Barbecue for Ben

I attended a small event for Ben Cardin yesterday in Potomac. It was part of their "Barbecue for Ben" push to create buzz around their candidate by getting friends to promote Cardin in a relaxed, social atmosphere. In our case, it was more like delicious homemade desserts than barbecue. The candidate himself made an appearance.

Cardin is certainly low key. He lacks the flair or charisma of his major challenger, Kweisi Mfume. However, Cardin has truckloads of experience due to his long service in the House and even earlier as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. His pleasant manner also conveys a level of knowledge and competence that I suspect will contrast well with that of likely Republican Nominee Michael Steele. Cardin-Steele debates should favor Cardin as Steele is a gaffe machine who is too close to Bush for Maryland voters. However, Kweisi Mfume, who is more eloquent than Cardin, could undoubtedly talk rings around Steele as well.

Cardin seems confident of victory in the primary and the general. In his view, Mfume is his main challenger but he lacks money for a final push and continues to trail Cardin in the polls. Cardin carefully avoids criticizing Mfume, presumably in order to avoid alienating his supporters whose votes he will need in the general election. Despite his barrage of ads, Cardin said that Josh Rales, a recent convert from the Republicans, remains in single digits and is actually viewed more negatively than positively by Maryland Democrats according to surveys. The one remaining question is whether Rales will launch negative ads against Cardin before the primary which could aid Mfume and thus Steele who would like to face Mfume in the general election.

Cardin plans to begin his own advertisements very soon in the Washington Metro area. Interestingly, one apparently reaches more voters per dollar in the Washington media market than in the Cumberland media market so it is not the most expensive advertising statewide candidates consider in terms of dollars per voter even though most viewers live in DC or Virginia. Cardin's phone banks are also up and running; he has one in Bethesda which has already phoned me several times.