J. Joseph Curran to a third term against a stiff challenge from Republican Richard Bennett, a former U.S. attorney.
Maryland won't contribute to the Republican congressional landslide. All four Democratic incumbents easily won re-election, as did three incumbent Republicans. In the Second Congressional District, Republican Bob Ehrlich won the seat being vacated by Republican Helen D. Bentley.
But in Annapolis Republicans will remain a minority, although the GOP picked up six seats in the Senate and 15 in the House. Overall, there will be 81 new faces when the General Assembly reconvenes in January, a 43 percent turnover.
Republicans will also retain control of two important county executive offices, with victories by John Gary in Anne Arundel County and Charles Ecker in Howard County. These candidates, along with conservative Democrats Eileen Rehrmann in Harford County and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in Baltimore County, were perceived as having stronger management skills than their opponents. While Baltimore County voters may have desired incumbent Republican Roger Hayden's slimmer government, his leadership was judged lackluster.
Even though talk of new jails and police leadership and rampant suburban growth dominated much of the campaign rhetoric in Maryland's suburbs, the voters ultimately reaffirmed a fact that the political discourse didn't always give them credit for understanding: that the county executive's job is first and foremost a manager's job. Warm and cuddly only goes so far.